4. Elephants escaped from Ruhe Wild Animal Farm in 1905
One would think that an escaping tiger would be shocking enough for Sunnyside. But 30 years earlier in 1905, about a dozen elephants had escaped from Ruhe Wild Animal Farm on the Sunnyside/Woodside border. The farm was a branch of Louis Ruhe & Sons, a German animal trading company dating back to the mid-1800s. The farm in Queens served as a distribution center for animals from all over the world, often catering to wealthy New Yorkers looking for exotic pets. Though popular, locals at first were terrified of going outside at night when animals would roar.
Just a year or so after opening, about a dozen elephants broke loose from their homes and started running around Sunnyside, which was then mostly woods surrounding the farm. Caretakers ran on horseback to try to secure the elephants with whatever tools they had, and eventually, the elephants were all put back in their enclosures. The community, though, was in shock, and apparently, saloons were very busy that evening. Events like this, as well as the introduction of new animals to the farm, brought the Sunnyside community closer together, and residents were eventually allowed to feed and interact with the animals. The farm was in operation until 1959 when a massive fire destroyed much of the property, sadly killing some animal residents onsite.