Ridiculous History: CLASSIC: Clara, The World's Most Famous Rhinoceros

Podcast: Ridiculous History (iHeartPodcasts)
Original Air Date: December 22, 2025
Hosts: Ben Bowlin, Noel Brown
Special Guest: Katie Golden (Creature Feature podcast)

Episode Overview

This episode takes listeners on a wild romp through the true, stranger-than-fiction tale of Clara, an 18th-century Indian rhinoceros who became the toast of Europe. Ben and Noel, with guest zoologist/comedian Katie Golden, dig into how Clara’s fame not only swept the continent but also shaped European perceptions of exotic wildlife, sparked a merchandising craze (“Rhinomania”), and illuminated the intersection of celebrity, animal psychology, and human-animal relationships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Animal Encounters and the Mythos of the Rhino

[05:00–11:00]

• Ben and Noel open by pondering the most amazing animals they've seen up close, segueing to the historical mystique of rhinoceroses.
• They reference Albrecht Dürer’s famed 1515 woodcut of a rhino, which shaped European beliefs with its almost mythical armor-like depiction.
  • "It looks like it's dressed for war, like it came to kick butt and chew bubblegum and it's all out of gum." — Ben [10:05]
• Early Europeans often ranked the rhino alongside unicorns and griffins, with secondhand accounts (e.g., Pliny the Elder) sometimes describing it as the arch-enemy of elephants.

2. Clara’s Origins and Her Remarkable Journey to Europe

[13:42–19:00]

• Fast-forward to the 1700s: Clara, an Indian rhinoceros calf, is orphaned in 1738 and adopted as a pet by Jan Albert Sichterman, director of the Dutch East India Company in Kolkata.
  • “She becomes a house pet of one Jan Albert Sichtermann... until she got too big.” — Ben [13:56]
• Sichterman later arranges for a Dutch sea captain, Douwe Mout van der Meer, to take Clara on a 7-month voyage to Rotterdam in 1741.
• The practicalities are fascinating: special care included feeding her orange peels, beer, and even tobacco smoke, with fish oil rubbed on her skin to prevent drying.
  • “She acquired some favorite human things, namely orange peels, beer and tobacco smoke.” — Ben [17:10]
  • “She was not designed to live life on a boat.” — Ben [16:55]

3. Rhinomania: Clara’s European Fame and Circus-like Tour

[19:00–28:00]

• Once in Europe, Clara becomes a sensation, inspiring souvenirs, paintings, sculptures, and even fashion (e.g., the “à la rhinoceros” hairstyle).
  • “During her heyday... things that were fashionable in the world of style and dress were referred to as à la rhinoceros.” — Ben [26:41]
• Vandermeer toured Clara throughout the continent: Germany, Switzerland, Italy, London—audiences ranged from royalty to everyday citizens.
• Merchandising was robust; from life-size portraits to affordable commemorative trinkets, everyone wanted a piece of Clara.
  • “He actively encourages these different pieces of memorabilia and souvenirs commemorating Clara the rhino.” — Ben [25:38]
  • “Rhinomania was a real thing. I mean, it swept the nation, Europe.” — Noel [25:07]

4. The Logistical Challenges of Touring with a Rhino

[23:36–29:40]

• Moving a full-grown rhinoceros wasn’t simple: “...by the time Clara was basically full grown, around eight years old, we're talking 5,000 pounds of creature that eats about 60 pounds of hay, 20 pounds of bread, and 14 buckets of water a day.” — Noel [24:42]
• Earlier attempts (such as the 1770 Versailles rhino transport) required days of labor by carpenters, blacksmiths, and more—yet Vandermeer managed it repeatedly.

5. Clara’s Legacy: A Symbol, a Celebrity, and a Cultural Shift

[26:36–29:00]

• Clara’s widespread appeal inspired art, literature, music, and changes in fashion and public attitudes toward wildlife.
• Despite her celebrity, the hosts question how much of her story is fact vs. fable.
  • “...this has sort of taken the form of a bit of a fairy tale the way it's written in some places. But that's an interesting detail to have.” — Noel [29:40]

6. The End of Clara’s Journey and The Mystery of Her Death

[30:16–31:34]

• Clara lived approximately 20 years—a record for captive rhinos at the time.

• Her death, occurring suddenly on her third visit to London, remains a mystery (possible theories: natural disease, contaminated bread).

