I did exactly that trip in 2018 - saw both species...and much more besides.
A Guidebook Library: TLD's year-long randomised walkthrough of zoo guides
- Thread starter TeaLovingDave
- Start date
I did exactly that trip in 2018 - saw both species...and much more besides.
It's still there I think, but the top spires had to be cut off due to earthquake risks some years back.
re: the children's zoo at LA in 1968: it's so interesting and funny to me how zoos in the past eras both had rarities like brown hyena, marbled cat, jabiru and monkey-eating eagles while simultaneously having a small building dedicated to watching house mice eat kitchen scraps. In retrospect it almost feels experimental. "Which do people like more, this horde of rodent pests behind glass or this weird tall bird? Only time will tell!"
re: Detroit Zoo: the quote "Chimpanzees respond well to training and are probably better adjusted when subjected to a program of acting than when left to their own devices in a cage" really speaks to how much the behavioral aspect of animal husbandry has changed since the 1950's! Exhibit design as well, as I can imagine the primitive design of many zoo cages in that era could have led to that erroneous conclusion.
That is correct. It is now this more nondescript building called Treetops Terrace, located near the elephants and path up to the aviaries.
link: Treetops Terrace - ZooChat
pc @mstickmanp
re: Detroit Zoo: the quote "Chimpanzees respond well to training and are probably better adjusted when subjected to a program of acting than when left to their own devices in a cage" really speaks to how much the behavioral aspect of animal husbandry has changed since the 1950's! Exhibit design as well, as I can imagine the primitive design of many zoo cages in that era could have led to that erroneous conclusion.
That is correct. It is now this more nondescript building called Treetops Terrace, located near the elephants and path up to the aviaries.
link: Treetops Terrace - ZooChat
pc @mstickmanp
Unlike other parts of the world, there aren't too many populations of European Fallow Deer in North America - however Belle Isle has a large population of them that came from a release by the City of Detroit in the 1890s. They were exterminated in 2002 but they were a major fixture of the island for much of the 20th century. I'm curious to know if the Belle Isle section of the guidebook makes any mention of them?Day 112: Detroit Zoo (1956) - Baby Gorilla
Page count: 54 pages (including interior front and rear covers)
Photographs: c. 105 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Introduction, followed by various annotated photographic accounts of the zoo, discussion of behind-the-scenes activities, and brief accounts relating to other zoological collections in Detroit.
Map: Located within central pages
I was rather amused to notice a post from @birdsandbats noting the recent decline of Detroit Zoo yesterday; due to his expressing an interest in seeing reviews of guidebooks from collections in the Great Lakes region of North America some weeks ago, I picked out today's item for review with the specific hope that it would provide an avenue of discussion and feedback! With luck, then, this will be more successful than I had initially hoped!
This guidebook is a small, almost pocket-size item which I was fortunate enough to pick up several months ago via eBay; the master list of North American guidebooks found on the Bartlett Society website indicates that there are few copies known of this edition, but this is likely more a result of the fact that the majority of guidebook collections covered by this list will be in the possession of European collectors, rather than any genuine rarity. Nonetheless, this is one of only a handful of items from Detroit Zoo which I have encountered for sale on this side of the big puddle, and one of only three editions in my personal collection. As I hope to demonstrate within this review, this guidebook finds itself in the peculiar position of both being highly informative and interesting in some regards, yet curiously patchy in detail in others.
The guidebook opens with a potted history of Detroit Zoo, along with the associated zoological society which - at the time of publication - was also responsible for the nearby Belle Isle Aquarium and Belle Isle Children's Zoo. I have to admit to having been entirely unaware of the existence of the latter two collections prior to obtaining this guidebook; both closed to the public almost two decades ago, but whilst the aquarium (which, at the time of its closure in 2005, was the oldest continually-operating collection of its sort in North America) has subsequently re-opened under new management, the Children's Zoo has been reclaimed by the elements and is now an abandoned hodge-podge of vegetation and crumbling ruins. As I shall discuss anon, although this guidebook primarily deals with Detroit Zoo itself, it also serves as a guidebook for the two Belle Isle collections; as such, it represents a very interesting primary resource pertaining to the historical status of bygone collections.
