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Old Bet African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Bailey Circus in United States Biography
☨ ♀ Old Bet
Alternative name:
Old Bett, Betty, Big Bett
Taxidermy location Barnums American Museum , , United States
Identification
Description
Species: African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana ) Sex and age: Female ♀ 16 years old Origin
Born: * 1800 wild
Birth place:
in Africa unspecified location
Imported: 1804-06-25 by Unknown Death
Dead: †1816-07-26
Death location: Alfred, Berwick, Maine
Death reason: shot: aggressive, shot by Daniel Davis Burial: 1816-00-00, at just off Route 4 in Alfred, Berwick, Maine Locations - owners Present / last location: Bailey Circus , in United States
Date of arrival
1808-00-00 Bailey Circus from Edward Savage
1804-00-00 Edward Savage from Nathan Howes
1804-00-00 Nathan Howes from Boston Harbour
1804-06-25 Boston Harbour from Africa unspecified location
Record history
History of updates 2021-11-23
Latest document update 2024-01-29 16:27:24
Relevant literature
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† Old Bet is a dead Female ♀ African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana ) , , who died 1816-07-26 at Bailey Circus , in United States , . Official death reason described as aggressive, shot by Daniel Davis.
Museum location The Museum specimen remains of this animal is within the collection at Barnums American Museum , in , United States , since 1821-00-00.Origin
Old Bet was born wild 1800 at Africa unspecified location . and imported 1804-06-25 by Unknown
Comments / pictures As the legend goes, Old Bet came to York County in July of 1816, where people ponied up the admission price to catch a glimpse. But, according to Historic Hudson Valley, a farmer named Daniel Davis reportedly was offended by the idea of taking money from poor people and decided to fatally shoot Old Bet. As legend has it, she was buried in Alfred, where a marker still commemorates her, near the York County Jail, just off Route 4 in Alfred.
In Somers, New York, a statue of Old Bet stands in front of the 'Elephant Hotel,' founded by Hachaliah Bailey
in memory of his beloved animal.
Records about Old Bet from Bob Cline
OLD BET Arrives in US June 25, 1804 2nd elephant in United States
African Female 1804 - Exhibited bt Edward Savage in Boston and Salem
1805 - Exhibited in the Hudson Valley and Richmond, Va.
1806 - exhibited in New York City
1808 - billed as only elephant in America indicating that The 1st elephant was dead now.
1809 - Hachileah Bailey exhibit
Different references refer to Christopher Brown ,
Issac Purdy, or Andrew Brunn
in charge.
Died - July 26, 1816 in Alfred, Maine - shot by Daniel Davis
1817 - Skeleton
was exhibited at 303 Broadway in New York City
1818 - Mounted hide on display in New York City
Bob Cline ,
author of the book "Americas elephants".
Elephant Notes and news
Old Bet has aroused interest and curiosity for many years, mostly because of the mystery surrounding her time of arrival in the United States (she is either the “first”, having arrived on April 13 April 13, 1796, or the “second”, arrived in 1804), her Species
(either African or Asian elephant), her name (known by at least five different names: “The Elephant”, “Old Bet”, “Betsy”, “Betty”, and “Rajah”). “Little Belt” and “The Learned Elephant” apparently are names of another elephant acquired after Old Bet died, presumably in Alfred, Maine, USA in
1816. (Shoshani et.al.)
Old Bet on elephant-news.com Old Bet is mentioned on Elephant News:
Reference list References Koehl, Dan, (2025). Old Bet, African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana ) located at Bailey Circus in United States . Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 18 February 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=2384 . (archived at the Wayback machine )Sources used for this article is among others: Stuart Thayer, USA
Page 9, Elefanten in Zoo und Circus, Dokumentation 2 Nordamerika, 1997, by European Elephant Group: Haufellner, Schilfarth, Schweiger
African elephants on American Circus, with 1804 to 1936, by Bill Johnston, Bandwagon May June 1992,
Elephant Notes and New. Shoshani et.al 2000. Available at https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1165&context=elephant
https://q1065.fm/why-a-farmer-from-alfred-killed-one-of-the-first-circus-elephants/
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Old Bet mentioned on our sister website www.elephant-news.com
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Categories 1816 deaths | Barnums American Museum Taxidermy | 1800 births | 1804 imports | Elephants from Bailey Circus | United States | African savanna elephants
About this document This document was updated: 2024-01-29 16:27:24 with valid HTML5