For more than 30 years (and at least three generations of visitors), Fanny the Elephant was a fixture at the Slater Park Zoo in Pawtucket. When her plight (overweight, too small a structure) was brought to light in 1993, she was moved to a Texas sanctuary for her remaining years (she died in 2003). But like the proverbial elephant, the people of Pawtucket never forget. In tribute to their beloved Fanny, a fiberglass, not-quite-life-sized statue was installed at the children’s playground in Slater Park last fall. This FANNY THE ELEPHANT (by sculptor Chris Kane) won’t be overfed by children (she’s feeding herself an apple), but she will welcome children clambering up her trunk and across her back. And she will be a reminder of a long-faithful animal whom many Pawtucketers claimed as their own. | 401 Newport Avenue, Pawtucket | 401.728.0500 x 252
