Fanny was a female

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 ...

who spent the majority of her life in a small

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Fa ...

Biography

Born in the wild in Asia, Fanny was purchased from the

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling) is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Ear ...

in 1958 by the City of Pawtucket for $2,500. Fanny became a symbol of the city and spent more than three decades in Pawtucket at the

Slater Park Slater Park is the oldest and largest public park in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The park is named after Samuel Slater, a famous American industrialist who constructed America's first water-powered textile mill in Pawtucket. The park lies on the ...

Zoo, now called Daggett Farm. While at the Slater Park Zoo, once named one of the worst zoos in America by the TV show ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

'', Fanny was housed in a small barn, with only a tiny, barren enclosure in which to walk and was also chained by her back leg. In 1993, the city council closed the zoo, but citizens clashed over Fanny's fate. Mayor Robert Metvier was accused of playing politics for trying to keep her there after the council voted to let her leave Pawtucket. A coalition of groups including the

HSUS The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. ...

, the Free Fanny Coalition, and the

Fund for Animals Cleveland Amory (September 2, 1917 – October 14, 1998) was an American author, reporter, television critic, commentator and animal rights activist. He originally was known for writing a series of popular books poking fun at the pretensions an ...

eventually won her freedom, and, during the night of June 7, 1993, she began her 36-hour journey to the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in

Murchison, Texas Murchison is a city in Henderson County, Texas, United States. The population was 594 at the 2010 census. Geography Murchison is located northeast of the center of Henderson County at (32.278405, –95.755179). Texas State Highway 31 passes ...

. While at the ranch, Fanny, renamed Tara, dropped of unhealthy weight and was given something she had not had in decades—an elephant companion named Conga. Fanny lived at the Black Beauty ranch until her death in August 2003. She was 63 years old, according to the ranch. Upon learning of her death, ''

The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...

'' ran an obituary for Fanny. In 2007, the City of Pawtucket dedicated a fiberglass sculpture to her, which stands within sight of Fanny's barn.

Gallery

Image:Fanny_the_elephant.jpg, Fanny at Slater Park Image:Fannybillofsale.jpg, Fanny's original bill of sale to the City of Pawtucket, 1958 Image:Fannybarn.JPG, Fanny's now vacant barn & enclosure in Pawtucket, 2009 Image:Fannysculpture.JPG, Sculpture of Fanny in Slater Park Image:Fannyplaque.JPG, Fanny sculpture dedication plaque

References

{{reflist 1940s animal births 2003 animal deaths Individual elephants Pawtucket, Rhode Island Rhode Island culture

Biography

Gallery

See also

References