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John Hagenbeck

From the list of elephant persons Family: Hagenbeck


Biography
 ☨ John Hagenbeck 
Picture of John Hagenbeck
Lutz Heck (left) John Hagenbeck (right) in Berlin Zoo abt 1931
Profession wildlife animal trader
Country Germany
Country Germany
Personal details
Born 1866 Hamburg in Germany
Dead 1940 Diyatalawa internment camp in Colombo in Sri Lanka
Residence
Country Germany
Locations
Title owner 1890-1939
Location at John Hagenbeck & Co. in Sri Lanka
Title owner 1923-1936
Location at Ceylon Zoological Gardens in Sri Lanka
Title owner 1894-1905
Location at Firma John and Gustav Hagenbeck in Germany
Title assistant director 1881-1890
Location at Firma Carl Hagenbeck in Germany
Title owner
Location at L. Ruhe & John Hagenbeck Somali village from Abbysina in Germany
Authorship of books
Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/person.php on line 863 1: Kreuz und quer durch die indische Welt: Resie-Erlebnisse und Abenteuer in Vorder- und Hinterindien, Sumatra, Java und auf den Andamanen: 1922, Deutsch (German)

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/person.php on line 863 2: Fünfundzwanzig Jahre Ceylon: Erlebnisse und Abenteuer in Tropenparadies: 1922, Deutsch (German)

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/person.php on line 863 3: Auf den Spuren der Grauen Riesen. Abenteuer mit Elefanten der Wildnis: 1962, Deutsch (German)

Relevant literature

John Heinrich August Hagenbeck , wildlife animal trader in Germany

Hagenbeck was born * 1866 in Hamburg Germany dead 1940 Diyatalawa internment camp in Colombo, in Sri Lanka Warning: Undefined array key "id" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/person.php on line 1222 , son of wildlife animal trader Carl Hagenbeck Sr. .

John Hagenbeck (1866-1940) was the eldest son from the second marriage of Carl Claes Gottfried Hagenbeck and thus a half-brother of Carl Jr., well known for his zoos. John worked for Firma Carl Hagenbeck from 1881, transporting Animals and travelling on his behalf, by organizing the export of Ceylonese Elephants through the Port of Colombo.

The Hagenbecks had an animal catching station near Kilimanjaro and John accompanied Baron Axel Blixen for a hunt in the area. John was also a friend of Leonard Woolf who was briefly stationed in Hambantota.

1884: John Hagenbeck went to Sri Lanka to buy Elephants for Firma Carl Hagenbeck, which he delivered in Hamburg.
1885: J.H. returned 1885 to Sri Lanka and lived there for 25 years, exporting tea, coffee and Animals.
In 1886 he visited Ceylon and recruited people for Hagenbeck's Völkerschau or "human zoo".
1890: J.H. established established Firma John Hagenbeck & Co., ship furn. and animal trade.
In 1891 he moved to Colombo and worked as a planter. He soon acquired rubber, cocoa and tea plantations, while he also traded in Animals.
1914: The property in Ceylon was repossessed and he was deported by the british in August 1914 during the First World War. He moved to Indonesia to avoid internment and then fled to Germany.
1918: John Hagenbeck established a film company which produced films on his travels, John Hagenbeck Film AG, in Berlin, which he left in 1923. He also wrote several books.
1923: J.H. returned to Sri Lanka and founded "Ceylon Zoological Gardens Company" where he kept Animals before being shipped, which were also an open Zoo for visitors.
1924-1927: J.H. returned to Europe with a ship full of Animals and show people, which he took on tour in Europe.
1927: returned to Sri Lanka and reestablished his trade with tea and Animals.

John Hagenbeck

1936: Ceylon Zoological Gardens Company in Dehivela was liquidated and the company confiscated as enemy property, which 1937 became Dehivela Gardens in Sri Lanka.
1939: J.H. and his his Sri Lankan born wife was put in Diyatalawa internment camp by the british.
1940: John died, 74 years old, in Diyatalawa internment camp in Colombo, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War.
John Hagenbeck left his wife and a son, John George Hagenbeck (1909-1959).

