Here are the top names for elephants, just in case you ever need to name an elephant.
The most famous elephant of all time is JUMBO (1860 – 1885) who was part of P.T. Barnum’s Circus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbo
There were two very famous elephants named QUEENIE:
Queenie, the water skiing elephant, lived in the United States. She was born in 1952 and died in 2011.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenie_(waterskiing_elephant)
Queenie, the elephant who resided at the Melbourne Australia Zoo, was born in the early 1900s and died in 1945. (See photo below).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenie_(Melbourne_elephant)
Other Famous Zoo Elephants:
ANNABELLE the elephant was the founding member of the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, Alaska.
The story of how Annabelle the elephant came to live in cold Alaska is fascinating.
Anchorage grocer Jack Snyder saw a (obviously not serious) ad for a Chiffon toilet paper contest for grocers in 1966. The Crown Zellerbach Company offered “$3,000 or a baby elephant” to the winner. Mr. Snyder won the contest and surprised the paper goods company by telling them, “I will take the elephant.”
Company officials searched and found an 18-month old circus elephant named Annabelle. Annabelle had been born in India. They bought her and sent her north on an airplane to Anchorage. She stood under 3 and a half feet tall when she arrived. She became the first elephant since the ice age to live in Alaska.
Annabelle spent the summer on a tour flying around Alaska. Mr. Snyder then found her a winter home at a horse ranch owned by Ms. Sammye Seawell on O’Malley road in South Anchorage. It was the only facility that had heated animal stalls. Ms. Seawell had a heart for stray animals and also took care of a seal and a black bear cub. After some time, Ms. Seawell asked Mr. Snyder what his plans for Annabelle were as she was growing big fast. Mr. Snyder told Ms. Seawell, whose family had fallen in love with Annabelle, that they could keep her. Annabelle was quite popular with Anchorage residents who often came over to the ranch to visit her. Ms. Seawell realized that perhaps she should start a zoo. She convinced the City of Anchorage to help set one up on nearby land. The Anchorage Children’s Zoo, which later changed its name to the Alaska Zoo, opened its doors in 1968.
Annabelle was the most popular attraction. She was also famous for her artwork. Annabelle learned to paint and draw with her trunk in 1991 when her trainers gave her art supplies. The zoo raised hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling prints and mugs made from Annabelle’s abstract drawings. She died on Dec. 15, 1997, at the age of 33, following complications from a foot infection. She is buried on the Zoo grounds. A gravestone with her picture marks the spot.
PACKY was the Oregon Zoo’s beloved elephant. He died in 2017 at age nearly 55! He was the oldest elephant in the Northern Hemisphere at the time of his death. Packy was born in 1962. He was the first elephant born in captivity in 44 years and was celebrated in Life magazine.
Here is a photo of Packy as a baby elephant:
HAPPY is a 44 year old elephant who lives at the Bronx Zoo. However, animal rights protesters are waging a legal and publicity campaign to move Happy to an elephant sanctuary. They believe that Happy is NOT happy living by herself at the Bronx Zoo. So far, Happy hasn’t moved.
