Bill Prickett Collection - King Royal Circus

William Prickett has been kind enough to share his collection of circus photographs with ShowMe Elephants. The first series to be posted feature the King Royal Circus in Emory, Texas, taken on April 12, 1995.

"Walt Stimax, Bobby Gibbs, Dorey, Ted Bowman, Gopher Davenport, Emory, TX, 4-12-95"
Courtesy of B Prickett

Elephantastic! A Century of Pachydermic Pageantry

Clocking in at just under two full hours, this magnificent collection of all things pachyderm contains 28 different elephant acts (some partial and many complete), in addition to several additional accompanying vignettes filmed on various shows around the world. Among those featured in performance are trainers DANIEL SUSKOV working the Tarzan Zerbini elephants (1990) - OSCAR and MARIAN CRISTIANI, filmed in 1969 on Rudy Bros. Circus, in Honolulu - CHICO WILLIAMS and DELILAH WOODCOCK with “TOTO” the elephant, as captured on New York’s famous Big Apple Circus (1984) - KAYE'S HOLLYWOOD ELEPHANTS with Judy Kaye, also shot in Hawaii with the E.K. Fernandez Circus - BOBBY and ROSA GIBBS at Baraboo’s Circus World Museum in the mid-1970's - JEAN SCHMITT with the Ringling Barnum Circus World herd (Orlando, FL) - PHIL and FRANCINE SCACHT with “DONDI” from a Chicagoland TV special (1986); REX and AVA WILLIAMS with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. elephants on the 1967 TV show, "Coliseum" - BUCKLES and BARBARA WOODCOCK working the RBBB herd in 1978 - JENDE SMAHA with “Bertha” and “Tina” from a rare Hollywood Palace kinescope, and several others.

A number of global offerings are included, as well, such as KENNY BENNEWEIS and Denmark’s renowned Circus Benneweis elephants (1992) – the CEASAR TOGNI elephants, from a 1960's episode of Don Ameche's "Int'l Showtime" - MARY CHIPPERFIELD working a single elephant with a canine sidekick - BOBBY ROBERTS and the Robert Bros. Circus elephants from England, and so on.

An extreme rarity, also featured in this already top-heavy program, is a wonderful piece of vintage 16mm film showing MACK and PEGGY MacDONALD training the legendary Polack Bros. Circus “Beasalou Elephants” at their home, in San Antonio, Texas, in 1963. No spangles or make-up here: just fascinating, intimate footage never before seen, shot nearly fifty years ago. There is even a short clip of Mack and Peggy working with TOMMY HANNEFORD and baby “INA,” also in Texas.

ELEPHANTASTIC! is a compilation of privately shot 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm films, some of which date way back (i.e: a 1908 film of "Jumbo" the elephant, working on a vaudeville stage in Chicago), videotapes, and vintage television appearances from the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. Never before has there been such a comprehensive collection of outstanding, one-of-a-kind elephant footage offered! Break out the peanuts, sit back, and wrap yourself up in trunk-loads of tantalizing tricks!


This new compilation produced by Timothy N Tegge can be ordered online at CircusTimeVideo.com for $19.95. A check or money order may also be sent to P.O. Box 661 - Baraboo, WI 53913. Make them out to either Circus Time video or Timothy Tegge. If you cannot see this for sale on the site yet, check back! This is a brand new release and should be available for viewing by Monday, December 13.

Additional information can also be found at Elephant-News.com and Buckles Web Log.

Elephants of the United Kingdom

According to the Elephant.se, the largest online database of elephants in the world, the United Kingdom is home to 71 elephants, 15 of which are males. One individual travels with a circus, while another is a sacred temple elephant. The remaining animals are housed in zoos and safari parks across the country.

There are currently four breeding herds in the United Kingdom. Knowsley Safari Park and Howletts Wild Animal Park enjoy success with mating African elephants, while the Whipsnade Wild Animal Park and Chester Zoo both celebrate births of Asian elephants. The Colchester Zoo made history in 2002 with the first elephant birth via Artificial Insemination in the United Kingdom. There are no bachelor herds of male elephants in the country.

Howlett's Wild Animal Park boasts the greatest number of individual elephants currently held, numbering 15 at the present time. They are followed by the Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, which houses nine elephants.

The 'Compilation of Links' page at ShowMe Elephants is updated almost daily at the present time. To the best of knowledge available, an entire listing of elephant pages for United Kingdom holding institutions has been collected and is available for viewing.

'Compilation of Links' Excerpt
>> Belfast Zoo, United Kingdom
>> Blackpool Zoo, United Kingdom
>> Blair Drummond Safari Park, United Kingdom
>> Bobby Roberts Super Circus, United Kingdom
>> Chester Zoo, United Kingdom
>> Colchester Zoo, United Kingdom
>> Howletts Wild Animal Park, United Kingdom
>> Knowsley Safari Park, United Kingdom
>> Paignton Zoo, United Kingdom
>> Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, United Kingdom
>> Skanda Vale Temple, United Kingdom
>> Twycross Zoo, United Kingdom
>> West Midland Safari Park, United Kingdom
>> Whipsnade Zoo, United Kingdom
>> Woburn Safari Park, United Kingdom

A newborn Asian elephant stands with other members of its herd at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park on July 28, 2009 in Whipsnade, England.
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe

Highland Park Zoo - Rani

The Children's Zoo at Highland Park in Pittsburgh displayed a number of baby elephants, a custom most prevalent in zoos during the 1960s to 1970s. As worded by Toledo gossip columnist Don Wolfe, "the custom of trading in an automobile on a new model every few years has spread to elephants." The North American Regional Studbook for the Asian Elephant does not list any of the in-and-out animals to populate the Children's Zoo but four animals have been found, all using the "recycled" name Rani.

Children's Zoo - Highland Park - Pittsburgh
Courtesy of delcampe.net

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