Although the crowd is thrilled with all the animals at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, there is one that stands out. Bo, billed as the smartest Asian elephant in the world, thrills all as he performs his many tricks.
Bo is the star of the 131st year of The Greatest Show on Earth. He plays a horn and a harmonica, balances on a beam, rolls a barrel, throws a football and soccer ball and dances.
He has appeared on the NFL Monday Night football halftime show in Tampa Bay, Fla., and like the former football star Bo Jackson, Bo knows how to do it all.
Like any star, Bo receives royal treatment. He has a special elephant shampoo and a personal power washer. He feeds on apples and carrots and loves sweets, especially doughnuts.
While other circus animals travel by train, the 13-year-old elephant has his own tractor-trailer, driver, personal trainer and groom who travel with him. His bright yellow 2000 Sterling daycab, leased from Penske, pulls his colorful trailer, decorated in the circus theme. He inherited his trailer from King Tusk, who was the world’s largest elephant.
Mike Hickey of Louisville, Ky., has driven Bo for a year. According to Hickey, driving a trailer that contains a 10,000-pound elephant can be tricky at times.
“It’s not really difficult,” Hickey says. “He rides back there pretty smooth. I can feel him swinging back and forth but not too much. It’s like driving a half-full water truck.”
Hickey says driving at slow speeds and maneuvering through sharp turns in construction areas is when he feels Bo’s weight the most.”When we’re moving left and right, it’s hard to keep 10,000 pounds still, so he’s always moving with me,” Hickey says.
Larry Carden, of Springfield, Mo., is Bo’s personal trainer. He says Hickey is an excellent driver and that transporting an elephant is different than transporting general freight.
“When Bo moves, I feel the trailer move with him,” Carden says. “He handles the truck well, especially considering his cargo isn’t stationary.”
Carden has trained elephants for eight years.There are 13 other elephants in the show, but Bo takes top priority since he’s the star of the show. Carden’s living quarters are in the front of the trailer while Bo lives in the rear. A wall separates them, but they are together constantly.
