I grew up at Niagara Falls, Ontario. I'm well aware of the many 'daredevils' that have tried to achieve fame by throwing themselves over Niagara's edge. Some survived while others didn't. One such daredevil decided it was a good idea to bring his pet turtle, named 'Sonny Boy' along.

On July 5, 1930 George Stathakis, a 46 year old Greek immigrant living in Buffalo, New York decided to build a giant barrel made of oak that he would use to go over the Falls, believing it would bring him instant fame. The barrel, reinforced with steel, when finished weighed about 2,000 pounds and was 10 feet long by 5 feet wide. He added oxygen tanks since the barrel would be sealed shut, believing this would ensure his survival.

In fact, he was so confident his stunt would be successful that he decided to bring his pet turtle, Sonny Boy along for the joy ride. Sonny Boy was believed at the time to be about 150 years old and Stathakis thought this would add a poignant touch to his stunt.

Stathakis was warned that his barrel was too heavy and might get caught up at the base of the falls, preventing rescue. Of course, he disregarded the warning and on that fateful day, climbed into his barrel, was handed Sonny Boy the turtle, the hatch was sealed shut and was set adrift in the Upper Niagara River, not far from the water's edge.

People watched in amazement as the barrel went over the Falls but what happened next was exactly what Stathakis was warned about. The barrel, being so heavy was caught up in the currents behind the falls. There was enough oxygen for about 8 hours but unfortunately for him, rescuers couldn't manage to free the barrel from the churning waters until about 22 hours later.

When the barrel, which survived the plunge relatively unscathed, was finally retrieved and opened, they found Stathakis' lifeless body, having suffocated several hours earlier. The consensus was that the barrel was indeed too heavy, sealing Stathakis' fate (pardon the pun). Amazingly, his pet turtle, Sonny Boy was found alive and well and would later become somewhat of a celebrity in its own right, being featured in childrens' books and in news articles around the world.

(Sonny Boy, the death defying stunt turtle)

As far as I know, Sonny Boy is the only turtle that went over the Falls, let alone survived the plunge while Stathakis' barrel is still on display in Niagara Falls for tourists to view and take pictures in front of. There are a few other daredevils who also weren't so lucky and gave their lives to the thunderous Niagara Falls. Kirk Jones (from Michigan) wasn't and then was one of them. In 2003, in a suicide attempt, threw himself into the waters of Niagara and over the Falls he went. In what can only be described as a miracle, Jones would become the first and only person to survive Niagara's plunge without a life jacket or any other protection.

The newly found celebrity status got to Jones who decided to try again on April 19, 2017, believing that surviving the plunge a second time would jump start his budding career, using a giant clear 8 foot plastic ball he purchased online, the kind you climb into and roll downhill. Like Stathakis, Kirk thought it would be a good idea to bring his pet along for the ride too, a boa constrictor snake named 'Misty'. 

Afterwards, his plastic ball, still intact was found empty. Kirk's body was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard about a month and a half later, on June 2. Sadly, Misty was never seen or heard from again, poor thing! In another odd twist, family members refused to claim his body and his remains are now interred at Oakwood Cemetery, alongside 5 other Niagara daredevils interred there.

I don't know of any other pets going over the falls but I do know that deer have been known to go over the falls as they try to swim to and from small islands in the Upper Niagara River. Let's hope it stays that way. As for Niagara's daredevils, the story continues as there have been many. This video below on Youtube has done a great job of compiling some of these crazy Niagara stunts. As far as I know, this image is fake!

I'm not quite sure what became of Sonny Boy in the years that followed but I'm sure some deep diving (pardon the pun) will solve the riddle. In the meantime, let's give Sonny Boy a big cheer for his crazy, death defying stunt!

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