The Call of the Wild:
The Elephants of Nay Aug
This detail of the mural features Tillie the Elephant with her best friend, Joshua the Donkey, as the animals roam free in the afterlife.
We fondly remember all the elephants who brought such joy to the Nay Aug Zoo between 1920 and 1988.
This portion of the mural is a nod to the Nay Aug Zoo’s youngest patrons who held penny drives to support the purchase of Queenie the Elephant. Image subject to copyright restrictions, 2025.
This detail of the mural features Tillie the Elephant with her best friend, Joshua the Donkey, as the animals roam free in the afterlife.
Celebrating our beloved animal friends from the past
About the Artist
Eric Bussart earned a BFA in Illustration from Marywood University. He’s been painting murals professionally since 2016. Based in Scranton, PA, he has produced more than 120 murals in northeastern Pennsylvania and the tri-state area. To view more of his work, click here.
The Call of the Wild: The Elephants of Nay Aug mural by local artist Eric Bussart is a project of Scranton Tomorrow’s Mural Arts Program in partnership with Lackawanna County. The mural is located along the 300 block of Lackawanna Ave., adjacent to Scranton Art Haus.
This mural pays tribute to the beloved animals that lived at the Nay Aug Park Zoo, which operated between 1920 and 1988. Bussart’s design features four elephants, Queenie, Tillie, Princess Penny and Toni, and Joshua the donkey, who was Tillie’s best friend. The artist’s rendition shows the animals in their afterlife, no longer in captivity and roaming freely.
Children are also depicted in the piece as a nod to their important role in the zoo’s story ― both as fundraisers whose penny drives supported the purchase of Queenie, and as young patrons who cherished the animals.