This book tells the tragic story of the war ravaged Ueno Zoo during World War II. The specific story tells of three elephants that could not be put down after the state had mandated that the zookeepers do so. These elephants could not be killed with poison, so the zookeepers were forced to starve them to death. However, with each passing day, the zookeepers kept up hope that if the elephants could survive the day, the war might end and these gentle creatures could be saved.
FACT:
-The Ueno Zoo is the oldest zoo in Japan, located in Tokyo.
-The illustrations are very accurate.
-Japan did mandate that the dangerous animals be killed during World War II.
UNCONFIRMED:
-Whether or not the elephants were intentionally starved to death because they would not eat poisoned potatoes.
-Is there a tombstone for the elephants? (If this many animals were killed, why would there be a tombstone for just these three?)
-Is this book called The Faithful Elephants? A different translation, found online, refers to the book as The Pitiful Elephants.
