Elephant Seal exhibited on Steel Pier Atlantic City

[Tim May]

I have recently acquired an old postcard depicting an elephant seal being fed by a keeper. This animal, alleged to be the “largest sea elephant in the world”, was on exhibition at the Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Judging from the style of the postcard, it looks as though it was from the 1930s. Please, does anybody have any further information about an elephant seal exhibited at the Steel Pier?

 

[Otorongo]

well, yes.
it was in 1936 when the only two sea elephants of Europe died within 48 hours.
First one was Goliath III (Hanover Zoo), second was Roland (Berlin Zoo).
Both were Southern Sea Elephants (Mirounga leonina)
Before Goliath III came to Hanover he was a at Steel Pier Atlantic City. But he ate too much (weight: 4t --> 150lbs fish each day), so that his promoter get no profit. So he was tranportet to Hanover in 1935.

 

[Tim May]

well, yes.
it was in 1936 when the only two sea elephants of Europe died within 48 hours.
First one was Goliath III (Hanover Zoo), second was Roland (Berlin Zoo).
Both were Southern Sea Elephants (Mirounga leonina)
Before Goliath III came to Hanover he was a at Steel Pier Atlantic City. But he ate too much (weight: 4t --> 150lbs fish each day), so that his promoter get no profit. So he was tranportet to Hanover in 1935.

Many thanks for your help. It is very interesting to learn that the elephant seal depicted on the Steel Pier postcard was sent to Hannover Zoo in 1935. (This also confirms my assumption that the postcard was from the 1930s.)

Yes, I have several postcards of the elephant seal “Roland” in Berlin Zoo.

Didn’t Hamburg (Hagenbecks) Zoo also have elephant seal in the 1930s?

Thanks again

 

[Baldur]

Hagenbeck had Elephant Seals longer, maybe into the 1960s. I used to have almost a complete collection of Hagenbeck guidebooks before I started selling my collection. I have sold now all down to 1960, but I seem to recall Elephant Seals in guidebooks published in the 1960s. I think though that their focus was always more on Walruses, and the three or four years since 'Antje' died have been their first without a Walrus in decades.

 

[Otorongo]

Hagenbeck had one/more Nothern Sea-Elephant and one/more Southern Sea-Elephant, but I don't know when.
The first Sea-Elephant at Hagenbeck arrived in 1910

here you can see three of them, the big one in front of the keeper is called Goliath, too.

this is round about 1950/60

 

[Tim May]

Hagenbeck had Elephant Seals longer, maybe into the 1960s.

Yes, I’m sure that Hagenbecks had elephant seals later than the 1930s.

I commented on elephant seals at Hamburg because I was surprised to read the two animals which died in 1936, at Berlin and Hannover, were the only ones in Germany. I thought that there were elephant seals in Hamburg around this time.

 

[Tim May]

Hagenbeck had one/more Nothern Sea-Elephant and one/more Southern Sea-Elephant, but I don't know when.
The first Sea-Elephant at Hagenbeck arrived in 1910

Thanks for the nice Hagenbeck photos.

Attached a scan of my 1930s postcard that started this thread.

 

[Meaghan Edwards]

Fascinating piece of zoological history. Thank you so much for sharing!