Jumbo
Jumbo and his keeper Matthew Scott(Circus poster, c. 1882) | |
| Species | African bush elephant |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | December 25, 1860 Sudan |
| Died | September 15, 1885 (aged 24) St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | Various |
| Occupation | Zoo and circus attraction |
| Years active | 1862–1885 in captivity |
| Owner | |
| Weight | 6.15 metric tons (6.78 short tons) |
| Height | 3.23 m (10 ft 7 in); 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) as promoted by Barnum |
| Cause of death | Railway accident |
Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then transferred in 1865 to London Zoo in England. Despite public protest, Jumbo was sold to P. T. Barnum, who took him to the United States for exhibition in March 1882.
The elephant's name spawned the common word "jumbo", meaning large in size. Examples of his lexical impact are phrases like "jumbo jet", "jumbo shrimp", "jumbo eggs", and "jumbotron". Jumbo's shoulder height has been estimated to have been 3.23 metres (10 ft 7 in) at the time of his death, and was claimed to be about 4 m (13 ft 1 in) by Barnum. "Jumbo" has been the mascot of Tufts University for over one hundred years.