FATE OF JUMBO

Jumbo drew millions of visitors to the London Zoo during the Victoria age. He was a favourite of the Queen’s children.

As much as adored and loved he had a lonely and sad existence.

It is assumed that he was born around 1860 on the border of today’s Ethiopia and Sudan. His name comes from Swahili “jumbe” meaning chief. His mother was killed and he was captured and sold.

An Italian animal dealer bought and sold him to the London Zoo.

His keeper was Matthew Scott, a loner who loved animals started up a deep friendship.

Jumbo was full of diseases when he arrived in London and Scott nursed him back. Scott had no knowledge of feeding and treating elephants and in a round-about-way added suffering with Jumbo’s diet and also gave him whiskey.

Jumbo as quiet he was during the day became violent during the night smashing up several times the timber-cage. Scientists discovered that a bad toothache could have cause him to get into a rage. As everybody knows toothache really worsen during the night.

His monotonous diet of sticky buns as a reward from the children he gave a rides and hay. After his death they found damage to his teeth and an infection. In his stomach they found 300 coins and a police whistle which the elephant picked up and swallowed but it couldn’t have done him any good.

The rides also must have taken their toll on his joints, judging from photos with dozens of people on his back.

It was a great shock when London Zoo sold Jumbo to an American Circus and 100,000 children wrote to Queen Victoria to stop it.

In 1882 the circus Barnum & Bailey paid £2000 for Jumbo and London Zoo had no hesitation to sell and ship him to America. His keeper went with him.

Ringmaster PT Barnum called it “The Greatest Show on Earth” and 20 million people came to see Jumbo. Barnum claimed he was the biggest African elephant.

Jumbo died very young at the age of 24. They can live 70 years in the wild.

He was exercising at a rail yard in St Tomas, Ontario, Canada, when a train hit him. It was reported that his keeper wept uncontrollably as his best friend died. They had to ward off souvenir hunters.

Barnum stated that Jumbo run head first into the train to save his friend, Scott, and a smaller elephant Tom Thumb.

However, it is now discovered that the skeleton shows no fracture on his head. Old photos show scars on his back and it is thought that Jumbo could not run fast enough to get off the truck.

Even in death he was still exploited; Barnum had him stuffed to put him on show.

Although being already a huge animal but according to the expert he was not fully grown at his age of 24.

He was so famous he inspired a Hollywood movie.