Tanya the Elephant
Tanya the Elephant was a Thai elephant who became a famous performer on stage and film.
Contents
Tanya
Born in the wild, but acquired by German born performance animal trainer Jan Vinicky (stage name Smaha, but nicknamed Jenda)[1] in 1965. He trained her to perform on stage and they subsequently landed in Las Vegas in the late 1960's. Her performances captivated audiences throughout the 1970s — she famously performed casino tricks, often playing craps, keno, and slot machines. In fact, Tanya’s slot machine trick was featured in the James Bond movie Diamonds are Forever.
Jenda and Tanya were invited to perform in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip in 1967 and Tanya would go on to participate in Circus Circus Hotel & Casino acts in the late 1960s and appear on late night shows like The Ed Sullivan Show.
Biography
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Sources
https://lasvegas.citycast.fm/history-archive/a-look-back-at-tanya-the-elephant
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