Baby Butch
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) at
Dailey Bros. Circus in United States

Biography

☨ ♂ Baby Butch

Identification


Description
Species:	Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
Sex and age:	Male ♂ maybe about 3 years old (estimated age)
Origin
Born:	* 1946? unknown
Birth place:	in India unspecified location
Capture:	1947?
Imported:	1948 by Ben Davenport
Freight:	by ship
Death
Dead:	†1949-07-08
Death location:	Dailey Bros. Circus
Death reason:	unknown:
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Dailey Bros. Circus, in United States

Date of arrival

1948-00-00	Dailey Bros. Circus from Boston Harbour

1948-01-09	Boston Harbour from Ben Davenport

1947-00-00	Ben Davenport from India unspecified location

Record history
History of updates	2025-04-07: 2025-04-07:

Latest document update	2021-09-15 09:59:45
Google map

† Baby Butch is a dead Male ♂ Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), , who died 1949-07-08 at Dailey Bros. Circus, in United States, .

Origin

Baby Butch was born unknown 1946? at India unspecified location, captured 1947? . and imported 1948 by Ben Davenport, by ship

Comments / pictures

Records about Baby Butch from Bob Cline

BABY BUTCH 1947- arrives in US
Male Asian 1947 to 1949 - Dailey Bros. Circus
Died - July 8th, 1949
Bob Cline, author of the book "Americas elephants".

"Little Butch" Comes to Gonzales, Texas, by Murray Montgomery
The nine elephants, along with three zebras, four pythons and 200 monkeys, were put ashore at Boston harbor Thursday after surviving a rough ocean voyage. They were shipped from India for the Dailey Brothers Circus at Gonzales, Texas.

Star attraction of the lot was “Butch,” probably the smallest elephant ever seen in the United States. He stands three Feet high and weighs less than 250 pounds. Two other elephants died in route – probably from Heart trouble induced by the high seas. Louis Reed of Chatham, N.Y., who purchased and escorted the animals on their one and a half month trip, said the elephants probably died of excitement after their hearts became weakened in Fighting against captivity.

“Butch,” however, was too little to be bothered, Reed said. But the little one did require constant care and regular doses of rum in addition to his diet of rice, warm milk, oatmeal and syrup. In all “Butch” and the other eight survivors drank about 15 gallons of rum. The biggest “shot” was given to a larger elephant, “Virginia,” who became shaky and collapsed just as the S.S. Irisbank entered Boston Harbor.

“She needed a full gallon to get back on her feet,” Reed said.

Despite the roughness of the sea and delays caused by engine breakdowns, all the animals weathered the trip in good shape. Two representatives of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals inspected the cargo and decided it was in top-notch condition.

They concentrated their examination on “Butch,” believing that if the little dumbo-like animal – could not even use his Trunk properly – lived through the trip, the treatment must have been of the best.

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2025). Baby Butch, Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) located at Dailey Bros. Circus in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 18 April 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=10603. (archived at the Wayback machine)