Thomas Atkins

From the list of elephant persons Family: Atkins

Thomas Atkins
Profession	menagerie director
Personal details
Born	1763-04 in United Kingdom

Spouse(s)	- 1848 Elizabeth Atkins

Country	United Kingdom

Locations
Title	owner 1833-1848
Location	at Liverpool Zoological Gardens in United Kingdom

Title	owner -1848
Location	at Atkins Menagerie in United Kingdom

Biography details

Thomas Atkins , menagerie director in United Kingdom

Born 1763-04 in United Kingdom dead 1848-06-06 .

Owner of 1 elephants

1: Rajah (owner from 1837 to 1848)

Thomas Atkins died on the 6th June 1848, aged 84, described in his obituary as, “most liberal to all connected to the large establishment of which he was the head.” The saddest incident in the Gardens’ history coincidentally followed less than two weeks later, when his beloved elephant Rajah, whom he had owned for over eleven years, followed its master to its demise. The poor beast grew infuriated after being struck twice with a broom by its keeper (Richard Howard ), to make him budge, and he ran at the man, jammed him against the bars of the cage, let him fall, and then crushed him to death underfoot. Rajah had killed a keeper (Henry Andrews ) in this manner before, one night in 1843, when “The handle of a broom, with which the deceased had often struck the animal, was found near the place, broken in two pieces.” Rajah was not forgiven this time, and Atkins’ sons John and Edwin first resolved to poison the creature, then, that having failed, had him shot by a company of riflemen.

The Gardens were, perhaps, never the same again. Shifting priorities were suggested by the new proprietress, Atkins’ widow Elizabeth’s, subsequent efforts to secure a wine & spirits licence for the premises.

The Liverpool Mail 23/12/1843, 11/11/1848; The Liverpool Standard 13/6/1848, 20/6/1848

Family

Total: 3 children

John Atkins. Born: ?.
Edwin Atkins. Born: ?.
Elizabeth Sanger. Born: 1825. Dead: † 1892

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2024). director Thomas Atkins in United Kingdom. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 27 April 2024 at https://www.elephant.se/person.php?id=2565. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:

Selected publications

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