Books



Family

Total: 1 children

  1. John Hagenbeck Jr.. Born: 1909. Dead: † 1959 Warning: Undefined array key "eep_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 2 Warning: Undefined array key "dceraj_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 3 Warning: Undefined array key "ssp_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 4 Warning: Undefined array key "asmp_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 5 Warning: Undefined array key "local_id" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 6 Warning: Undefined array key "birth_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 10 Warning: Undefined array key "local_id" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 14 Warning: Undefined array key "AERP_id" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 22 Warning: Undefined array key "asmp_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 26 Warning: Undefined array key "dcek_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 30 Warning: Undefined array key "dcema_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 34 Warning: Undefined array key "dcemk_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 38 Warning: Undefined array key "dcemtn_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 42 Warning: Undefined array key "dceraj_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 46 Warning: Undefined array key "dcesum_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 50 Warning: Undefined array key "dcemwb_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 54 Warning: Undefined array key "dswt_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 58 Warning: Undefined array key "eep_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 62 Warning: Undefined array key "ssp_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 66 Warning: Undefined array key "jaza_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 70 Warning: Undefined array key "oos_id" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 75 Warning: Undefined array key "sacarc_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 79 Warning: Undefined array key "saeza_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 83 Warning: Undefined array key "chip_id" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 88 Warning: Undefined array key "elephant_certificate_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 92 Warning: Undefined array key "owner_certificate_nr" in /customers/6/2/a/elephant.se/httpd.www/inc/id.inc.php on line 96
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Siblings

Siblings through the father Carl Hagenbeck Sr. (1810 -- 1887):

  1. Carl Hagenbeck Born 1844 Dead: † 1913-04-13
  2. Wilhelm Hagenbeck Born 1850 Dead: † 1910
  3. Christiane Hagenbeck Born 1846 Dead: † 1905
  4. Marie Hagenbeck Born 1848 Dead: † 1886
  5. Dietrich Hagenbeck Born ? Dead: † 1873
  6. Gustav Hagenbeck Born ?

John Hagenbecks ancestral Ahnentafel:
P I II III

John Hagenbeck
Born: 1866

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Gottfried Hagenbeck

Born: 1810

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Born:
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Born:
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Born:

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Born:
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Born:
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John Hagenbeck is mentioned on 16 other person pagesBenjamin Wallace,  Clyde Beatty,  Emmett Kelly,  Ephriam Thompson,  Ewa Moore,  Frank Gardner,  Gottfried Hagenbeck,  Hermann Wiele,  James McGinnis,  Johan Ringling,  Lorenz Hagenbeck,  Louis Gautier,  Ludwig Heck,  Olof Rhodin,  Ralph Helfer,  Urs Eggenschwyler,  

John Hagenbeck is mentioned on 17 location pagesAdam Forepaugh Circus,  Bertram Mills Circus,  Carl Hagenbecks Wild Animal Circus,  Ceylon Zoological Gardens,  Circus Carl Hagenbeck-Stellingen,  Circus Strassburger,  Cuneos menageri,  Dehiwela Zoo,  Firma Carl Hagenbeck,  Gautiers Menagerie,  Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus,  Howes Great London Circus and Van Amburgs Trained Wild Animals,  John Hagenbeck & Co.,  John Robinson Circus,  Peru Circus Village,  Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus,  Ringling Bros. Circus,  

John Hagenbeck is mentioned on 20 elephant record pagesBabe (Cross Country Babe),  Baby Jumbo,  Barnum Queen,  Betty,  Blanche,  Hungoly,  Jenny,  Jenny,  Jess,  Judy,  Jughead Nellie,  Kathol,  Lechmey,  Little Ruth,  Mabel,  Magiula (Manjoulah),  Margaret,  Old Pitt (Petit),  Panakka,  Pooly (Pulley, Puly, Patho),  

Books where John Hagenbeck is mentioned

Selected books

Books authored by John Hagenbeck


Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2026). animal trader John Heinrich August Hagenbeck in Sri Lanka. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 6 June 2026 at https://www.elephant.se/person.php?id=420. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:



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Categories animal trader | wildlife | John Hagenbeck & Co. | Hagenbeck family | People who lived in Germany | Born 1866 | Born in Germany | Dead 1940 | Dead in Sri Lanka |


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