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

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

Candy Hitchcock Collection - Dixie

Ms. Hitchcock has graciously shared rare insight into the beginnings of the elephant program of Zoo Miami (or the Crandon Park Zoo, as it was originally known prior to relocation).

Dixie was the zoo's first elephant and about 20 when I knew her. I used to walk her out to the shade area behind the elephant barn and scratch her back with a rake. She had a huge rubber tire she carried around and we called it her 'baby'. Sadly, she developed arthritis in her front foot/leg from all the years walking on the concrete floor of the barn and was operated on. The surgery was a success but she later died of pneumonia. //Candy Hitchcock

"Hi Ryan, Here is a picture of me with Dixie. I am holding here ‘baby’. Candy"
Courtesy of C Hitchcock

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

Elephants of Columbia

The Parque Zoológico de Santa Fe announced earlier this year the death of their 73 year old female Asian elephant, Lady, due to complications of old age.

"Zoologico Santa Fe (Elefante)"
Courtesy of Kmilocg, Panoramio.com

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

Picadilly Circus - Joplin MO Tornado Disaster Relief

From Fox4KC.com:

"JOPLIN, Mo.— The Picadilly Circus is in Joplin, Mo. They decided to help with tornado cleanup by using highly trained elephants to move heavy debris. Photojournalist Matt Hensley video essay shows how residents booed and cheered the group's efforts."

"Elephant aides in disaster cleanup efforts"
Courtesy of WCPO.com

Point Defiance Zoo I

The Port Defiance Zoo describes themselves as a "national leader in handling elephants considered too dangerous to be kept and trained using traditional methods." They acquired Hanako in December 1997 from the Portland Zoo because of her "unpredictable and moody" disposition. There she joined Suki and Cindy. Suki had arrived in March 1996 from Dickerson Park Zoo after she slammed a keeper against a wall. Cindy was the zoo's first "troubled" elephant, arriving in February 1992 with a history of grabbing and biting people. In August 2005, Bamboo arrived from the Woodland Park Zoo after being unable to cohabitate with the younger elephants and calf. However, she was unable to be integrated into the group and was returned to her previous home ten months later.

Cindy
Cindy was first imported to the Port Defiance Zoo in 1964 at three years old. The 18 year old elephant was transferred in December 1982 to the San Diego to be bred with the Wild Animal Park's bull elephant, Ranchipur. After attacking a keeper at the park in 1989 she was temporarily relocated to the Portland Zoo before she could reg ressto Washington. Upon her return in 1992, the Tacoma zoo had built a $2.3 million new elephant barn and habitat. They also established a protected contact management program to accommodate her.

Following her death in November 2002, controversy surrounded the disposal of the 40 old elephant after she was buried at a local landfill rather than cremating the 8000 pound animal as planned. In February 2003, the Point Defiance rededicated the elephant barn in her memory.

Hanako
Hanako was the fourth elephant born at Washington Park Zoo, nine days after her half-brother Dino. Breeding bull Thonglaw sired the first calf for dam Tuy Hoa.

By the time she was 19, Hanako had given birth to four calves, though only Sabu lived longer than two months. She spent the first 34 years of her life at the zoo where she was born, sans a 16 month breeding loan to the Los Angeles Zoo with half-sister Me-Tu. Both elephants were bred by their half-brother Packy (all three elephants sired by Thonglaw). Two months before their return, Me-Tu gave birth. One month after their return, Hanako gave birth to a calf as well.

Hanako at the Portland Zoo, August 1994
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Records
Cindy, Female Asian, SB 212
1962 - Birth, India
~1964 - Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma, Washington
15 Dec 1982 - San Diego Wild Animal Park, Escondido, California
28 Nov 1989 - Portland Zoo, Portland, Oregon
19 Feb 1992 - Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma, Washington
19 Nov 2002 - Death, Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma, Washington

Hanako, Female Asian, SB 51
24 Sep 1963 - Birth, Portland Zoo, Portland, Oregon
28 Oct 1974 - Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles, California
11 Feb 1976 - Portland Zoo, Portland, Oregon
09 Dec 1997 - Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma, Washington

For Additional Information:
>> "Dangerous Elephant To Get Bigger Quarters," Elephant-News.com, 11/25/1982

>> "Popular Elephant's Carcass Dumped With The Garbage," KomoNews.com, 11/26/2002

>> "Zoo to rededicate elephant barn in Cindy’s memory," PDZA.org, 02/11/2003

>> "Defiant attitude better suited for Pt. Defiance," SeattleTimes.nwsource.com, 08/12/2005

>> "Elephants of the Point Defiance Zoo" at ZooChat

(To Be Continued...)

Studbook Mysteries - Israel

A February 1977 issue of The Circus Report announces the birth of an Israeli elephant, inadvertently creating the topic of a curious mystery for an elephant historian 35 years later.

