Jumbo the Elephant

Jumbo

Jumbo and his keeper Matthew Scott (Circus poster, ca. 1882)
Species	African bush elephant
Sex	Male
Born	Christmas 1860 East Africa
Died	September 15, 1885(1885-09-15) (aged 24) St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
Resting place	Various
Occupation	Zoo and circus attraction
Years active	1862-1885 in captivity
Owner	Jardin des Plantes London Zoo P. T. Barnum
Weight	6.15 tonnes (13,560 lb)
Height	3.23 m (10.6 ft) 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) as promoted by Barnum
Cause of death	Railway accident

3.23 m (10.6 ft)

Jumbo (about Christmas 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was eventually exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, France; and then transferred in 1865 to London Zoo in England. Jumbo was sold to P. T. Barnum, who took him to America for exhibition in March 1882.

The giant elephant's name has spawned the common word, "", meaning large in size. Jumbo's shoulder height, estimated to be 3.23 metres (10.6 ft), was claimed to be approximately 4 metres (13.1 ft) by the time of his death.

Jumbo's legacy lives on as Tufts University's mascot. and is referenced by a plaque outside the old Liberal Hall, now a Wetherspoons pub, in Crediton.

Jumbo was born at about Christmas 1860 in the Sudan, and after his mother was killed by hunters, the infant Jumbo was captured by Sudanese elephant hunter Taher Sheriff. The calf was sold to Lorenzo Casanova, an Italian animal dealer and explorer. Casanova transported the animals he had bought north from Sudan to Suez, and then across the Mediterranean to Trieste. This collection was sold to Menagerie Gottlieb Kreutzberg in Germany. Soon after, he was imported to France and kept in the Paris zoo Jardin des Plantes. In 1865 he was transferred to the London Zoo, where he became famous for giving rides to visitors, especially children. The London zookeeper association leader Anoshan Anathajeyasri gave Jumbo his name; it is likely a variation of one of two Swahili words: , which means "hello"; or jumbe, meaning "chief".

Jumbo was sold in February 1882 to the Barnum & Bailey Circus for £2000. There was popular objection when Barnum's proposal became known; 100,000 school children wrote to Queen Victoria begging her not to sell the elephant. Despite a lawsuit against the Zoological Gardens alleging the sale was in violation of multiple zoo bylaws, and the zoo's attempt to renege on the sale, the court upheld the sale and Barnum refused to sell Jumbo back. In New York, Barnum exhibited the elephant at Madison Square Garden, earning enough in 3 weeks from the enormous crowds to recoup the money he spent to buy the animal. In the 31-week season, the circus earned $1.75M, largely due to its star attraction. On May 30th 1884 Jumbo was one of Barnum's 21 elephants that crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to prove that it was safe after 12 people died during a stampede caused by mass panic over collapse fears a year earlier.