Unearthing the Tregaron Elephant?

[Maguari]

Here's an odd story - captive animal archaeology is a fairly specialised field! A group from UW Trinity St David are digging to try to find the remains of an elephant from Batty's Travelling Menageries that was supposedly killed by contaminated drinking water in 1848. They freely admit it is unlikely to come to anything!

BBC News - University archaeologists start Tregaron elephant dig

Archaeologists are digging up a pub beer garden in search of a legendary Victorian circus elephant.

The Tregaron Elephant has long had its place in local folklore, and is thought to have been buried behind the town's Talbot Hotel after dying on tour.

This is my favourite bit:

On Sunday, project leader Dr Jemma Bezant, from the University of Wales Trinity St David, said nothing had been found so far apart from some Victorian pottery and some teeth, thought to be from a sheep.

 

[Panthera Puss]

Elephant, is it? Get a lot of sheep around here, mind.

More importantly, my old university has merged & changed names, and I knew nothing about it!

 

[Zambar]

That poor elephant; another example of the dozens of lonely elephants in this country stuck underground for 200 years all alone. The next candidate for Longleat!

 

[Pertinax]

That poor elephant; another example of the dozens of lonely elephants in this country stuck underground for 200 years all alone. The next candidate for Longleat!

For God's Sake, it certainly needs rescuing. Where's the 'Daily Mail'?