This potted history is followed by a number of other supplementary segments and other introductory accounts, including the following:
- A "manifesto" of sorts discussing the layout and presentation of Detroit Zoo and the overall intention of avoiding bars and achieving Hagenbeck-style panoramic views.
- A list of primary office-holders and directors within the Detroit Zoological Soiciety.
- A list of major donors to Detroit Zoo.
- Discussion of the Detroit Zoological Park Railroad, including information relating to its operation, funding and technical specifications.
- An assortment of annotated photographs showing various views of the gardens and other ornamental displays of vegetation throughout Detroit Zoo.
This lattermost item raises an important point about the content within the guidebook as a whole; rather than largely comprising text supplemented by photographic material, as has been the case for the majority of guidebooks discussed within this thread previously, the balance is very much tilted in the other direction. In many ways, the main body of this guidebook can be viewed fairly accurately as a photographic guide to the zoo, with short paragraphs of information labelling each of the four or five large black-and-white images located on each double-page spread of the guidebook.
Although this means that the level of written content within this guidebook is surprisingly low, considering the fact that (unlike many publications from this time) the photographic content is not limited to images of the animals held within the collection, with photographs showing exhibits, houses and general views across the zoo being given equal weight, the overall value of the guidebook as a source of primary information about what Detroit Zoo was actually *like* at the time of publication remains rather high. It does, of course, go without saying that the supplementary information provided alongside the photographs can be somewhat patchy in parts - for instance, I would have liked more information to be provided about the Bird House than two brief sentences - but overall the standard found here is pretty high; those species mentioned are cited both by common name and scientific name, and a wide range of information is provided about the behaviour, diet, habitat and other such details relating to the animals found within the collection.
Broadly speaking, the main body of the guidebook discusses the exhibits and species within Detroit Zoo by geographic zone - as far as I can tell, the collection was presented in a similar "Geo-Zoo" style to Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich, at least at the time of publication - with a handful of exceptions; the ape exhibit and bird house appear to have been independent from this format, and towards the start of the guidebook the various attractions and visitor services provided throughout the zoo are discussed together.
https://www.zoochat.com/community/m...-accounts-apes-and-rhesus-macaque.594209/full
Beyond here, there are a a number of further discussions relating to subjects associated with Detroit Zoo, similar to those which preceded the photographic walkthrough account of the zoo; these are once again rather more densely-packed with text than is the case for the main body of the guidebook, and contain a fairly wide range of information:
- Discussion of the "Nature Cabin" and associated displays of reptiles and amphibians native to the United States - and Michigan in particular - and the various educational activities for visitors and school groups which were held within.
- A brief summary of the activities and responsibilities of the zoo veterinarians, and the diet and feeding schedule of the various species within the zoo.
These are followed by a pair of short photographic accounts - akin to those found within the main photographic walkthrough, and like these primarily comprising photographs depicting exhibits and species annotated with a sentence or two of text content - pertaining to the Belle Isle Aquarium and the Belle Isle Children's Zoo, which as noted were managed by the Detroit Zoological Society at the time of publication. Per my previous observations, these segments are particularly valuable as a primary historical resource and insight into the general "feel" and content of the collections at hand - something which, considering the fact one no longer exists whatsoever and the other has only recently re-opened under new ownership, is definitely a major bonus overall.
The guidebook concludes with a list of key visitor information pertaining to all three zoological collections discussed within, including their location, opening hours and advice relating to public and private transportation, amenities provided to visitors, animal feeding times, and emergency information; interestingly, all three collections appear to have been free entry at the time of publication!
The central pages of the guidebook contain the below rather-excellent map of Detroit Zoo; as one can readily see, it is well-labelled both with images of key species displayed within the collection and numbers corresponding to a detailed and comprehensive key, and moreover the general presentation and style of the map renders it easy to interpret and understand. As such, it not only represents an interesting historical document relating to Detroit Zoo at the time of publication, but also will have doubtless served its purpose as a map of the collection for use by visitors at the time very well indeed; something which will have been further facilitated by the fact that, as previously noted, the guidebook as a whole is somewhat smaller than many such publications and therefore can accurately be termed "pocket-friendly".
Overall, this is a very interesting and informative item which contains a wide range of information about the collections to which it pertains, and represents both a very good zoological guidebook in its own right and a valuable primary resource for the zoo historian; despite being somewhat lacking where in-depth or prolonged text content within the main body of the guidebook is concerned, this is more than compensated-for by the quality of the supplementary text accounts both before and after the photographic walkthrough of Detroit Zoo, and the wide range of photographic content provided within the walkthrough itself.
