Miss Fancy

Miss Fancy was an elephant that served as the star attraction at the Birmingham Zoo when it was located at Avondale Park. The 41 year-old was purchased for $2000 from the struggling Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in 1913. $500 of the asking price was raised through children's donations.

She was kept at Avondale Park from 1913 to 1934 under the custodianship of John Todd, who was instructed on her care and handling by circus trainer Curly Hayes. Housed in a green-painted barn, she was reported to have eaten 150 pounds of hay and three gallons of grain per day, washed down with 60-115 gallons of fresh water and supplemented by popcorn, peanuts, apples and watermelons brought to her by residents. Despite being exercised by giving rides to children, she managed to grow from 4,800 to over 8,500 pounds during her residency in Birmingham.

She was also, apparently, a notorious drinker, consuming quarts of confiscated whisky provided by city officials during prohibition. The $4,600 annual expense of keeping the animal menagerie operating led the city to abolish the informal zoo in 1934. Miss Fancy was sold to a touring exhibiter and eventually officials stopped receiving reports of her travels.

Folklore

Several competing stories relate how Miss Fancy came into the city's possession. One has it that the Birmingham Advertising Club offered to buy their elephant as a promotional gimmick and, once the novelty faded, donated it to the city. Another story, promulgated by former Miami Herald]] editor Ellis Hollums, is that Age-Herald publisher Ed Barrett won her from a circus owner in a poker game.

Another source has it that Todd had a habit of sharing Miss Fancy's whisky and would ride her, drunk, into Birmingham from time to time.

References

• Conway, Chris. "Personably Pachyderm: She Was City's Pride." (July 15, 1968) Birmingham Post-Herald.