On that morning of October 3, 1940, Hettie Quin knew she was lucky to be there, at the docks of Belfast, assisting with the elephant’s arrival. One of the other zookeepers had come down with a fever, and Ferris Poole had enlisted her help at the last minute. As she stood next to Ferris at the edge of the crowd, Hettie steadied herself after having sprinted down to the docks from the nearby tram stop; her mother had made her tardy by requesting multiple chores around the house before Hettie finally managed to slip out the door. As she pushed sweaty strands of hair from her eyes, she took in the stunning sight overhead—a young elephant being maneuvered through the air. A crane and a system of chains and pulleys elevated the animal from the deck of the moored steamship. The elephant’s trunk coiled up and then unfurled like an opening fist. There was a hollow trumpet call. The crowd—women, men, children, sailors, dockworkers—let out a collective gasp, their gazes following the orchestrated movements of the hoisting operation. Hettie had never seen so many people at the docks: It was as if British royalty or a famous screen actress were among the steamer’s passengers arriving that morning. The atmosphere felt festive, bright with expectation.

Here was the three-year-old elephant. Here was her potential new charge at the zoo. Here was Violet. A local poacher had killed the animal’s mother with poisoned arrows on a savanna in faraway Ceylon, and Mr. Christie, the owner of the Bellevue Zoo & Gardens, had bought the orphaned elephant for a good price from another animal trader in Ceylon. Standing next to Hettie, Ferris dropped his half- finished cigarette onto the ground and squared his shoulders for Violet’s arrival. Mr. Wright, the head zookeeper, stood at the foot of the gangplank. Two reporters appeared by his side and scribbled in their notepads as Mr. Wright kept his gaze fixed on Violet. The elephant hovered, her feet hanging in midair, her flap-like ears pinned against her head. There was another collective sigh as she lifted her trunk and produced a high-pitched whistle. The elephant’s cry tumbled over the crowd.

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