Tim Burton directs a live-action reboot of Disney's 1941 animated classic the fanciful tale of an outcast baby circus elephant named 'Jumbo' who, teased for his over-sized ears, becomes known as Dumbo.Jumbo was far short of the 60 to 70 lifespan of African elephants in the wild.The tragic true story of the celebrity elephant that inspired 'Dumbo': An exploited, alcoholic circus act sedated from his nightly tantrums by being fed gallons of booze - before he was hit and killed by a train He was immortalised as a hero, and several illustrations appeared of how he had met his end.īut other witnesses didn't corroborate his story and later analysis of his remains showed no fractures in the skull which would have been consistent with him charging in front of an ongoing train. Originally Barnum told the story that the elephant died trying to rescue another, younger elephant Tom Thumb and his beloved keeper Scott from being hit by the train. It took 150 men to move the corpse out of the way of the train tracks. Thomas, Ontario, when he tripped and fell, impaling himself on his own tusks and dying instantly.Īn oncoming train couldn’t stop in time, and it hit the already-dead elephant. On September 15, Jumbo was out for a walk to get some exercise along railway tracks in St. Jumbo then toured North America as part of the Greatest Show on Earth - which in September 1885 took the circus to Ontario, Canada. On, 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 a collapse fears a year earlier. In New York, Barnum exhibited Jumbo at Madison Square Garden for three weeks, earning enough from the enormous crowds to recoup the money he had spend on buying and shipping over the animal. Jumbo was bought for just £2,000 by Phineas Taylor Barnum, the founder of Barnum and Bailey 'Greatest Show on Earth' Circus, who shipped him the UK to America in 1882. Worried about his rages and concerned he could attack visitors, officials at London Zoo decided to put him up for sale.Īround 20,000 people attended the zoo every day to prevent the sale, and Queen Victoria was said to be displeased by the idea of selling the elephant. ![]() Keeper Scott was also said to sometimes feed him whisky to keep him calm, which may have contributed to his health problems. These teeth are thought to have been damaged by his poor diet - consisting of sticky buns and hay.Įxperts analysing his remains found that his femur, which can give evidence of diet over 20 years, and his ribs, which provide a picture for about a decade, showed what he ate had changed little by the time he died.Īs well as impacting on his teeth this may also have affected his body's ability to repair his joints and bones, left badly damaged possibly by the number of rides he gave to children as a key attraction. Jumbo's violent outbursts are believed to have been due to him struggling with pain, mainly toothache due to his malformed teeth, evident in later analyses of his skull. He would also break off his tusks during his night time rages, and when they grew back would grind them down, possibly in frustration at his diet and being held in captivity. ![]() The rages would occur with such frequency that carpenters would often have to be called upon to make repairs to his enclosure. "He would become possessed by terrifyingly violent rages where he would smash the timbers of his enclosure,” he said.
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