As usual, I would be very happy to answer any questions which those reading this thread may have, and if anyone would like to see further photographic content I would be happy to oblige here, too. Otherwise, any feedback or other remarks would be more than welcome!
Unfortunately not!
Day 113: Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (1968) - Chimpanzee (English Language)
Page count: 20 pages (4 blank)
Photographs: 3 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief history of collection, followed by assorted short essays on subjects relating to zoo and a list of species typically held.
Map: Located within main body of guidebook.
A fairly brief and insubstantial guidebook today, but one which nonetheless presents more than enough material of interest to make it worthy of discussion here; at the time of writing this is the sole guidebook from the Middle East within my personal collection, and is a relatively new acquisition having been purchased a month or two ago. It is worth noting that the collection to which this guidebook pertains is *not* the modern-day zoo known by this name - although officially called the "Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem" - but rather a precursor collection located elsewhere in the city which closed in 1992. As such, despite the various flaws of this guidebook - which I shall relate anon - it does represent an important primary source for those interested in the history of closed zoological collections.
The main body of the guidebook comprises a collection of short essays and compilations of information relating - to a greater or lesser extent - to the zoo and the species found within; these represent material of rather variable quality, and overall provide rather less information about the collection than one would generally hope for from a zoological guidebook. The first segment of the guidebook, and de-facto title page, comprises a list of the executive council of the Jerusalem Zoological Society and senior members of the zoological staff. Beyond here, the guidebook contains the following:
However, the last of the segments within the main body of the guidebook deserves particular mention; although explicitly stated to not represent a fully comprehensive inventory of the species held within Jerusalem Biblical Zoo at the time of publication, a list of principal bird and mammal exhibits at the collection does provide a fairly good insight into the general scope and content of the animal collection. It is rather obvious that some liberties have been taken where the subject of how one would define a Biblical species is concerned, with exotic bird species such as macaws, cockatoos, kea and cassowary cited alongside more predictable taxa such as Egyptian Vulture, little owl and rock partridge. The mammalian collection is somewhat more prosaic and in line with what one would expect, but even here species such as quokka, dingo and orang-utan are listed!
The final portion of the guidebook - and certainly the one which provides the greatest value both for modern-day guidebook collectors and zoological historians, and those individuals who will have encountered Jerusalem Biblical Zoo as visitors at the time of publication - is a detailed and well-presented map of the collection, accompanied by a comprehensively numbered key listing the inhabitants of each exhibit within the zoo. Furthermore, the key also provides information about the general level of vegetation within various portions of the collection, noting which areas were marked by Mediterranean woodland and which contained scrub and shrubland. As such, this is perhaps the only portion of the guidebook which provides any real insight into what the collection was actually *like* at the time of publication.
Overall, then, this is not a particularly good zoological guidebook per se - it lacks many of the features which one would look for within such an item, whether one is a specialist collector or merely a visitor to the zoo, and gives a general sense of comprising a series of disparate essays, passages and lists vaguely tied together by their overall subject matter - Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. However, given how seldom material from zoological collections within this region of the world occurs on the secondary market in my experience, let alone a closed collection such as this one, I feel that the handful of redeeming features present within this guidebook - most notably the historical account towards the start and the rather excellent map and associated key located at the end of the guidebook - compensate relatively well for these failings. Certainly I do not regret obtaining this guidebook - I do not expect to encounter another item from this region in the near future, and to be entirely honest I would have happily paid for the map alone - and it represents an interesting and unusual historical resource within my personal collection.
Page count: 20 pages (4 blank)
Photographs: 3 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief history of collection, followed by assorted short essays on subjects relating to zoo and a list of species typically held.
Map: Located within main body of guidebook.
A fairly brief and insubstantial guidebook today, but one which nonetheless presents more than enough material of interest to make it worthy of discussion here; at the time of writing this is the sole guidebook from the Middle East within my personal collection, and is a relatively new acquisition having been purchased a month or two ago. It is worth noting that the collection to which this guidebook pertains is *not* the modern-day zoo known by this name - although officially called the "Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem" - but rather a precursor collection located elsewhere in the city which closed in 1992. As such, despite the various flaws of this guidebook - which I shall relate anon - it does represent an important primary source for those interested in the history of closed zoological collections.
