Elephas maximus
A1225
Meet Maharajah…
…a male Asian elephant standing at over two metres tall. His early years were spent in a travelling circus, before arriving in Edinburgh in 1872 at the age of eight. When his owner retired, Maharajah was sold to Manchester’s Belle Vue Zoo for £680, £30,000 in today’s money. Maharajah was intended to board a train to Manchester but, unhappy with his travel arrangements, burst out of his horsebox. Instead his trainer Lorenzo Lawrence accompanied him on a 200-mile walk to Manchester. Maharajah’s epic journey brought him fame even before arriving at Belle Vue Zoo, where he spent ten years wowing audiences with his performances. Following his death in 1882 his skeleton was displayed in the zoo’s museum until 1941, when he was sold to the Manchester Museum for £30. He now stands proudly at the heart of our Manchester Gallery for the enjoyment and education of all.
