🐘 My Pal the Elephant – by Mike Hollist
Step into the wonderfully unpredictable world of photojournalist Mike Hollist — a man whose camera has captured everything from royal handshakes to war zones, and yes… even a nine-year-old boy hanging out with a circus elephant.
This particular gem?
Meet Lee Brown, age 9, son of circus folk in the early ’70s. Meet Dum Dum, a gentle giant from Sir Robert Fossett’s legendary circus troupe (still dazzling crowds today in its 136th year!).
At one point, Dum Dum was part of a 10-elephant spectacular. But during rehearsals at Belle Vue, Manchester, the herd panicked - and suddenly only Dum Dum and her sidekick Sara were left to steal the spotlight. Talk about the show must go on!
It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes chaos that most people never see, but Mike did. And he didn’t just take pictures; he found the quirky, charming, and downright bizarre moments that make life unforgettable.
With a career spanning decades at the Daily Mail, Mike built a reputation for spotting the unusual and turning it into stories you can’t forget. He even produced a book of adorable animal shots called If Only They Could Talk.
📸 After 37 years on the job, did he retire quietly? Nope. He kept clicking away as a freelancer, proving that when you love what you do, there’s no such thing as “clocking out.”
👉 Stick around, because Mike’s archive is full of stories just like this: unpredictable, heartwarming, and sometimes a little wild.