Circus Report, 6th year No 6, Page 9, 02/07/1977
Courtesy of CircusHistory.org

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

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

Museum of Osteology I

Several months ago I visited America's only skeleton museum, the Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma City. A friend and Oklahoma City Zoo elephant handler was kind enough to take me to the location during my visit to the zoo. After touring the location's two-level showroom, we met the owner and were given a special behind-the-scenes tour of the facility.

Felidae Family, Museum of Osteology"
Courtesy of R Easley

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

San Diego Zoo

From Buckles Blog, 05/27/2011:

Shiloh Me Some Elephants

An imported entry from Circus Diaries regarding an event during the 2010 Kelly Miller Circus season with commentary written by Dick Flint for Buckles Blog. Photos by Ryan Easley.

"Probably the largest herd of performing elephants under an American big top this year was seen on June 2 in Shiloh, Pennsylvania, on the Kelly-Miller circus. “From the Kelly-Miller ranch in Oklahoma” were two herds under the combined direction of Armando Loyal and Jason King. The event occurred when Cindy Migley’s Circus Spectacular date for Philadelphia’s Lulu Shrine Temple in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., closed and the show with Jason King and three more of Barbara Byrd's large herd was headed to the Chicago area but laid over for a day to visit John Ringling North II’s Kelly-Miller show." //Dick Flint, Baltimore


It was very interesting to watch the interactions between all the elephants as they were put together in the yard. Lots of rumbles and trumpeting could be heard. All of the elephants except for Viola are kept on the same side of the barn at night during winter quarters. They all get along rather well.


When photos of this event were submitted to Buckles Web Log by Dick Flint, an anonymous comment questioned respected circus historian Buckles Woodcock, "How many elephants does it take to do a "long" mount?" He replied, "More than one."


Because both Lisa and Viola do not mount, they were not going to be able to use one of them for the t-mount and long mount. Armando took my suggestion of using them both as a base and having the others mount off their backs.




Buckles Blog: Commentary and Photos from Dick Flint
>> http://bucklesw.blogspot.com/2010/06/from-richard-flint-1.html
>> http://bucklesw.blogspot.com/2010/06/from-richard-flint-2.html
>> http://bucklesw.blogspot.com/2010/06/from-richard-flint-3.html

Showmen's Rest - Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus

An imported entry from Circus Diaries regarding an event during the 2010 Kelly Miller Circus season.


A few weeks ago when we first entered the Chicago area, I visited the Showmen's Rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park. Susan from the Brookfield Zoo informed me of the place and took me out there to see a bit of circus history.

Showmen's Rest is run by the Showmen's League of America and was created in 1916. It is surrounded by five elephants with their trunks lowered in mourning and is most recognized as the final resting place of the crash victims in the Hagenbeck-Wallace train tragedy of 1918.


The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was, at its peak, the second largest circus in America following only Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. In June 1918 before dawn, the train was traveling through Illinois to Wisconsin when it was struck by an empty Pullman train. As a result of the crash and the fire ignited, eighty six circus hands, roustabouts and performers were killed; many more personnel suffered injuries, though no animals were lost.


The Showmen's League donated a portion of their newly formed resting place to the circus to bury those lost in the tragedy. Most of the stones are simply inscribed 'Unknown Male' (or Female) along with the fateful date, June 22,1918. There are a few with more proper names, such as 'Baldy,' '4 Horse Driver,' and 'Smiley.'


You can learn more about the story, Showmen's Rest, and the Showmen's League of America at their website.

From Chris Berry - Circus Posters
"This early -- and very rare -- Hagenbeck Wallace litho is a part of the Tibbals collection at the Ringling Museum of the Circus in Sarasota. Dated between about 1905 and the early 1920s it is one of very few surviving lithos printed for Hagenbeck Wallace by the Donaldson Litho Company. In addition to printing theatrical and circus posters, William Donaldson was the founder of Billboard magazine - originally targeted to billposters, but now focusing on the music industry."

Directory of American Circuses

Good Morning guys,

One of the really huge parts of all this elephant record keeping is the circus titles and owners. many of these shows had the same owners but changed the titles. Floyd King had many a title out from year to year. Dan asked about Zellmer bros. then Schell bros. Same owners! This was George Engesser who was the father of GeeGee Engessor who was married to Bucky Steele for a while.

"What the Elephants Know"

By Nicholas Hune-Brown
Toronto Life
Posted June 29, 2010 at 8:57 AM

"The Toronto Zoo has lost four elephants in as many years, and the fate of the remaining herd—Iringa, Thika and Toka—is uncertain. Can a one-hectare habitat in the middle of a northern city be any kind of home for exotic animals with complex thoughts and feelings?"


