Hoxie Brothers Circus - Bonnie and Jessie

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

Thursday, May 17, 2012
Unknown elephant 1952
54th Annual National Convention of Zeta Beta Tau, Jewish college fraternity Chicago which had a menagerie set up for guest's to enjoy. Could this elephant have been from the Hawthorn Mellody Zoo? Their elephant at the time was named Jessie.
Posted by Wade G. Burck

Moolah Shrine Circus 1990?

An assortment of photos of circuses performing in St. Louis have been found in my father's collection. Unfortunately, most are unlabeled and they all are mixed up. An effort is underway to sort the photographs and identify the herds and handlers. St. Louis, Missouri, is the hometown of ShowMe Elephants. It has been fun identifying these sets.

Moolah Shrine Circus, St. Louis
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Lowry Park Zoo 1992

The following photographs were taken in summer 1992 at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida. At the time, the facility exhibited two female Asian elephants, Tillie and Minyak.

Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, Florida 1992
Photo © M Easley

Moolah Shrine Circus 1992

An assortment of photos of circuses performing in St. Louis have been found in my father's collection. Unfortunately, most are unlabeled and they all are mixed up. An effort is underway to sort the photographs and identify the herds and handlers. St. Louis, Missouri, is the hometown of ShowMe Elephants. It has been fun identifying these sets.

Moolah Shrine Circus, St. Louis, 1992
Courtesy of  M Easley

Tom Packs Elephants

The Tom Packs Elephants were considered the best trained elephant act of its time. Trained by elephant master Mac MacDonald, they represented the epitome of class and skill throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. Originally trained as a group of five elephants for the Tom Packs Circus, four of the animals represent part of a larger group imported together in 1948. Another was added during the training period; several years later an elephant was replaced for medical reasons. The focus here is on the Tom Packs group, but will address in some detail their original shipmates as well.

Moolah Shrine Circus 1988

An assortment of photos of circuses performing in St. Louis have been found in my father's collection. Unfortunately, most are unlabeled and they all are mixed up. An effort is underway to sort the photographs and identify the herds and handlers. St. Louis, Missouri, is the hometown of ShowMe Elephants. I look forward to beginning these sets.

Moolah Shrine Circus, St. Louis, 1988
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

St. Louis Zoo - Kinzi

"IT'S A GIRL! Meet our brand new bundle of joy. An Asian elephant was born today, June 24, at 1:13 p.m. Mother and baby are bonding very well, but are not yet on public display. The height and weight of the calf are not yet confirmed. We will announce a baby naming poll at a later date. More info: http://ow.ly/5pVW7 Photo by Keeper Katie Pilgram." //St. Louis Zoo on Facebook

2009 Elephant Tour Beginnings

In 2009, I began my third year of employment at the car dealership with no anticipated plans of joining the zoo or circus industry. However, my fascination with elephants, their history and their management built a desire to visit as many elephant facilities as possible during my weekends and vacation time. I began the year visiting four circuses and three zoos in a two month period, viewing twenty four individual elephants. I also drafted a trip itinerary that filled nearly every weekend between May to October with plans to visit at least two zoos, circuses or a combination of both relative to which town I traveled.

On the date of my twenty first birthday, I traveled four hours to see the Kelly Miller Circus perform in Ava, Missouri, with my friend Crystal. It was there I met tiger trainer Casey Cainan. A month later, Casey offered me a job with the position of tiger groom, responsible for the daily care of his five tigers and all other tasks relating to the daily transportation and display of his tiger act. I accepted and joined the Kelly Miller Circus in late May - an ironic starting time for a worker the circus would refer to as a "First of May."

While on tour with the Kelly Miller Circus for my first year, I was able to visit a few facilities not before possible when I was based stationary in St. Louis. My previously drafted itinerary was discarded, though without regrets.

I will post my completed journey of 2009 now and document a short biography of each facility in the coming time. Following this display I will begin a story of my 2010 Elephant Tour. Finally, I will regress to my 2008 Elephant Tour, which though lighter than the others, I still viewed thirteen bulls and seven calves.

