The zoological gardens of Europe, their history and chief featuresPeel, C. V. A. (Charles Victor Alexander)
History
The zoological gardens of Europe, their history and chief features
Peel, C. V. A. (Charles Victor Alexander)
Zoos
Miss Claire Heliot, with her nine lions and two dogs, proved a great
attraction between July 22 and September 3. The number of members on
the committee was raised from nine to ten. A large main building was
proposed, which should contain a restaurant, a concert-hall, etc. A
fodder-house, a Director’s house, and several animal houses were built.
Herr Rust, the architect, was entrusted with the carrying out of these
important works. The fodder building, thanks to a mild winter, was
ready for use by the beginning of May, and proved most useful. The
other buildings made satisfactory progress. On May 10 the foundations
of the large main building were laid. The Director’s house was nearly
finished. The concert-garden was planted with stately trees. No less
than £25,000 were spent upon these improvements.
In 1900 the clear profit was £600; 244,914 people entered, besides
831 season-ticket holders. Miss Heliot, the celebrated lion-tamer, on
August 5 attracted the record number, 17,197 people paying to see her
show.
The following animals died in the Garden: 1 full-grown lioness, 2
servals, 1 ocelot, 1 racoon, 1 guanaco, 4 llamas, 1 elephant, 1 beisa
antelope, 1 elk, 2 axis deer.
On the other hand, 7 lions, 5 hyænas, 6 mastiffs, 3 St. Bernards, 5
fox-terriers, 2 zebus, 1 gnu, 1 sambur deer, 2 Sardinian moufflon, 1
sika deer, 26 Angora guinea-pigs, 55 common guinea-pigs, and 7 common
rabbits were born; 57 animals and birds were presented to the Garden,
besides valuable pictures, a quantity of trees, shrubs, and flowers,
palms, armour, a beautiful clock, and other gifts.
On May 2 the Directors house was inhabited. On June 3 the newly-planned
concert-garden, with its splendid building for the orchestra, was
finished. The restaurant was opened on June 2.
On September 29 the main building, containing the garden-saloon,
terrace, and concert-hall, was formally opened. A banquet was given in
the evening, at which the highest dignitaries of the city presided.
In the same year, also, the new monkey house was almost completed.
In 1901 the net profit of the Company was £3,796. In the Garden were
the following animals: 430 mammals of 97 species--52 monkeys, 96
carnivorous animals, 141 rodents, 1 elephant, 5 hoofed animals, 125
cloven-hoofed animals, 8 marsupials, 1 duck-billed platypus.
In 1901 died: 1 female orang-outang, 1 chimpanzee, 1 male adult lion,
1 female lion, a number of young lions, 1 jaguar (small female), 1
serval, 3 hyænas, 1 pair of wolves, 1 sable antelope, 1 beaver, 2
axis deer, 6 kangaroos, 3 ostriches, 1 emu, 1 black-necked swan, 2
flamingoes, 2 storks.
The following were born in the Garden: no less than 16 lions, 2
jaguars, 8 hyænas, 13 fox-terriers, a number of other dogs, 3 Sardinian
moufflons, 1 yak, 12 wild swine, 4 goats, 2 zebus, 1 Japanese deer, 1
sambur deer, 3 wapiti, 3 kangaroos, 25 Angora guinea-pigs, 37 common
guinea-pigs, 9 common rabbits, 35 Turkish ducks, 2 golden pheasants.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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