Elephants aren't a "race!"
the word "coon" stems from the Portuguese word “barracoon,” meaning prisoner in a cage.
The word ‘barracoon’ translates into English as the word barrack, barrier, something that holds you back. Whites adapted and shortened the word when looking for slave labor. Less educated whites assumed the word derived from 'raccoon' referring to "buck eyes" and that additional blackface routine whites created for cheap entertainment.