The Flying Elephant

Out in Oklahoma, two psychiatrists and a zoologist pumped an elephant full of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), a psychotomimetic drug. According to the latest issue of Science, they chose the subject for the experiment "because of his remarkable intelligence, his extended life span, his capacity for highly organized group relationships, and his extraordinary psychobiology in general. His fate was horrible and brief.

Within three minutes of the injection, "it became increasingly difficult for him to maintain himself upright. Five minutes after the injection he trumpeted, collapsed, fell heavily onto his right side, defecated, and went into status epilepticus. The limbs on the left side were hyperextended and held stiffly out from the body; the limbs on the right side were drawn up in partial flexion; there were tremors throughout. The eyes were closed and showed a spasm of the orbicularis occuli; the eyeballs were turned sharply to the left, with markedly dilated pupils. The mouth was open, but breathing was extremely labored and stertorous..." But why go on? "He died 1 hour and 40 minutes after the LSD had been injected," the three authors reported.

Some people can't resist giving drugs to everything they meet, as it known. But to give LSD to elephants is just too much. "It appears that the elephant is highly sensitive to the effects of LSD." Yes. What's left if the beast who naturally never forgets should have his consciousness freed?