Horne, Isaac Sherman

Isaac Sherman Horne, widely known by his nickname "Trader Horne," was a prominent American wild animal merchant, broker, and adventurer. He became a monumental figure in the mid-20th-century entertainment industry by establishing the primary supply chain of exotic animals for Hollywood films, circuses, and carnivals across the United States.

Horne founded the Horne Zoological Arena Company in Missouri in 1914, and his venture expanded significantly after he travelled deep into the jungles of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. He specialized in importing, exporting, breeding, and trading wild beasts globally. In the late 1940s, Horne partnered with Billy Richards to own and operate the legendary World Jungle Compound in Thousand Oaks, California. Spanning 20 acres, the compound housed roughly 200 animals at any given time—including lions, tigers, panthers, elephants, and chimpanzees. The property (later widely known as Jungleland) provided the backdrop for numerous movies and permanently housed iconic animal actors, including Leo the MGM Lion and Bimbo the elephant. Dealing with wild animals came with steep physical risks. In 1935, while preparing a camel for an appearance in the film Clive of India at his South Pasadena compound, Horne was severely attacked by the animal, which resulted in the amputation of his arm.

Horne's colourful moniker and global reputation as an eccentric animal merchant inspired the name of the British 1970s contemporary folk band Trader Horne.