Jumbo the elephant’s life and mysterious death

Aunt Bea

Aunt Bea

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Near Mount Pilot
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jumbo1.jpg
jumbo-skeleton-granger.jpg


In September of 1885, the Barnum and Bailey Circus arrived in St. Thomas, Ontario. After the show, Jumbo and a small elephant called Tom Thumb were being loaded into a circus boxcar when an unscheduled freight train came hurtling down the tracks towards them. Tom Thumb survived. But Jumbo was mortally injured and died minutes later with his longtime keeper and friend, Matthew Scott, by his side.

Two different versions of the event emerged: one, that Jumbo was hit trying to run away from the train and the other that he was deliberately led toward the oncoming locomotive. The possibility that Jumbo was running toward the train, gives rise to a conspiracy theory: that Jumbo’s death was staged because a sick and dying elephant would leave Barnum open to accusations of animal cruelty,” reports David Suzuki in Jumbo the life of an elephant.

Not one to waste time, Barnum had Jumbo’s remains sent off to be prepped for taxidermy the very next day. A year later the prepared remains - a stuffed skin and a separate articulated skeleton - were debuted at a gala at which the guests were allegedly served gelatin snacks made from Jumbo’s tusks.

Jumbo's remains were on display at Tufts University until destroyed by fire in 1975. All that is left is a 14oz. peanut butter jar containing a few ashes. It has become a tradition for Tufts athletes to touch the small jar that holds the remains of the great beast for luck before an athletic event.

If you want to pay your respects, there is a memorial plaque and a statue of Jumbo in St. Thomas, Ontario, where he died.
Jumbo's remains were destroyed in a fire at Tufts University in 1975.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbo
 

Aunt Bea said:
images
jumbo1.jpg
jumbo-skeleton-granger.jpg


In September of 1885, the Barnum and Bailey Circus arrived in St. Thomas, Ontario. After the show, Jumbo and a small elephant called Tom Thumb were being loaded into a circus boxcar when an unscheduled freight train came hurtling down the tracks towards them. Tom Thumb survived. But Jumbo was mortally injured and died minutes later with his longtime keeper and friend, Matthew Scott, by his side.

Two different versions of the event emerged: one, that Jumbo was hit trying to run away from the train and the other that he was deliberately led toward the oncoming locomotive. The possibility that Jumbo was running toward the train, gives rise to a conspiracy theory: that Jumbo’s death was staged because a sick and dying elephant would leave Barnum open to accusations of animal cruelty,” reports David Suzuki in Jumbo the life of an elephant.

Not one to waste time, Barnum had Jumbo’s remains sent off to be prepped for taxidermy the very next day. A year later the prepared remains - a stuffed skin and a separate articulated skeleton - were debuted at a gala at which the guests were allegedly served gelatin snacks made from Jumbo’s tusks.

Jumbo's remains were on display at Tufts University until destroyed by fire in 1975. All that is left is a 14oz. peanut butter jar containing a few ashes. It has become a tradition for Tufts athletes to touch the small jar that holds the remains of the great beast for luck before an athletic event.

If you want to pay your respects, there is a memorial plaque and a statue of Jumbo in St. Thomas, Ontario, where he died.
Jumbo's remains were destroyed in a fire at Tufts University in 1975.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbo
Click to expand...
I saw Jumbo's carcass many times as a child. It was as tall as the ceiling which is amazing to a little kid. :eek:
 

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