ZSL London Zoo London Zoo nocturnal exhibit

[Andrew Flack]

Hello everyone,

Does anybody know when London Zoo had its first nocturnal exhibit?

Also: any ideas about early nocturnal exhibits in the UK (and US?) I know that Bristol's was - probably - the first in the world.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[Tim May]

Does anybody know when London Zoo had its first nocturnal exhibit?

London Zoo opened a Nocturnal House in the Children’s Zoo in 1963; this was built as a prototype for the Moonlight World in the Clore Pavilion (which opened four years later).

 

[Andrew Flack]

Excellent - thank you very much!

Andy

 

[Dassie rat]

The first enclosure was occupied by aardvarks and bushbabies. The aardvark notice was hidden. I heard some visitors look at the aardvarks and say, "What are they?" "They're bushbabies. They leap from tree to tree."

 

[Tim May]

The first enclosure was occupied by aardvarks and bushbabies. The aardvark notice was hidden. I heard some visitors look at the aardvarks and say, "What are they?" "They're bushbabies. They leap from tree to tree."

Indeed aardvarks were kept in the Nocturnal House in the Children's Zoo during the 1980s.

However, the original question was about the London Zoo's first nocturnal exhibit and that didn't include aardvarks. When this building first opened it housed bushbabies, douroucoulis, mouse lemurs and flying squirrels.

Slight correction to my earlier post: although the Nocturnal House in the Children's Zoo was built and stocked with animals in 1963, it didn't actually open to the public until 1964.