Animal Stars Trivia Quiz

Answer: Elsa

Joy and George Adamson ran a wildlife reserve in Kenya. They found three lion cubs, two boys and a girl, and brought them home to raise. When they grew bigger the two boys were sent off to zoos, but the girl was quite small and Joy was fond of her so they kept her.

The couple needed to move on to a different wildlife reserve, so they could not keep Elsa and did not want to send her to a zoo, so they trained her to fend for herself in the wild. They were successful and Elsa was the first lion to be rehabilitated into the wild.

Answer: Beethoven

This is a feel good movie about a family adopting this huge dog contrary to the father's wishes. The dog does many good deeds, and after many problems and complications the father eventually realises that he is very fond of him too. The dogs who appeared in the film were owned and trained by Eleanor Keating.

Answer: Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit was a thoroughbred horse who despite his small stature had a very successful racing career, and was a media icon during the 1930s depression possibly because he was seen as an underdog who made it. The horse was played in the movie by 15 different horses, and different horses were used to portray different types of behaviour.

Answer: Orca

Keiko was an Orca who had lived in several aquariam and wild life parks before being chosen to play the part of Willy. After the film there was a five year project to train him to look after himself in the wild, and he was then released. After only one year of freedom he died, possibly of pneumonia.

Answer: Steven Spielberg

This movie was based on a book by Michael Morpurgo, and was very successful on stage before it became a movie. On stage the horse was portrayed by a huge puppet. The horse who played the part in the film is an experienced actor. His name is Finder and he also appeared in 'Seabiscuit' and 'The Legend of Zorro'.

Although 14 horses were used in all to show the different stages of Joey's growth, it was Finder who was the main hero and appeared tangled up in barbed wire on a Flanders Field.

Answer: Peter Ustinov

This charming 1979 movie was based on the book of the same name by Henry Williamson. Tarka was played by an otter called Spade and his love interest Whitetip was played by Osla. The principal animal handler on the movie was Peter Talbot and he hand reared Spade to play the part of Tarka. Gerald Durrell and David Cobham were responsible for the screenplay.

Answer: Toto

Terry the dog who played the part of Toto was a Cairn terrier. He had already been in films such as 'Ready for Love' and 'Bright Eyes' which starred Shirley Temple. Terry did all his own stunts in 'The Wizard of Oz'.

Answer: Aldaniti

Bob Champion had testicular cancer and was told that unless he submitted to a new treatment with only a 40% success rate he would only live about eight months. The story unfortunately does not end with his first recovery because the early chemotherapy he had received left him very damaged. Aldaniti had suffered two serious tendon injuries and a fractured hock, and the vet considered putting him down, but Aldaniti was an exceptional patient and put up with being in plaster for six months, so he too recovered.

The pair won the Grand National at Aintree in 1981.

Answer: Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey worked with gorillas in Rwanda from 1967 until her death in 1985, 'Gorillas In the Mist' was based on her own book written in 1983, and starred Sigourney Weaver. Dian was found dead at her forest camp in 1985, presumably killed by poachers. Her conservation work continues through the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

Answer: Orangutan

This is a movie about a trucker going from town to town seeking a former girlfriend. Clyde the orangutan, who he won in a bet, goes along with him. Unfortunately there have been allegations of cruelty against the trainer of Clyde, who was played by Manis.