Jumbo: The Greatest Elephant in the World

Jumbo: This Being the True Story of the Greatest Elephant in the World A Good read filled with historical facts entwined in an interesting narrative.

From the moment he watched his mother die at the hands of elephant hunters to the moment he met his untimely end after a show in Canada, the life of the greatest elephant in the world was as tragic as any human story ever told. Chambers' book straddles the Atlantic, offering glimpses into the Victorian societies of both England and the U.S., and reinforces the ancient stereotype of the nineteenth century zoos and traveling menageries as cruel and inhumane. They were, perhaps, a necessary step to reaching the modern interpretation of zoos as places of rehabilitation and research, but in those days, they were nothing short of money makers for the likes of Phineas Barnum and his associates around the world, who paid exorbitant sums to wrestle wild animals from their natural homes and then jettisoned them and their handlers when they were no longer gate attractions. Perhaps the most tragic aspect of the story is the Victorian misconception of musth in African elephants, and their swift treatment of it. This book is an engaging read that captures the essence of the late nineteenth century and its - as we see it, in a revisionist manner - often twisted outlooks.

Jumbo was an African elephant born in the early 1860s and captured by ivory poachers who had killed his parents. They sold him to the Paris Zoo, and after a few years Jumbo was sold again to the London Zoo. The Superintendent there, Abraham Bartlett, assigned a long-time employee, Matthew Scott, to be Jumbo's keeper. Jumbo soon became ill (colic?), and Scott endeared himself to Jumbo by moving in with Jumbo until the elephant recovered. Scott's treatment - TLC and whiskey. Jumbo became a zoo favorite for giving children rides and his quirky behavior. (Jumbo would steal Scott's bowler hat when Scott wasn't looking, and return it after Scott pretended to be outraged. Jumbo would also steal and beg treats from those visiting his enclosure.) Scott was allowed to keep the children's' payments (penny each), resulting in an additional 10X his salary. Bartlett tried to regain control over Jumbo by requiring Scott take an assistant - each, however, quickly resigned in fear of Jumbo (possibly encouraged by Scott). Upon reaching sexual maturity (age 20), Jumbo began rampaging at night, eventually destroying the Elephant House. This phase passed after about a month, but worried about a recurrence, Bartlett welcomed an offer from P.T. Barnum to take both Jumbo and the always obnoxious (to superiors, never the children) Scott. Jumbo, however, did not like the idea of leaving his London Zoo home of 16 years, and it took several weeks to coax him into a transport box. During this time thousands of extra visitors came to the zoo to watch, and boo the "greedy zoo managers." P.T. Barnum, meanwhile, used the extra time to build excitement in America with various tales about what was happening. Within two weeks Jumbo was participating in the circus, and as the largest, walked at the head of the parade. Unfortunately, being a circus elephant required traveling, which Jumbo disliked. Worse yet, it soon resulted in his death in a train collision. Scott remained loyal to Jumbo, hanging around unpaid in the area where Jumbo's stuffed body was displayed. After the museum burned, Scott disappeared.

"JUMBO"The Greatest Elephant In the World; by Paul Chambers is truly a JUMBO piece of literature in a small book. This is the true and sad biography of the world's most publicized elephant and those individuals who shared in his life. Mr. Chambers' has gvien the reader a superb history of a unique elephant, a unique time, and the unique men who shared in that long forgotten drama. This story somewhat parallels "Modoc" and yet, differs greatly. None the less, man's cruelty ceases to amaze me. In the interim, the reader not only learns a great deal about elephants and suffering but...him/herself as well. Despite the fact, JUMBO has been dead now for 123 years (at this writing), I could not help but become emotional as I read his life's story and his sad end. JUMBO's skeletal remains have been perserved but gone the way of Gargantua the gorilla...lost in the dark and dusty confines of a musem. A testament to times long since forgotten. A truly intersting and informative book and a real JUMBO of a story! If, you appreciate wildlife, zoos, animals and or...history then you MUST READ THIS BOOK!

Perhaps you have flown on a jumbo jet, and certainly you have seen jumbo sized bags of corn chips. "Jumbo" is even an official designation for a particular size of olive, among other things. Of course, these are big olives, and "jumbo" means big, but you might not realize that it is an eponym, a word taken from a name. It comes from Jumbo the elephant, but how Jumbo got that name isn't recorded; other elephants at the London Zoo were called, say, Tommy or Jack. Jumbo did not get his name because he was big (he got it long before he grew big), but "jumbo" came to mean big because Jumbo became big. In _Jumbo: This Being the True Story of the Greatest Elephant in the World_ (Steerforth Press), Paul Chambers has produced a delightful biography of what really was, for many reasons, the greatest elephant in the world. It is in many ways a sad story, with human greed and folly taking their toll on the poor pachyderm, who lost his life directly because of his fame. Jumbo's is, however, a unique story, in which are remarkable, flawed men, only some of whom had his best interest at heart. Jumbo was far from jumbo when his mother was killed and he was captured; he was a scrawny runt, and it would have surprised no one if he had died on his caravan of rhinos, giraffes, antelopes, and more heading to the Red Sea. After a sea voyage and transfer within Europe, the little elephant was bought by the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The French never appreciated their acquisition, and the Superintendent of the London Zoo, Abraham Bartlett was eager to get Jumbo when the French zoo was selling off extra animals. Bartlett also hand picked a handler for the elephant, the keeper Matthew Scott, because although Scott had worked wonders with parrots and elands, he had no experience with elephants and Bartlett was sure that Scott could thus be made to take charge of Jumbo in just the manner Bartlett wanted. Bartlett's thinking on the issue was completely wrong. Scott was to become inseparable from Jumbo, and was to use his connection with the elephant to become more influential and rich than the London Zoo ever intended any zookeeper to be. He was continually to annoy Bartlett who could not transfer him or dismiss him because he had such close control of Jumbo. The increasing influence of Scott, and the difficulty of maintaining such a huge and sometimes unrestrained beast at the zoo, bothered Bartlett, who was glad to get rid of the pair when P. T. Barnum offered to buy Jumbo. The elephant was a sensation, attracting huge crowds when he landed and went on procession to the site of Barnum's circus at Madison Square Garden. Barnum forbade any measurements to be made of Jumbo, aware that the press and public would happily exaggerate his size. Jumbo was well worth any expense or trouble Barnum had undertaken; attendance at the circus was never better, and Jumbo took to circus life well. He was, however, to be with the circus only four years; a collision with an