Dunk (c. 1861 – March 30, 1917),"Dunk, Zoo Elephant, Hurt, Is Shot, And Children Mourn Death of Pet", ''Washington Post'', March 31, 1917. a tuskless, male

Asian Elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...

possibly from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), was the first elephant to reside at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. He was given to the National Zoo on April 30, 1891 by James E. Cooper, owner and manager of the

Adam Forepaugh Adam John Forepaugh (born Adam John Forbach; February 28, 1831 – January 22, 1890) was an American horse trader and circus owner. From 1865 through 1890 his circus operated under various names including Forepaugh's Circus, Forepaugh's Gigantic ...

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

. When Dunk first arrived at the National Zoo, he had no shelter and was tied to a tree with his companion Gold Dust to prevent him from wandering. Once a day, both elephants were walked to Rock Creek to swim. A temporary structure, known as the Octagonal House, was eventually built for the elephants. Construction on a permanent, brick elephant house, designed by

Hornblower & Marshall Hornblower & Marshall was a Washington, D.C.-based architectural firm that was a partnership between Joseph Coerten Hornblower (1848-1908) and James Rush Marshall (1851-1927). The firm designed numerous substantial government and other building ...

, began in September 1902 and was completed in January 1903. Dunk was ill throughout the winter of 1917. On March 30, 1917, after Dunk broke his shoulder in a fall, keeper William Blackburne euthanized him by shooting. Despite a famous ill-temper, Dunk was popular with the children of Washington, D.C. To commemorate his memory, they raised money for a plaque, which remains in the elephant house at the National Zoo today.

References

{{reflist

External links

Smithsonian online catalog image of Gold Dust (left) and Dunk (right) taking a walk togetherSmithsonian online catalog image of Dunk's elephant houseAnother Smithsonian online catalog image of Dunk's elephant house
1861 animal births 1917 animal deaths Deaths by firearm in Washington, D.C. Individual elephants Individual animals in the United States Elephants in the United States

See also

References

External links