02/16 - Nashville Zoo, Nashville, TN. 0,3 Africans
03/20 - George Carden Circus International, Springfield, MO. 1,3 Asians
03/21 - George Carden Circus International, Springfield, MO. 1,3 Asians
03/22 - Dickerson Park Zoo, Springfield, MO. 1,4 Asians
03/22 - George Carden Circus International, Springfield, MO. 1,3 Asians
03/27 - Royal Hanneford Circus, St. Charles, MO. 1,4 Asians
03/28 - Royal Hanneford Circus, St. Charles, MO. 1,4 Asians
04/05 - Kelly Miller Circus, Ava, MO. 0,3 Asians.
04/06 - Kelly Miller Circus, Houston, MO. 0,3 Asians
04/08 - Kelly Miller Circus, Sullivan, MO. 0,3 Asians
04/18 - Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, KS. 0,2 Africans
04/19 - Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, KS. 0,2 Africans
04/19 - Hamid Circus, Wichita, KS. 0,3 Asians.
04/20 - Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, KS. 0,2 Africans
05/19 - Natural Bridge Zoo, Natural Bridge, VA. 0,1 African
06/01 - Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington, DC. 1,2 Asians
06/23 - Southwick's Zoo, Mendon, MA. 0,1 Asian
08/06 - Toledo Zoo, Toledo, OH. 1,1 Africans
09/09 - Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, IL. 0,2 Africans
09/16 - Hawthorn Corporation, Chicago, IL.
09/26 - Circus Vazquez, Chicago, IL. 0,3 Asians
11/01 - Knoxville Zoo, Knoxville, TN. 1,2 Africans
11/26 - Hadi Shrine Circus, Evansville, IN. 0,11 Asians
12/05 - Carson & Barnes Circus, Tulsa, OK. 0,5 Asians
12/21 - Endangered Ark Foundation, Hugo, OK. 3,21 Asians. 0,1 Africans
12/29 - Animal Encounters, Kaufman, TX. 0,2 Africans

Endangered Ark Foundation - Breeding Program

The Carson & Barnes Circus and Endangered Ark Foundation recently celebrated the first birthday of their elephant herd's youngest member, Hugo! The product of natural breeding between 20 year old Tommy and 42 year old Whimpy, his addition brings the total number of males for the facility to four.

Hugo, 08/2011
Courtesy of Carson & Barnes Circus on Facebook

Henry Vilas Zoo 1981

Wayne Jackson, the retired "Wanderin' Elephant Man," recently shared this picture taken at then Henry Vilas Zoo in 1981. He inquired what became of these young elephants.

Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion, located in Doswell, Virginia, acquired six female African elephants around 1976. Three were purchased from Lion Country Safari in West Palm Beach, Florida, while another three were imported directly from South Africa.

Photographs from the Son - St Louis Zoo I

The first three pictures were taken in June 2008 at the St. Louis Zoo in St. Louis, Missouri. The last 2 pictures were taken in December 2010. They are posted for Jim Alexander, who told us recently the current Sea Lion Arena is in its last year of usage in 2011. Prior to aquatic shows, it displayed the elephant show under the direction of Floyd Smith.

Photo 1, St Louis Zoo, June 2008
Courtesy of R Easley

Petely

A series of photographs taken at the Los Angeles Zoo in California raised question to the identity of the elephant and its handler. Recent commentary by Darryl inform the trainer is Gary Jacobson, current elephant trainer for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus' Center for Elephant Conservation, with his former male Asian elephant Petely.

Los Angeles Zoo, c. 1980s
Courtesy of J Romo

The Father's Photographs - Lincoln Park Zoo

The following pictures were taken in June 1993 at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. At the time indicated, three elephants resided at the zoo - 18 year old year old Asian elephant Bozie and her three year old daughter Shanti and 15 year old African elephant Binti.

Photo 1, Lincoln Park Zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my mother, Karen. Featured below are a few pictures of her four children throughout the years.

San Antonio Zoo, July 1994

Asian Elephant Support

Asian Elephant Support is a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting the care and conservation of elephants in Asian range countries.

"Our logo is meant to symbolize man's long association with the elephant in most range states and our role in their future. The decorations on the elephant head represent a ceremonial head dress or painting. The dark objects that wrap around the head are human hands signifying that the future of the elephant is in our hands."