Henry the Elephant - The Rotunda's Giant
A stop on Washington DC National Mall Walking Tour, a free self-guided tour.
The African bush elephant in the middle of the rotunda is known to staff as Henry. He stands about 13 feet tall at the shoulder, making him one of the largest elephants ever recorded.
Henry was shot in Angola in 1955 by Josef Fenykovi, a Hungarian-born hunter, who gave the hide to the Smithsonian. Taxidermists stretched the skin over a sculpted frame, and the elephant has stood here since 1959. Today the museum uses him to talk about conservation: African bush elephants are now listed as endangered.
Look up from Henry to the dome high above you. The doors around the rotunda lead off to the museum's big halls, including the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals. Next, head to the Sant Ocean Hall on the first floor.
More on Wikipedia: African bush elephant · National Museum of Natural History
Stops on this tour
- Washington Monument
- National Museum of African American History and Cu
- National Museum of American History
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
- National Gallery of Art
- United States Capitol
- United States Botanic Garden
- National Museum of the American Indian
- National Air and Space Museum
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- The Smithsonian Institution Building - The Castle
- Freer Gallery of Art
- Jefferson Memorial
- World War II Memorial
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
- Korean War Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- White House Ellipse
- White House
- Lafayette Square