• Clara’s horn reportedly fell off late in life but regrew.

  • “...this gentle, gigantic, beautiful creature, singlehornedly... changed the way that Europe understood the world beyond the edges of their maps.” — Ben [31:19]

Expert Segment: Zoo Psychology, Animal Fame, and Anthropomorphism

Guest: Katie Golden, Creature Feature
[33:38–53:21]

• Katie examines how captivity and celebrity might affect an animal’s welfare, especially large, intelligent mammals like rhinos.
  • On stress behaviors: “These kind of, like, obsessive compulsive behaviors that animals do when they're in captivity...for rhinos, one of the things they do is they have these awesome prehensile upper lips...they'll kind of fidget with that upper lip and do these repeated motions with that as a sign of stress.” — Katie [34:25]
• Enrichment helps: puzzles, games, and positive trainer interaction reduce anxiety in captive animals.
• Could Clara’s early human rearing have reduced stress? Possibly—but traveling, isolation from her own kind, and lack of rhino social cues probably caused her confusion or loneliness.
  • “...imagine being stuck with these aliens who seem to care for you, but they just are so weird. They're just these blobs that have no expression, show no emotion and kind of just give you food...” — Katie [40:30]
  • “She would tolerate social interaction and expect it. Although it must be very bizarre for her...” [39:50]
• On the ethics and realities of Clara’s adventure:
  • “I mean, it's not an ideal scenario. I think no real, like, captive situation for a wild animal, especially the size of a rhino, is going to be ideal...” — Katie [49:01]
  • Clara’s survival as an orphan likely depended on human care—“If she's like a calf, it's unlikely without her mother, she would survive.” — Katie [49:40]
• The conversation wraps with a note of caution: As charming as these animal stories seem, wild creatures do not thrive in captivity just for human amusement. The enduring lesson, per Ben and Noel, is to resist too much anthropomorphism.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On the Albrecht Dürer rhino etching:
  “It looks like it's dressed for war, like it came to kick butt and chew bubblegum and it's all out of gum.” — Ben [10:05]
• On Clara’s sea voyage:
  “She was not designed to live life on a boat…she acquired some favorite human things, namely orange peels, beer and tobacco smoke.” — Ben [17:10]
• On the rhino craze:
  “Rhinomania was a real thing. I mean, it swept the nation, Europe.” — Noel [25:07]
• On stress and animal psychology:
  “These kind of, like, obsessive compulsive behaviors that animals do when they're in captivity…rhinos…have these awesome prehensile upper lips…they'll kind of fidget with that upper lip and do these repeated motions with that as a sign of stress.” — Katie [34:25]
• On the limits of anthropomorphism:
  “Imagine being stuck with these aliens who seem to care for you, but they just are so weird. They're just these blobs that have no expression, show no emotion and kind of just give you food and sometimes soothe you…” — Katie [40:30]
• On Clara’s legacy:
  “This gentle, gigantic, beautiful creature, singlehornedly...changed the way that Europe understood the world beyond the edges of their maps.” — Ben [31:19]

Memorable Moments

• The hosts’ playful banter about celebrity animals, personal animal fears (ostriches and birds), and 90s alternative rock lyrics.
• Clara’s penchant for beer and tobacco smoke, and her human companions’ on-the-fly attempts at rhino care during an era with little scientific knowledge of her needs.
• The “à la rhinoceros” French hairstyles and commemorative merchandise!
• Katie’s vivid analogy of Clara’s experience as that of “being stuck with these aliens who seem to care for you, but they just are so weird…” [40:30]
• The ethical conversation on animal captivity and the need for realistic appraisal over fairy-tale retellings.

Takeaways

• Clara the rhinoceros was a genuine celebrity whose fame reflected both European curiosity and ignorance about the natural world.
• Her story is emblematic of 18th-century spectacle, commerce, and scientific inquiry, but also of the limitations of treating wild animals as objects or entertainers.
• Animal psychology research shows that, while attentive care can mitigate some stress, captivity and lack of conspecific social interaction remain major welfare challenges.
• Modern listeners are encouraged by the hosts and guest to look beyond cute legends and think critically about animal emotions, needs, and dignity.

For More

• Book reference: “Clara’s Grand Tour: Travels with a Rhinoceros in Eighteenth-Century Europe” by Glynis Ridley
• Check out Katie Golden’s podcast “Creature Feature” for more on animal behavior and weird natural history.