In 1998 the Carson & Barnes tent was 397 feet long. 400 wooden stakes were required to tie it down. Two heavy trucks carrying power drivers installed the stakes, but elephants were still used to pull them out of the ground before the Circus headed on to its next stand.

It seems as though elephants are always browsing. Even when they were busy inside the tent, raising all the poles, they were constantly pulling up grass and eating on the job.