ZSL London Zoo 150th anniversary, animal gifts from other countries
- Thread starter kiang
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This is an intriguing question. What is your source for this?
I have checked the ZSL Annual Report for 1976, the year of the society’s 150th Anniversary.
Nowhere in this report can I find any reference to a special presentation of 150 animals from Guyana in honour of the 150th Anniversary.
The appendix to the Annual Report includes the customary “List of Donors of Animals to the Society” but there is nothing to indicate any special donations from Guyana.
The most noteworthy donation that year comprised two giant anteaters, one giant armadillo, one two-toed sloth, two toco toucans, two ariel toucans and two red-billed toucans; these were deposited by Queen Elizabeth (and were a gift from the President of Brazil to the Queen).
Sorry not to be more helpful but further investigation is needed.
on that note, I came across this website which lists the animals presented to the Queen (most of which - at least the exotics - end up at London Zoo of course): Animals presented to The Queen
1976 – Two black swans, two toco Toucans, two red billed Toucans, two Ariel toucans, two giant anteaters, one Linne's two-toed sloth and one giant armadillo from President Artur da Costa e Silva of Brazil. The swans were sent to WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, the other birds and animals to ZSL London Zoo.
My source was from another member here on a fb chat.
@Chlidonias , would the swans not be black necked?
@Chlidonias , would the swans not be black necked?
yes, that was just taken directly from the website I mentioned.
It would be interesting to know about this as it doesn't seem to tally with the information provided in the ZSL Annual Report for 1976.
Many thanks for posting this very interesting link.
The detail supplied for 1976 obviously corroborates the information in my earlier post re London Zoo’s acquisitions from Queen Elizabeth / President of Brazil. Incidentally the giant armadillo (which I saw many times in the old Stork & Ostrich House) was sent to Rotterdam Zoo in 1978.
The statement on this website that two pygmy hippos were sent to London Zoo in 1961 is very puzzling. London Zoo stopped keeping hippos (both common and pygmy) in 1960 because the old Hippopotamus House, adjacent to the Giraffe House, was scheduled for demolition as part of the Cotton Terraces development; pygmy hippos didn’t return to London Zoo until 1980 and, sadly, common hippos never returned.
The ZSL Annual Report for 1961 does not list any pygmy hippos being received that year; the Pygmy Hippo studbook also confirms that there were no pygmy hippos at London Zoo from September 1960 until February 1980.
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regarding hippos (and I'm just repeating other sources of course), this article about a book on the subject - It's not just the Queen's corgis... the royal family has an animal kingdom - says:
"President Tubman of Liberia came to Britain on a state visit in 1961 and as soon as he arrived home sent the Duke of Edinburgh a pair of pygmy hippopotami as a gift. Prince Phillip presented them to London Zoo on permanent loan."
More convincingly, this photo, which says they went to Whipsnade and not London Zoo:
Stock Photo - Jun. 13, 1962 - Andrew's Hippos Here: A pair of pygmy hippos, about the size of a mastiff, were on show today at Whipsnade. They were presented to the Queen by President Tubman
Jun. 13, 1962 - Andrew's Hippos Here: A pair of pygmy hippos, about the size of a mastiff, were on show today at Whipsnade. They were presented to the Queen by President Tubman of Liberia who intended them as a gift for Prince Andrew. The animals are a rare species found only on the West African coast. Said the zoo, ''The Queen has asked us to look after them. We hop Prince Andrew will come and see them. Photo shows Thomas (left) and Mary chew in at Whipsnade today.
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"President Tubman of Liberia came to Britain on a state visit in 1961 and as soon as he arrived home sent the Duke of Edinburgh a pair of pygmy hippopotami as a gift. Prince Phillip presented them to London Zoo on permanent loan."
More convincingly, this photo, which says they went to Whipsnade and not London Zoo:
Stock Photo - Jun. 13, 1962 - Andrew's Hippos Here: A pair of pygmy hippos, about the size of a mastiff, were on show today at Whipsnade. They were presented to the Queen by President Tubman
Jun. 13, 1962 - Andrew's Hippos Here: A pair of pygmy hippos, about the size of a mastiff, were on show today at Whipsnade. They were presented to the Queen by President Tubman of Liberia who intended them as a gift for Prince Andrew. The animals are a rare species found only on the West African coast. Said the zoo, ''The Queen has asked us to look after them. We hop Prince Andrew will come and see them. Photo shows Thomas (left) and Mary chew in at Whipsnade today.
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Indeed the ZSL Annual Report for 1962 states that Whipsnade acquired two pygmy hippos that year; the Pygmy Hippo studbook also confirms that Whipsnade received two pygmy hippos "Thomas" and "Mary" on 4th June 1962.
Obviously the website had both the wrong year and the wrong zoo; it was Whipsnade / 1962 not London / 1961.
It is unusual for the ZSL Annual Reports not to record details when animals are donated by royalty although the section of the 1962 Annual Report listing animal donors does not record that these hippos came from Queen Elizabeth / President Tubman.
Did this pair ever breed and/or have descendants in zoos anywhere today?
Neither of these animals were long-lived; "Thomas" died in 1967 and "Mary" died in 1978.
I don't believe they have any descendants; I don't think "Mary" ever had a calf at Whipsnade although "Thomas" did father a still born calf.