Narrating the correlation of elephants as related to their import, groupings, breeding and transfers,
along with other elephant related topics.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Father's Photographs - Milwaukee County Zoo

Origininally titled "Mystery Zoo - Mystery Photographs"

These three photos were likely mixed in with the Brookfield Zoo set and are not located at the Chicago zoo. They were taken in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Perhaps details in each photo can help to identify each elephant, such as the first missing part of her tail, the second with a 'boot' on her foot and the third a younger (presumably captive-born) calf. The background scenery and fencing can also provide other clues.

Photo 1, Mystery zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 2, Mystery zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 3, Mystery zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

Photo 4, Mystery zoo
Photo Courtesy of M Easley

"I didn't know, I just printed what was written on the back of the photo. Thank you for the correction. There is a discussion on Ryan Easley's Show me elephants, linked on the right in relevant stops, about the identification of where an elephant ride is taking place, based on what is "written" on the back of the picture. Often times it is a guess, and not fact." //Wade Burck

UPDATED 04/27/2011:
Thanks to Danielle Faucett, these photos have been identified as the Milwaukee County Zoo. The first elephant is Lota. The elephant with the boot on her foot (Photo 2) is Tamara. The young elephant is Moola, imported in 1981 from the Burmese logging industry. Lota left the zoo in winter 1990, placing these pictures taken between Annie's return in June 1988 to Lota's departure in November 1990.

7 comments:

  1. Radar,
    Just a guess, but is this possibly Detroit? If not, I want to go on record as saying, "are you sure, because Jim Alexander told me he was positive it was." Note a new comment from Bjorn on circusnospin questioning a date of 1902, that was attributed to a photo as there is no record on the data base of such an animal. I told you this "animal keeping track of business" was a real hootenanny. LOL
    Wade

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wade,
    Jim Alexander must have been speaking of another photograph, because I would never argue with him. But no, I am positive this is not Detroit. My first guess was the Smithsonian National Zoo and the calf Kumari, but that is only a guess.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Radar,
    Maybe, I didn't realize they had a tram.
    Wade

    ReplyDelete
  4. My two cents... Milwaukee Zoo. Looks like they had a few Asians during that time period, and the public railing looks like a picture that I have that was id'd as Milwaukee.
    One of these days I'll get around to scanning the old BZ photos. In the meantime - Wade, you think the green/blue in Pachyderm is bad? You should have seen it when it was orange and purple to look like a "sunset"...

    ReplyDelete
  5. From Debbie Flinkman of the National Zoo:

    Nope, they aren't any elephants I've ever known. Don't recognize the place either.

    ReplyDelete
  6. From Danielle Faucett of the Milwaukee County Zoo:

    The mystery zoo photos with the Asians look like Milwaukee Zoo. That's the polar bear off exhibit carousel cage behind them. The Asians were kept where the black rhinos are now. Other than the railing now being painted black nothing much has changed.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes I'm sure this is Milwaukee County Zoo. My uncle went there alot as akid and he says that there were Asian Elephants in the 70's, 80's, and early 90's

    ReplyDelete

I eagerly anticipate associating with new individuals with an interest or history in elephants, elephant history and elephant record keeping. If you have further information regarding the animals or locations questioned in the article, please leave a comment or message me in an effort to complete their records for elephant historians.