Hoxie Brothers Circus - Sue

From the Records of Bob Cline:

SUZIE Q, Female Asian
1947 - King Bros. Circus
1949 to 1950 - Rogers Bros. Circus
1952 - Hills Bros. Greater Shows
1954 to 1957 - Ring Bros. Circus
1958 - Trapeze Bros. Circus
1959 to 1960 - Ring Bros. Circus
1961 - Bailey Bros. Circus
1962 - Fargo Bros. Circus
1963 to 1965 - Hoxie Bros. Circus
1966 - Beers-Barnes Circus
1967 to 1977 - Hoxie Bros. Circus
(No further Records)

Hoxie Bros. Circus 1975; The Herriott Family.
Elephants are "Hazel", "Sue" and "Bonnie"
Courtesy of bucklesw.blogspot.com

Final story
A small piece of information found in a 1978 Edition of the publication Circus Report brings to light the final story for Sue.

Circus Report, 7th year No 18 Page 5, 04/31/1978
Courtesy of CircusHistory.org

"Irene would have been the replacement. While the article is in 1978, the occurrences happened in 1977 apparently late in the year." //Bob Cline

This elephant is not listed in the North American Regional Studbook for the Asian Elephant.


Update 04/28/2012:
More information regarding the death of Sue is found in a November 1977 issue of Circus Report.

Circus Report, 6th year No 47 Page 18, 11/21/1977
Courtesy of CircusHistory.org

Portland Zoo - Droopy

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

Sunday, May 1, 2011
Elephant calf being fed at the vet school - 1968
I am assuming this is Portland Zoo's Droopy born Sept. 29, 1968, and died Oct. 4, 1968.
Posted by Wade G. Burck

Droopy was the seventh calf born to the Portland Zoo's breeding herd of Asian elephants, sired by Thonglaw and born to first time mother Effie. The female calf only survived for five days before her death.

Droopy's dam Effie was listed in previous versions of the North American Regional Studbook for the Asian Elephant as "Lost to Follow-up" and differentiated as two separate elephants. This is in part due to a name change from 'Effie' to 'Sue.' An incorrect arrival date to Busch Gardens Tampa from the Portland Zoo precedes Effie's "Lost to Follow-up" status. The second entry for this same animal lists the correct date for Sue's arrival to Busch Gardens Tampa from an unknown location and her death in June 1985. Sue is listed with Temporary Studbook Number T1368. The 2010 Edition of the studbook merges these two animals. After her purchase by Busch Gardens, Effie was relocated to Texas a year prior to Busch Gardens Houston's May 1971 opening. The park closed less than two years later, prompting her transfer to the Tampa facility with three other female Asian elephants, Kaba, Tina and Mem. All four elephants remained in Florida until their deaths except Tina, still living and one of five members in the park's herd.

At Busch Gardens Tampa, Ellie resided with another elephant from the Portland Zoo breeding program. Emma (also listed as M&M) was born into Portland's Asian elephant herd in October 1973, sired by Vance and the fourth calf for dam Rosy. Within a year of her successful birth, Emma was sold to the San Jose Zoo. This transaction perhaps took place as brokered by Texas facility Vivo Animales. The 2010 Edition of the studbook adds this location in her history between Oregon and California. More information is sought regarding this location in Lorena, Texas.

A reference has been found regarding a fire at a zoo in San Jose that killed an elephant calf in the 1970s. More information is sought regarding this animal, unlisted in the studbook.

Emma / M&M reveals another update in the 2010 Edition of the North American Regional Studbook for the Asian Elephants. Previous versions list her with an alternate name 'Satchmo.' The 2010 Update adds Satchmo as a new elephant, SB 698, a year old male Asian elephant first arriving to Vivo Animales and transferred to Busch Gardens Tampa in July 1975 with Emma. He died the following month.

Records
Droopy, Asian Female, SB 55
29 Sep 1968 - Birth, Portland Zoo, Portland, Oregon
04 Oct 1968 - Death, Portland Zoo, Portland, Oregon

Effie (Sue), Asian Female, SB 54
1950 - Birth, Asia
1951 - Oakland Zoo, Oakland, California
11 Aug 1966 - Portland Zoo, Portland, Oregon
05 Mar 1970 - Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida
05 Jun 1970 - Busch Gardens, Houston, Texas
23 Jan 1973 - Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida
01 Jun 1985 - Death, Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida

Emma (M&M), Asian Female, SB 63
31 Oct 1973 - Birth, Porltand Zoo, Portland, Oregon
Unk - Vivo Animales, Loreana, Texas
~1974 - San Jose Zoo, San Jose, California
22 Jul 1975 - Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida
26 Oct 1986 - Death, Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida

Satchmo, Asian Male, SB 698
1974 - Birth, Asia
~1974 - Vivo Animales, Loreana, Texas
22 Jul 1975 - Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida
30 Aug 1975 - Death, Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida

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

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.

Oklahoma City Zoo Elephant Birth

In celebration of Mother's Day, ShowMe Elephants discusses the first North American elephant birth for 2011.

In December 1998, half sisters Asha and Chandra were sold to the Oklahoma City Zoo. At their new home, they were both transitioned from Free to Protected Contact. In the summer of 2008, both cows were transferred across the state to the Tulsa Zoo on a breeding loan, slated to return by the end of 2010 upon the completion of a new Asia exhibit.

The new Asia exhibit was designed as an 11 acre, $23 million dollar project due to open in 2011. The elephant exhibit will be designed as though entering Thailand and giving the elephants up to six acres of grassland, as opposed to the previous quarter acre of concrete.

A year after arriving, Asha and Chandra were introduced together to Tulsa's 36 year old bull elephant Sneezy in the summer of 2009. After behavioral changes and high hormone levels in bloodwork, Asha was confirmed pregnant when a heartbeat was detected during an ultrasound in October. It was announced to the public in December. Both returned in winter 2010 to adjust to the new habitat before its debut; only Asha returned pregnant, though both cows were observed bred by the male.

The Oklahoma City Zoo debuted their new elephant exhibit on March 11. The $13 million project boasted to be the largest Asian elephant exhibit in the country. It was funded by Oklahoma City sales taxes, except for $665,000 in private donations. Nine and a half acres for the exhibit includes three exhibit yards, a demonstration pavilion and an eight stall barn with a sand floor common area. The new habitat opened just weeks before the expected delivery of the zoo’s first baby elephant.

In mid April, the zoo took both elephants off exhibit while awaiting the birth of Asha’s calf. The expectant mother was kept in the barn’s maternity stall while her sister Chandra stayed in the community stall. 16 year old Asha gave birth to a 304 pound healthy female calf several days later on Friday, April 15.

Asha and calf, Oklahoma City Zoo
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki - News.Yahoo.com

A large compilation of news articles regarding the Oklahoma City Zoo elephant program and the first birth in the zoo's history, along with a live webcam of the animals can be found at NewsOK.com.

>> "Elephant Nation" at NewsOK.com

Chandra, calf and Asha, Oklahoma City Zoo
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki - News.Yahoo.com

Bill Prickett Collection - Allan C. Hill's Great American Circus

"Irene" and Mike Rice, Pekin, IL, 4-24-94"
Courtesy of B Prickett

Studbook Mysteries - Lincoln Park Zoo

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

Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Vintage Lincoln Park Zoo
This photo taken in 1963 shows Teena being walked around the zoo.
Posted by Wade G. Burck