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Science

Stiff Drink Saves a Pair of Freezing Elephants in Siberia

Dec. 17, 2012 3:20pm Liz Klimas

Circus Elephants Freezing in Siberia Saved by Drinking Vodka

(Image: Shutterstock.com)

Using a similar philosophy as to what many have said might have helped save some Titanic survivors — liquor — two elephants were reportedly rescued with a similar means.

Emergency ministry spokesman Alexander Davydov said Friday, according to the Associated Press, that the elephants part of the Polish circus were in a trailer that caught fire Thursday outside the city of Novosibirsk, forcing trainers to take them out into the bitter cold before another truck arrived to deliver them to a warm gym at a local community college.

The two animals age 45 and 48 drank 2.6 gallons of vodka diluted in warm water. Later, a veterinarian said only the tips of their ears were frostbitten.

Although scientists say that alcohol can make humans feel warmer but actually lowers their core body temperature, Novosibisk zoo director Rostislav Shilo told the daily that the vodka saved the animals from frostbite and pneumonia, without harming or even intoxicating them.

According to this ITN News report, the animals are recovered and back at training. Check it out:

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Comments (25)

DeniseJ
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 6:37am
wow, wonder how much alcohol an elephant would have to drink to be over the limit??? Don’t see how it helped keep them from freezing, but it may have calmed them down if they were going into shock ?

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Babagootz
Posted on December 18, 2012 at 9:52pm
Wow. Maybe that’s why Brezhnev looked so foxy all the time…

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DMENTED
Posted on December 18, 2012 at 6:01am
Load them up with Bourbon and run like hell!

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- G-WHIZ
  Posted on December 18, 2012 at 12:03pm
  How-bout 20-gallons of beer each! Lookout for the BEERFFARRTS!! eeEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAaaa!!
  :>)
  
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lisalake
Posted on December 18, 2012 at 5:16am
No wild animals–especially elephants should be held captive like this. Circuses should be outlawed.

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- FeralHuman
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 5:42am
  I totally agree 100%. How would you people like to be locked by hand cuffs for life and beaten to perform in a circus? I hate zoos also. Let the animals run free in their natural habitats. I do not worry about any animal going extinct. God can always take care of us and the animals. Whatever happens I do not want any animals caged up or put into Sea World, etc. I know of people who keep things in cages at their homes, how stupid is that?
  
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charleyrocks
Posted on December 18, 2012 at 3:35am
Men need to get out of the business of caging animals and putting them on display. God put man in charge of them not to hurt them, or misuse them period.

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betterpart
Posted on December 18, 2012 at 2:44am
Reminds me of a typically less-than-intelligent remark the addle-pated Paris Hilton made a few years back about elephants in India, in order to convince the public she has some intelligence: “We have to save the elephants in India from getting drunk”. No kidding.

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rsanchez1
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 9:20pm
Those Russians think they can solve everything with vodka.

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Mustanger
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 8:32pm
Drunk people see pink elephants, according to Buggs Bunny. So a drunk elephant sees pink what?

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- DMENTED
  Posted on December 18, 2012 at 5:57am
  No one’s gotten close enough to one to find out.
  
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KeystoneState
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 6:36pm
Got to hand it to the Ruskies on this one. I once heard a story where us Americans spent over a million dollars developing a pen that would write in a 0-G environment, whereas the Russians (Soviets) simply used a pencil.

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Charbet
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 5:29pm
Wow, think about it, two big elephants with major hangovers! Yikes!

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biohazard23
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 4:37pm
Another reason to like vodka. Of course, I can’t remember the others, but…..

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- JACKTHETOAD
  Posted on December 18, 2012 at 6:08am
  So it’s still Goose and Cranberry with a twist of lime, is it? You need to stretch out, Bio. Maybe we’ll try some Absinthe or even Green Chartreuse someday. Why waste it on Elephants? ;)
  
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- biohazard23
  Posted on December 18, 2012 at 2:09pm
  Naughty naughty…. LOL!
  
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Zeb
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 4:23pm
Lets just let Bygones be Bygones……..

The election is over, the talking is done.
My party lost, your party won.
So let us be friends, let arguments pass.
I’ll hug my drunken elephant, you can kiss your smelly ass.

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- pavepaws
  Posted on December 17, 2012 at 4:33pm
  Still laughing.
  
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- OniKaze
  Posted on December 17, 2012 at 4:52pm
  Zeb….. Love it!
  
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JACKTHETOAD
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 3:55pm
Years ago I read in the paper a rogue Elephant trashed 5 or 6 villages and killed at least 15 Natives or so. It turns out he found a large pile of fermented fruit and kept going back to it for more. I think they ended up putting him down. Be careful who you drink with.

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macpappy
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 3:54pm
Freezing Elephants in Siberia

I am not sure they were saved. It’s more like the sentence was extended.

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huey6367
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 3:44pm
Great, drunk elephants that feel good. RUN FOREST, RUN!!

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 3:39pm
Is that what Obama has been drinking lately? Putin’s finest stock?

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- DadRocked
  Posted on December 17, 2012 at 10:13pm
  Yep, 2.6 gallons should just about do it…
  Obama + 2.6 gallons of vodka = Yep that should just about do it…
  
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- DMENTED
  Posted on December 18, 2012 at 6:00am
  Don’t EVEN lump 0bama in with John Bonham. I would’ve loved to see Bonzo go to town on 0bama’s pumpkin with two metal sticks. …sigh.
  
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