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

Jim Stockley Collection - Chipperfields 1975

This photograph is related to research of the June 2011 ShowMe Elephants post, "Jim Stockley Collection - Chipperfields 1956." The post has garnered over 70 comments relating to the 1947/1948 import of elephants from Ceylon by the Chipperfield circus family, what became of these elephants and the eight elephants sold to Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for their 1963/1964 European Tour.

>> "Jim Stockley Collection - Chipperfields 1956," ShowMe Elephants, 06/12/2011

"All 11 elephants doing a long mount in 1975?
Mary, Leila, Sally, Camella, Lechme, Meena, Sophie, Lisa, Manju, Mohini, Minoti.
Uncle John L Chipperfield and Alex Story at the head of Mary, cousin Tommy Chipperfield helping to straighten out Camella."
Courtesy of Jim Stockley

Jim Stockley Collection - Chipperfields 1956

"Clonmel railway station, Co.Tipperary 1956 -
The 12 Chipperfield elephants leave the station with Doreen Duggan leading Mary elephant. John L Chipperfield is mid-way down the line and Dick Chipperfield bringing up the rear. The show went to Ireland with 15 elephants and sold Jimmy, Blackie and Monica (two males and a female) to Fossett's Circus. Later, eight of these twelve would go with Hugo Schmidt to Ringlings in America." //Jim Stockley

Chipperfield elephants, 1956
Courtesy of J Stockley

Sparks Casino - Angel

The following page was found in a July 1990 Circus Report, less than a year following the Sparks Casino's purchase of a year old female calf from Roman Schmitt's breeding program at Busch Gardens.

Circus Report 07/30/1990

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