Comments on this article:

"One of the finest articles ever written, going over the intricacies of keeping creatures as magnificient as elephants in captivity… their intelligence, charm, grandeur does not warrants them for the poor life they face while in captivity… no wonder in religions such as hinduism, elephants have been worshiped for decades… hats off to toronto life for publishing this great article… only if humans could learn something from elephants??"
June 29, 2010 at 12:21 pm | by Rahul Kushwah

"Thank you for this thoughtful piece of writing. So much journalism these days seems to pick a side and advance it unrelentingly. In such pieces you can see that the presentation of the facts is skewed by the author’s position and you wonder where the inevitably nuanced and complicated “truth” is underneath the polemic. This makes me all the more appreciative of a piece like this that in my view attempts to take a fair and balanced approach to everyone involved. It is clear that this is a complicated issue with no easy answers. How refreshing to have it presented to us in such an intelligent and forthright manner. More like this please."
July 24, 2010 at 2:22 pm | by Cara Gibbons

>> http://www.torontolife.com/daily/informer/from-print-edition-informer/2010/06/29/what-the-elephants-know/

Toronto Zoo Elephant Herd, Summer 2009
Photo Courtesy of N Daniels

Jungleland Mystery Photograph

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

Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Jungleland--Available for Purchase
1961 Sheba and Bamboo II standing, unknown elephant laying down.
Posted by Wade G. Burck

Radar said...
Is this the Bamboo owned by Morgan Berry before she was sold to Seattle in 1968? The studbook states she was born in 1966, so this would be unlikely. What is this animal's story?
Is this the Sheba owned by Wallace Brothers in 1961, later a Cristiani elephant before arriving at the Buffalo Zoo in 1984?

Wade said...
Radar,
A Brookfield Zoo staff member mentioned a week or so ago, that their record keeping was shoddy. On it's best day, in the past, a circus's record keeping would have been appreciated if it had been at least shoddy, as I am sure you have found out by now. A treat would have been somebody recording it on a napkin in the cook house. As it's stand's most of it is word of mouth ...
Bamboo I, Bamboo II, Bamboo III, Little Bamboo, Bamboo Jr. etc. etc., unless it's name was changed to Sparkle on the Hoot Bros. show for a year, before becoming Big Mable on the Toot Bros. show. That's how you develop the "elephant record book twitch." Your guess is as good as anybody's. LOL I don't know if you recall Mary Ann chastising me a couple of years ago on the blog, for being cold and heartless when I suggested the captive animal world had missed the boat by not assigning just a number to all animals from the time of capture birth, and only having a insignificant "barn name" for handling by keepers and trainers. Trainers could change it's name a dozen times over it's life, but it would still be #56932, with a name of no consequence,regardless of it's spelling or accented pronunciation, as is done now for the most part.
Wade

Another possibility for the 'Bamboo II' elephant is an elephant listed in the North American Regional Studbook for the Asian Elephant, 'Bimbo II.' With a Temporary Studbook Number and Lost to Follow-up, she is listed as arriving to Louis Goebel in February 1961, Jungleland in 1962 (a possible redundancy?) and finally to Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, California, in October 1969.

LE Barnes Circus

Buckles Woodcock has recently posted several series of photographs of the short-lived LE Barnes Circus, owned and operated by wild animal trainer Dave Hoover for a single season in 2001. There was discussion regarding which elephants were featured in the animal-filled show, presented by Louie DelMoral. Casey Cainan shares the three bulls, Minnie, Bunny and Whimpy, were leased from Carson and Barnes Circus based in Hugo, Oklahoma.

LE Barnes Circus, 2001
Courtesy of David Powell

Mystery Photograph

From Buckles Woodcock's "Buckles Blog:"

Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Unidentified
No idea where I got this. The trucks look more interesting than the elephants. I'm guessing that this is either the Circus Festival at the Sarasota Fairgrounds or the marshaling area for the Milwaukee Parade. Note the calliope in the background.
Posted by Buckles

Anonymous said...
This is a tough one--the nicely painted truck reminds me of Toby Tyler, but the three babies remind me of Great American (Lisa, Heather, and Donna) from 86 or 87. Great American was the host circus at the Milwaukee Parade in 87.
Maria Vonderheid

J Goodall said...
The photo was not taken in Milwaukee. Never have seen the calliope in the background.

Paul Ingrassia said...
Most certainly not Milwaukee. the two years Alan was with us I recall a little too well so that not it either...

Anonymous said...
Appears to be Sarasota Festival and either Toby Tyler Africans Or Allen Hills. I would lean toward Toby Tyler because of the adjoining trailer.

Anonymous said...
Appears to be the "Two Jesters" in the background.

johnny said...
Either of the acts of Africabs at that time were quite impressive and the three that Joe Frisco Jr. trained for Great American from scratch were very nice and certainly gave Joe his credentials as an Elephant Trainer and one of the few select African elephant trainers. The Toby Tyler three remain somewhat controversial on just who did what, but when I saw Paul Duke work them with an unidentified young lady assisting him, they were quite impressive as well.

Richard said...
The wagon is the Harp & Jesters from the Ringling Museum.
Dick Flint

Without a date or location, it is more difficult to identify these elephants. The elephant truck is not the one featured on Allen C. Hill's Great American Circus in 1994, pictured recently in photographs contributed from the collection of Bill Prickett. Help is sought to identify the elephants, their owner and the vehicles pictured to the right. Can it be confirmed this is the Great American herd with Lisa, Donna and Heather?