SNAPSHOTS
1954 Seeing the sights
Five chiefs from Tanganyika, East Africa (now part of modern-day Tanzania) enjoy a close encounter with an elephant during a visit to London Zoo. The men – Leukuti Sefania Sumley Mollel of Arusha; Sylvanus Kaaya of the Meru; Amri Dodo of the Gorowa; Sabu, Sultan of Mluguru; and Liwali Paul Norbert of Mtama (left to right) – had travelled to the United Kingdom to learn about the country’s approaches to local government, social services and agriculture, but were still able to fit in some fun activities, as this photograph shows. Interestingly, the female Indian elephant seen here was something of a 1950s celebrity. Named ‘Dumbo’, she had been transported to England by aeroplane, making her the first elephant to experience air travel.