Josef dies, the circus is sold to a sadistic, greedy American, and Bram stows away on the ship carrying Modoc to her new home. Josef senses the bond between his new son, Bram, and Emma's new daughter, Modoc. When his wife and Emma the elephant, the Wunderzircus's most popular performer, give birth on the same day. Nearly unique among animal handlers, third-generation elephant trainer Josef Gunterstein cares for them almost as if they are people, respecting their intelligence and treating them with kindness and love. During the years in between, the two live through a staggering series of experiences that give Modoc all the energy and excitement of a great adventure novel. It starts when a boy and an elephant are born on the same day, in the same small town in Germany, and doesn't end until many years later when both, well advanced in age, pass away within a short while of each other. 'Spanning seven decades and three continents, Modoc is one of the most astonishing true animal stories ever told.

The message of what can be accomplished by training though affection and joy will thrill all animal lovers.' - Betty White. 'Once I started this incomparable story, I couldn't put it down, and I cannot get it out of my mind - nor will I ever.

a beautifully true story that will make you think twice about the incredible and very real feelings of elephants. Sweeping us from a shipwreck in the Indian Ocean to the teak plantations of Burma, from the Ringling Brothers Circus in 1940s New York to author Ralph Helfer's haven for abused animals, through decades of painful partings and joyful reunions, Modox is a treasure for animal lovers everywhere, an impossible-to-put-down, deeply moving tale of love and loyalty, courage and sacrifice, and friendship that triumphs over every test.' - from the rear outer jacket.

So begins the extraordinary true story of the lifelong bond between man and animal, a bond Bram and Modoc will cherish for nearly eighty years through a series of amazing adventures on three continents. On the same day, at the same hour, a 'girl' the world will come to know as Modoc is born to an elephant named Emma, star attraction of the Wunderzircus. 'AN ELEPHANT YOU'LL NEVER FORGET! On a day in 1896, in a small German circus town near the Black Forest, a boy, Bram, is born to Katrina Gunterstein and her elephant trainer husband, Josef. Illustrated with a section of black-and-white photographs. Includes Author Dedication Acknowledgments Author's Note and Epilogue. As new condition white boards with gold spine lettering contained in an as new condition photographic dust jacket.

Modoc by ralph helfer