Jumbo the African Elephant, was believed to have been born in the Sudan, and captured by animal traders. His mother was killed, and he was kept in poor conditions until sold to The Jardin des Plantes.
This was a zoo in France. Although they were quite a large and popular zoo, they did not treat Jumbo the way he should have been. He was housed with the zoo's two asian elephants in a cramped enclosure. As Jumbo was already sick when he arrived at The Jardin des Plantes, the lack of knowledge of African Elephants did not help his health. He became lethargic and malnourished. The Zoo soon acquired a new African Elephant calf, and Jumbo was all but forgotten.
Jumbo was then sold to The Zoological Garden's in England. There, he was better cared for and met his trainer and long time friend, Matthew Scott. The Zoo in England became quite attached to Jumbo, despite some disagreements they may have had with some of his actions. Jumbo quickly gained weight and height, with his new and dedicated caretaker. Jumbo gave rides around the Zoological Gardens to children for a penny, and soon became a popular attraction at the zoo. He was also given a 'Mate' named Alice (Also an African Elephant) although no chemistry was seen between them.
As Jumbo aged, and became larger and larger, he was getting a bit hard to handle. He would have bouts of rage associated with adolescence and a fear of small spaces. PT Barnum was in the market for a large African Elephant, and heard of Jumbo's massive size. He had to have him. So he wrote Mr. Bartlett (the head of the Zoo) and offered a large sum of money for Jumbo. The offer was accepted, and Jumbo was packed away in a large crate.
(I haven't finished Jumbo's Biography... So I don't know the details of what happened next... But I will know =D And I will update my blog when I find out
-- So long =)
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