Grave of Annabelle, Painting Elephant

Anchorage, Alaska

Annabelle, the famous painting elephant at the Alaska Zoo, was thirty-three years old when she died. Born in India in 1964, the baby Asian elephant was offered as a prize in a Chiffon Tissue contest sponsored by Crown Zellerbach. A local grocer won the contest and eventually gave Annabelle to Sammye Seawell, the zoo's founder. Annabelle was the first animal of the Alaska Zoo, and entertained generations of Alaskans with her artistic skills, grasping a large brush in her trunk and painting.

Annabelle died in December, 15, 1997 from foot infection complications. A tombstone designed with her embedded photo marks the corner of the zoo where she is buried.