Chieftain (Big Chief)
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) at
Adam Forepaugh Circus in United States

Biography

☨ ♂ Chieftain (Big Chief)

Identification

SSP nr	4

Description
Species:	Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
Subspecies:	Elephas maximus maximus
Sex and age:	Male ♂
Origin
Born:	* wild
Birth place:	in Sri Lanka unspecified location
Capture:	1870
Imported:	1871 by Elbert Howes
Freight:	by ship from Colombo
Death
Dead:	†1888-12-17
Death reason:	killed: by strangulation, choked to death by two elephants Basil and Bismark
Offspring
Total: 1 babies

1. Born 1882-02-02 (dead † 1886-04-11)	♀ Bridgeport SSP id: 6
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Adam Forepaugh Circus, in United States

Date of arrival

1886-00-00	Adam Forepaugh Circus from Barnum and London Circus

1881-00-00	Barnum and London Circus from Cooper and Bailey Circus

1878-00-00	Cooper and Bailey Circus from Howes Great London Circus, Hippodrome, and Sangers English Menagerie

1871-07-23	Howes Great London Circus, Hippodrome, and Sangers English Menagerie from Hudson River Railroad horse stables

1871-07-22	Hudson River Railroad horse stables from New York Harbour

1871-07-22	New York Harbour 1871-07-22 from Port of Colombo

1871-00-00	Port of Colombo from Elbert Howes

1870-00-00	Elbert Howes from Sri Lanka unspecified location

Record history
History of updates	2021-09-18: importer

Latest document update	2021-09-17 22:52:49

† Chieftain (Big Chief) is a dead Male ♂ Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), , who died 1888-12-17 at Adam Forepaugh Circus, in United States, . Official death reason described as by strangulation, choked to death by two elephants Basil and Bismark.

Offspring

Total: 1 babies

Origin

Chieftain (Big Chief) was born wild at Sri Lanka unspecified location, captured 1870 . and imported 1871 by Elbert Howes, by ship from Colombo

Comments / pictures

From the Ceylon-import 1871.

Reference list

Koehl, Dan, (2025). Chieftain (Big Chief), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) located at Adam Forepaugh Circus in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 21 April 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=1014. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Bob Cline, Cheraw, South Carolina, United States. Autor of the book Americas elephants
Buckles Weblog

Litterature about Adam Forepaugh Circus

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Links

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