Jumbo Now

Why? They were terrified. Jumbo had entered "musth"—a period of heightened aggression in bull elephants. Keepers claimed he had become dangerous. In reality, many historians believe the Zoo simply wanted to cash in.

He became the star attraction of the Victorian era. Charles Darwin visited him. Queen Victoria’s children rode him. He even had his own personal ticket booth. In 1882, Jumbo was the most famous animal on the planet. But the London Zoo made a decision that would break the public’s heart: they sold him. Keepers claimed he had become dangerous

The buyer was , the circus king of America. Barnum offered $10,000 (a fortune in the 1880s) for the elephant. Charles Darwin visited him

But the sale went through. Barnum knew exactly what he had. He told reporters, "The Jumbo fever is on. I shall make a million dollars off him." He told reporters

Late at night in St. Thomas, Ontario, after a performance, Jumbo and a small elephant named Tom Thumb were walking back to their train car along the railroad tracks.