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Clara
In 1738, when she was one month old, Clara was snared by the hunters who had just killed her mother. She was adopted by the director of the Dutch East India Company, who allowed the sweet-natured rhinoceros to roam freely through his home and amuse his guests with her gentle manners.
Two years later, Clara was given or sold to Captain Douwemout Van der Meer, who brought her to Europe and would be her constant companion for the next two decades. Clara lived at his home until 1746, when the pair went on a tour of Germany and France.
The captain had a special carriage built for Clara that was, at times, pulled by as many as twenty horses. She was exhibited to crowds at fairs and exhibitions, all who happily paid for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see such a rare creature.
Clara met Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria-Theresa, who granted the captain a noble title. The King of Poland traveled to see Clara. At Versailles, King Louis XV offered Van der Meer the enormous sum of 100,000 crowns for her, but was refused.
For a time, the gentle giant was as famous as any rock star. Images of Clara have survived in paintings, sculptures, etchings, woodcuts, engravings, medals, advertising posters, dresses, ribbons, snuffboxes, and cookie tins, even in the background of unrelated medical illustrations. Many fashionable products of the time, including horned wigs, were promoted as being "à la rhinoceros." Some believed her to be the unicorn of myth and her urine was sold for its alleged healing properties.
At her top weight, Clara was nearly five thousand pounds, eating 60 pounds of hay and twenty pounds of bread a day. She sometimes drank beer and wine and was said to be fond of orange peels and the smell of tobacco. Like many of her kind kept in captivity, she sometimes scoured off her horn, leading to varied conflicting reports as to its size. Endless gallons of fish oil were used to moisturize her skin and keep her comfortable during her travels.
In 1749, it was falsely reported that Clara and the captain has perished in a shipwreck on their way to Rome, but later accounts find that they drew large crowds there and in Venice. Following tours brought her to Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia. Her final appearance was in London, where she died in 1758.
Clara
In 1738, when she was one month old, Clara was snared by the hunters who had just killed her mother. She was adopted by the director of the Dutch East India Company, who allowed the sweet-natured rhinoceros to roam freely through his home and amuse his guests with her gentle manners.
Two years later, Clara was given or sold to Captain Douwemout Van der Meer, who brought her to Europe and would be her constant companion for the next two decades. Clara lived at his home until 1746, when the pair went on a tour of Germany and France.
The captain had a special carriage built for Clara that was, at times, pulled by as many as twenty horses. She was exhibited to crowds at fairs and exhibitions, all who happily paid for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see such a rare creature.
Clara met Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria-Theresa, who granted the captain a noble title. The King of Poland traveled to see Clara. At Versailles, King Louis XV offered Van der Meer the enormous sum of 100,000 crowns for her, but was refused.
For a time, the gentle giant was as famous as any rock star. Images of Clara have survived in paintings, sculptures, etchings, woodcuts, engravings, medals, advertising posters, dresses, ribbons, snuffboxes, and cookie tins, even in the background of unrelated medical illustrations. Many fashionable products of the time, including horned wigs, were promoted as being "à la rhinoceros." Some believed her to be the unicorn of myth and her urine was sold for its alleged healing properties.
At her top weight, Clara was nearly five thousand pounds, eating 60 pounds of hay and twenty pounds of bread a day. She sometimes drank beer and wine and was said to be fond of orange peels and the smell of tobacco. Like many of her kind kept in captivity, she sometimes scoured off her horn, leading to varied conflicting reports as to its size. Endless gallons of fish oil were used to moisturize her skin and keep her comfortable during her travels.
In 1749, it was falsely reported that Clara and the captain has perished in a shipwreck on their way to Rome, but later accounts find that they drew large crowds there and in Venice. Following tours brought her to Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia. Her final appearance was in London, where she died in 1758.