Forepaughs Bolivar
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) at
Philadelphia Zoo in United States

Biography
dead elephant ☨ ♂ Forepaughs Bolivar  dead elephant
Forepaughs Bolivar displayed as museum specimen.
Forepaughs Bolivar as museum specimen.
"Bolivar" in the Philadelphia Zoo
"Bolivar" in the Philadelphia Zoo
Museum locations
Present / last location:The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, in United States
Date of arrival
1908-00-00The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States
Identification
SSP nr555
Description
Species:Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
Sex and age:Male ♂ 47 years old
Body height: 3.05 meter, 10.0 feet
Body weight: 6000.00 kg, 13200.00 lbs
People killed:1
Origin
Born:* 1861 wild
Birth place: in Sri Lanka unspecified location
Death
Dead: †1908-07-21
Death reason: age:
Locations - owners
Present / last location:Philadelphia Zoo, in United States
Date of arrival
1888-12-25Philadelphia Zoo
from Adam Forepaugh Circus
1880-00-00Adam Forepaugh Circus
from Van Amburg Circus
1872-00-00Van Amburg Circus
from Port of Colombo
Port of Colombo
from Sri Lanka unspecified location
Record history
History of updates2025-03-03: text, picture
Latest document update2025-03-21 16:35:11

† Forepaughs Bolivar is a dead Male ♂ Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), , who died 1908-07-21 at Philadelphia Zoo, in United States, .

Museum locationThe Museum specimen remains of this animal is within the collection at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, in Philadelphia, United States, since 1908-00-00.


Origin

Forepaughs Bolivar was born wild 1861 at Sri Lanka unspecified location.


Comments / pictures

1885 A lion killed its trainer and escaped its cage. It entered the elephant house, and attacked an elephant named Bolivar. The elephant crushed the lion to death. New York Times, December 10, 1885.



Contradictory records:

Records about Forepaughs Bolivar from William "Buckles" Woodcocks Blog at http://www.bucklesw.blogspot.com/
Originally from Tower of London Menagerie
Later on Van Amburg Show 1845
To Adam Forepaugh 1880
Died in 1885. (EDIT Seems this date of death record is false)"

William "Buckles" Woodcock


This source states that Forepaughs Bolivar was never in London
According to this source at circus history, Forepaughs Bolivar was not at The Tower menagerie:The second Bolivar was probably imported to America from Ceylon in the late 1860's. He had been with the Van Amburgh show for some years, before being sold to the Adam Forepaugh show, and in 1888 when he was delivered to the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens he was believed to have been approx. 27 years old. The Forepaugh Bolivar died in 1908, and was believed to have been in its late 40's. Bolivar was considered so dangerous at the zoo, that he was never let out of his stall for the last 12 to 15 years of his life. Afterward, its Skeleton and mounted hide were for many years on exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The Forepaugh Bolivar was reported to have been, ten Feet at the shoulder and weighed 6 tonnes.

http://www.circushistory.org/Query/Query05e.htm



Records about Forepaughs Bolivar from Bob Cline

BOLIVAR 1872 to 1877 - Van Amburgh's Menagerie & Circus
Male Asian 1878 to 1879 - Van Amburgh's Great Golden Menagerie
1880 - bought by Adam Forepaugh for $ 7,100.00
1883 to 1884 - Cooper, Jackson & Co's Great International Allied Shows
1885 - Adam Forepaugh Circus
1886 to 1908 - Philadelphia Zoological Gardens
Died - Aug.2, 1908

Bob Cline, author of the book "Americas elephants".

1888-11-28: Adam Forepaugh bought Bolivar for 7 000 dollars.
He had been with the Van Amburgh show for some years, before being sold to the Adam Forepaugh show, and in 1888 when he was delivered to the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens he was believed to have been approx. 27 years old. The Forepaugh Bolivar died in 1908, and was believed to have been in its late 40's. Bolivar was considered so dangerous at the zoo, that he was never let out of his stall for the last 12 to 15 years of his life. Afterward, its Skeleton and mounted hide were for many years on exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The Forepaugh Bolivar was reported to have been, ten Feet at the shoulder and weighed 6 tonnes.
Circus history message board1

One of Philadelphia’s biggest 19th-century celebrities was an enormous male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) named Bolivar. In the 1880s, Bolivar was the star attraction of Adam Forepaugh’s Circus, where he was billed as the “Largest & Heaviest Elephant in the World.” Unfortunately, he also had the reputation of being one of the meanest, and killed 2 keepers/trainers before arrival in Philadelphia Zoo.

In 1888 Forepaugh decided that Bolivar was too dangerous for his circus and gave him to the Philadelphia Zoo. There Bolivar spent the last 18 years of his life with limited human contact.

After his death in 1908, Bolivar’s remains were donated to the Academy, which displayed his Skeleton and mounted hide side by side for the next 10 years. Unfortunately, the skin deteriorated, but the entire Skeleton still resides in the basement within the Academy’s Mammalogy Collection.Philly’s Un-friendliest Celebrity

Forepaughs Bolivar in Philadelphia Zoo
Side-by-side displays of Bolivar in what is now part of North American Hall.
Ewell Sale Stewart Library & Archives Coll. no. 49.
Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2025). Forepaughs Bolivar, Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) located at Philadelphia Zoo in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 30 March 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=1448. (archived at the Wayback machine)

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Categories1908 deaths | The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Taxidermy | 1861 births | Born in Sri Lanka | Elephants from Philadelphia Zoo | United States | Mankillers | Asian elephants




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