Denise Austin

From the list of elephant persons Family: Austin

Denise Austin

Personal details
Country	Ireland

Work locations
Title	zookeeper -
Location	at Belfast Zoo in United Kingdom

Biography details

Denise Austin , zoo zookeeper in Ireland

Born ? dead 1997 .

The baby elephant Sheila dodged the death list in Belfast Zoo and was re-housed by a woman who lived near the zoo and kept her in a back garden. The identity of the adoptive parent is a mystery. She was known only as "the elephant angel".
Who gave a home to elephant Sheila?, 2009-03-23
Denise Austin kept the calf, called Shiela, at her home on the Whitewell Road when Belfast was being bombed in the blitz of 1941. [...] Ms Austin died in 1997.
Baby elephant kept in Belfast backyard is inspiration for book

Sheila the Elephant went to her Keepers home each evening during the Belfast Blitz!
Baby elephant, Sheila, was moved out of Belfast Zoo over fears for her safety as enemy bombers targeted the city during the Blitz of 1941.
Denise Austin used to walk Sheila about north Belfast calling into shops where the calf was treated to portions of stale bread.
Denise died in 1997 but her second cousin David Ramsey said "Denise was eccentric and lived in a rather exotic home in North Belfast called Loughview House,"
The Belfast man explained that Sheila stayed in her enclosure at the zoo during the day and went home to Denise's house at night.
"When the Head Keeper Dick Foster left work, Denise took Sheila from her enclosure, walked her a short distance to her house at 278 Whitewell Road, and walked her back up to the zoo in the morning, sometimes stopping at a shop, the Thrones Stores, on the Whitewell road for stale bread!
"It was also known in the area that she took Sheila for evening walks. During the night Sheila slept in the Austins' garage."
Denise's mother Irene also helped to look after the elephant while it is believed her father Jack was at war.
"Sheila was given hay from the family farm, which was of a much better quality than the zoo could provide during an era of rationing," said Mr Ramsey.
Sheila survived the war and lived for another two decades, dying of a skin complaint in 1966.
The Telegraph

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2023). zookeeper Denise Austin in United Kingdom. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 5 December 2023 at https://www.elephant.se/person.php?id=1834. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:

"Baby Elephant Kept in Belfast Backyard is Inspiration for Book, WorldZooToday.com, 2010-06-23

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