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Jumbo
 Jumbo and his keeper Matthew Scott (Circus poster, c. 1882) | |
| Species | African bush elephant |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | Christmas 1860 East Africa |
| Died | September 15, 1885 (aged 24) St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | Various |
| Occupation | Zoo and circus attraction |
| Years active | 1862–1885 in captivity |
| Owner | |
| Weight | 6.15 tonnes (13,558 lb)[1] |
| Height | 3.23 m (10 ft 7 in)[1] 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) as promoted by Barnum |
| Cause of death | Railway accident |
Jumbo (about Christmas 1860 – September 15, 1885) was the first international animal superstar.[2] He was the first African bush elephant to reach modern Europe alive. He was born in eastern Africa, and captured there by Arabian hunters in early 1862. He was sold first to a traveling zoo in Germany, then to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. He was traded to the London Zoological Gardens for a rhinoceros.
Jumbo lived in the London Zoo about 16 years. He was the biggest elephant in captivity. American circus showman P. T. Barnum simply had to have this huge elephant in his circus. He bought Jumbo in 1882. The elephant made his debut in the United States on Easter Sunday 1882 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He toured with Barnum's circus for three years. In September 1885, he was killed in a railroad accident in Canada.
Jumbo attracted as much attention after his death as he did in life. His hide was stuffed and his bones preserved. His hide and skeleton were displayed first with Barnum's circus and then with museums. His hide was destroyed in a fire at Tufts University in 1975. His skeleton was displayed for many years in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. As time passed, children forgot about him. His skeleton was put away.
Jumbo's sale in 1882 created public anger in Britain. It drew the attention of people around the world. "Jumbomania", a fad for all things Jumbo, was born. The civilized world was flooded with Jumbo neckties, jewelry, and other souvenirs. People around the world were sad when he died. Jumbo's greatest legacy is his name. In the English language, it is now a word that means "very large".
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Larramendi, A. (2016). "Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 61. doi:10.4202/app.00136.2014. S2CID 2092950.
- ↑ Chambers 2008, p. 12.
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