Jumbo was born about 1861. When still very small, he arrived at the zoo in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. In 1865 he was sent to ZSL London Zoo. On arrival he was in poor condition but after being placed in the care of Matthew Scott, a former antelope keeper, he flourished. A female African elephant, Alice, arrived a few months later and the two elephants became associated in the public mind. Jumbo became a great favourite, largely because he had a very good nature. By the early 1880s Jumbo was nearly 11 feet tall. Jumbo was sold to P T Barnum who took him to the United States for exhibition in March 1882.

Learn more about these famous ZSL animals by searching for them in the ZSL Archive catalogue.