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Photos of the Asian elephants at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in the United States
Brookfield Zoo : 28 Photos

Postcard 21: Elephant exhibit in the 1970’s
The zoo keeps no more Asian elephants since 1990
Postcard 21 - 1970's:       Photo 22 - 1970's:   
Postcard 19 - 1960's:    Postcard 20 - 1960's:  
Postcard 17 - 1940's:    Postcard 18 - 1940's:  
Photo 15 - 1940's:        Photo 16 - 1940's:  
Postcard 13 - 1940's:       Photo 14 - 1940's:   
  Photo 11 - 1930's:       Photo 12 - 04/1941:  
Photo 09 - 1930's:        Photo 10 - 1930's:  
Photo 07 - 1930's:        Photo 08 - 1930's:  
Postcard 05 - 1930's:    Postcard 06 - 1930's:  
Photo 03 - 1930's:        Photo 04 - 1930's:  
Photo 01 - 1930's:        Photo 02 - 1930's:  
Record of the Asian elephants at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago
Name 1900-1905-1910-1915-1920-1925-1930-1935-1940-1945-1950-1955-1960-1965-1970-1975-1980-1985-1990-1995-2000-2005-2010-2015-2020-2025
0.1 Nancy26.10.33 - 19.01.51 †
0.1 Judy13.06.34 from Jones Cir. - 02.06.43 toChicago LP
0.1 Minnie03.11.34 from Gainesville - 22.09.76 †
1.0 Ziggy28.07.36 from Midget Cir. - 28.10.75 †
0.1 Babe19.06.47 - 05/1964 to Portland and 10.09.66 - 18.02.90 †
0.1 Melinda10.05.52 - 30.10.53 †
0.1 Lucky10.05.60 - 25.10.61 to B.Steele, later to San Antonio
0.1 Cookie10.05.62 - 11.10.63 †
0.1 Dolly12.05.64 - 06.11.65 to Gr.Am.Show
0.1 Cora31.05.66 from Portland - 23.10.68 to Ringling Br.
0.1 Suki05.06.69 from Detroit - 05.06.72 to Peoria
0.1 Patience27.02.75 - 30.10.90 to Springfield
1.0 Pete06.05.77 from Christ. Br. - 13.06.79 to R.Williams, later to New Orleans
Additional photos of the Asian elephants at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago
The destiny of North America's most famous elephant Ziggy
The tragic story of Ziggy began in 1920 when he was shipped to the United States from India as a one-year-old calf and was named after the showman Florenz Ziegfield, who bought the elephant as a birthday present for his daughter. Later sold to the Singer's Midget Circus, Ziggy toured through the United States and Europe. In 1936 the circus decided to sell the elephant for his rambunctious behavior while he escaped in San Diego. The Brookfield Zoo bought Ziggy for $800 where he arrived on July 28 and became one of the most famous residents of the zoo.
Ziggy in solitary

Ziggy performing with Lewis		 At that time the Brookfield Zoo opened one of the largest pachyderm houses in a zoo, which had regretfully some constructional defects. So Ziggy was unable to reach the outside exhibit because there was no direct access to it and he could be led by nobody anymore. George 'Slim' Lewis was hired to get Ziggy back under control and for the next years he managed him at the zoo in direct contact as it was done with him in former circus times. After Ziggy, being in musth, charged his trainer George Lewis on April 26, 1941, who escaped with minor injuries, he spent almost 30 years in solitary confinement indoors, tethered to a wall with a chain of variable length.
In 1969 the new zoo director announced that he wanted to let Ziggy go outdoors again and the zoo would need $50,000 for this endeavor. But before building the new facility for the elephant, his former trainer Lewis was flown in to lead him out to see how he would react being outside again after all those years. On September 23, 1970, Ziggy saw the sun for the first time in nearly 30 years. A major fund-raising campaign by the zoo, with notable contributions from schoolchildren, allowed then the construction of a large, safe indoor-outdoor enclosure which was opened in the summer of 1971 when the work was completed.
While the indoor enclosure was renovated in March 1975, Ziggy had to evade into a stall with no barriers. After he stretched too far across the 8-feet-deep moat inside the elephant house to reach for his keeper he fell head first into it. Workers built a ramp with 40 tons of gravel so Ziggy could extricate himself. But he never was quite the same and only half a year later Ziggy's mournful story ended ingloriously on October 28, 1975, when he died at an age of 56 at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. His remains were given to his final resting place, the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Elephant exhibit in the 1930's
Elephant exhibit in the 1940's

Former Asian elephant yard 2006
Former Asian elephant yard 2006
Births of Asian elephants at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in its history
There has never been born an Asian elephant at this zoo
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