St. Louis Zoo - Eleanor

The story starts in 1955, with eight elephants imported by Louis Goebel and purchased by Anheuser Busch for the St. Louis Zoo. The new animals were to be trained by Floyd Smith and presented to the public in daily shows, a testament to the Polack act trained by Mac MacDonald. Within five years, three of the group were sold. The first, Eleanor, was sold to the Weed Park Zoo in Muscatine, Iowa, in September 1959.

OpLink - History review (original record card / ks)
0/8 purchased from Louis Goebel Wild Animal Farm ($3,500 ea. price plus insurance, $28,000 total) with funds donated by Anheuser-Busch Charitable Trust. 0/4 arrived at Goebel in May 1954 and another 0/4 in October 1954, where they remained for training by Zoo elephant trainer, Floyd Smith, until being trucked to the Zoo by Anheuser-Busch.

Postcard 4, St Louis Zoo
Postcard Courtesy of S Hoss

Franklin Park Zoo - Beba / Mary, Part II

The story of Beba was unfolded with the purchase of numerous local news articles from the Boston area between 1948 to 1960.
>> www.showmeelephants.com/2011/06/franklin-park-zoo-beba.html

Courtesy of Daily Boston Globe 07/1948

The Father's Photographs - Brookfield Zoo I

The following pictures were taken in the late 1980s to early 1990s at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. Records indicate during this time frame the zoo owned six elephants - female Africans Christy, Affie, Mame and Mtoto, along with female Asians Babe and Patience.

Patience is easily identified by the warts on her trunk. Babe has a ‘boot’ on her right rear foot. Christy is the youngest of the Africans.

It appears the two species were kept in separate yards. Were the yards combined during the renovation, which included removal of the dry moat and installation of a pipe and cable fence?

Photo 1, Brookfield Zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 2, Brookfield Zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 3, Brookfield Zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 4, Brookfield Zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 5, Brookfield Zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 6, Brookfield Zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 7, Brookfield Zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Toledo Zoo Elephant Facilities

The Toledo Zoo debuted the first phase of their new elephant exhibit in May 2010. Phase Two is projected to open in 2012, giving the zoo's two adult female African elephants and adolescent male more than an acre of space. The construction and expansion was made possible by a Capital Levy voted on by residents of Lucas County.

Conceptual rendering of Phase II Exhibit, Toledo Zoo
Photo Courtesy of ToledoZoo.org

Studbook Mysteries - Seabury

From Wade Burck's "Circus No-Spin Zone:"

Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Vintage Brookfield Zoo Elephants
The photo above is from 1953, elephant unknown, at the Brookfield Childrens Zoo. It is incredible today to think that they used to keep and raise the young elephants in the Children's Zoo. Does anyone know if they actually kept the elephants at the Childrens Zoo, or did the bring them back and forth from the elephant house each morning and night. The sand/dirt walkway around the pen was most likely a path as the animals probably paced along the fence and it prevented the grass from tearing up, and becoming unsightly.
Posted by Wade G. Burck

Susan said...
Based on records I'm guessing this is Melinda, wild born in 1951 and came to Brookfield from Seabury in 1952. She died in October of '53.
Apparently from spring till fall we would keep young elephants at the Children's Zoo - they would return to the Pachyderm House during the winter months. Over the years we had several calves at the Children's Zoo - Winkie, Mame, Babe/Baby Brookfield, Cora/Noel (who lives at the CEC)... There are probably others but record keeping was practically nonexistent back then.
If you look on eBay there are usually postcards of elephants at the Children's Zoo. To the best of my knowledge we did this up until the '70s.

Washington Park Children's Zoo - Indianapolis

Indianapolis' first zoo opened in 1964 and exhibited animals until its closure and subsequent transfer to a new site in 1988. This facility first exhibited Asian elephants, before switching to African elephants. Generally speaking, only a single elephant was exhibited with a few instances of two for short time periods.

"Tumthong, a baby Asiatic elephant born in Laos and shipped here by air, was bought for the Zoo with the pennies, nickels and dimes contributed by thousands of school children."
Courtesy of Circus No-Spin Zone

Twycross Zoo - Linda

From Eddy Powell, England, 04/02/2012:

I am trying to find out what happen to a young African Elephant I use to look after. Her name is Linda. she was born in 1969. On inquiring with Twycross zoo where we were. I got reply back as follows. Linda was sold to the Chipperfields in 1974 there is a note on her record to say that this sale wa for onward transmission to Cuba. Dose anyone know what happen to her. Thanking you Eddy Powell

Al G. Barnes Circus - Sidney Rink

From the Circus Historical Society on Facebook:


"Everybody loves the elephants. Here's the Al G. Barnes Circus elephant boss Sydney Rink in 1914 with some of his charges." //CHS on Facebook

Franklin Park Zoo - Pat

The Franklin Park Zoo acquired a nine month old, 650 pound baby elephant in March 1952, bringing its herd of Asian elephants to four, joining Beba, Topsy and Jennie.

Courtesy of BostonGlobe.com