The main body of the guidebook comprises a collection of short essays and compilations of information relating - to a greater or lesser extent - to the zoo and the species found within; these represent material of rather variable quality, and overall provide rather less information about the collection than one would generally hope for from a zoological guidebook. The first segment of the guidebook, and de-facto title page, comprises a list of the executive council of the Jerusalem Zoological Society and senior members of the zoological staff. Beyond here, the guidebook contains the following:
- A brief historical account relating to the zoo; although short, this is perhaps one of the most interesting portions of the guidebook as a whole, providing an interesting insight into the major developments, setbacks and events impacting the zoo over the decades after it first opened in 1939. One key point which this historical account makes clear is that even at the time of publication, Jerusalem Biblical Zoo was located at its third site overall. This does, of course, mean that the modern-day collection known by this name is the fourth incarnation of the zoo - I would be rather interested to learn whether any other zoological collection has spanned as many different sites as this!
- A short passage discussing the fact that the collection viewed itself as a "breeding zoo" as opposed to a "display zoo", and as such aimed to contain exhibits designed for the benefit of the animals rather than the visitors to the collection; this is, of course, a commonplace claim and one which may even be the case in many collections, but given how little information is provided about the zoo itself within this guidebook there is no way to know how true the claims are here.
- An essay discussing the various challenges presented by the long-term aim for Jerusalem Biblical Zoo to represent a comprehensive collection of species mentioned or discussed within the Old Testament of the Bible; these include issues of translation and interpretation, the need to substitute extinct or extirpated native species with their closest available equivalent (for instance, obtaining lions from eastern and southern Africa in place of the extirpated populations of Asiatic Lion once native to the Middle East, and substituting Masai Ostrich for the recently-extinct Syrian subspecies), and those cases where multiple species are referred to by a single name. This section of the guidebook is also the only portion containing any illustration whatsoever, in the form of three black-and-white images showing species found within the collection.
- A short list of notable Biblical references to animals located within the zoo.
- A short list of assorted facts and trivia about various species within the animal collection; these vary widely in quality and accuracy, with some "facts" being plainly incorrect - for instance, the claim that most animals and birds are capable of seeing only in black-and-white, with primates, most birds (note the discrepancy!) and bees the only exceptions.
- A brief summary of scientific and conservation work undertaken at the collection, including research into snake and scorpion anti-venom, comparative anatomy, and antibody production in newborn wildlife.
However, the last of the segments within the main body of the guidebook deserves particular mention; although explicitly stated to not represent a fully comprehensive inventory of the species held within Jerusalem Biblical Zoo at the time of publication, a list of principal bird and mammal exhibits at the collection does provide a fairly good insight into the general scope and content of the animal collection. It is rather obvious that some liberties have been taken where the subject of how one would define a Biblical species is concerned, with exotic bird species such as macaws, cockatoos, kea and cassowary cited alongside more predictable taxa such as Egyptian Vulture, little owl and rock partridge. The mammalian collection is somewhat more prosaic and in line with what one would expect, but even here species such as quokka, dingo and orang-utan are listed!
The final portion of the guidebook - and certainly the one which provides the greatest value both for modern-day guidebook collectors and zoological historians, and those individuals who will have encountered Jerusalem Biblical Zoo as visitors at the time of publication - is a detailed and well-presented map of the collection, accompanied by a comprehensively numbered key listing the inhabitants of each exhibit within the zoo. Furthermore, the key also provides information about the general level of vegetation within various portions of the collection, noting which areas were marked by Mediterranean woodland and which contained scrub and shrubland. As such, this is perhaps the only portion of the guidebook which provides any real insight into what the collection was actually *like* at the time of publication.
Overall, then, this is not a particularly good zoological guidebook per se - it lacks many of the features which one would look for within such an item, whether one is a specialist collector or merely a visitor to the zoo, and gives a general sense of comprising a series of disparate essays, passages and lists vaguely tied together by their overall subject matter - Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. However, given how seldom material from zoological collections within this region of the world occurs on the secondary market in my experience, let alone a closed collection such as this one, I feel that the handful of redeeming features present within this guidebook - most notably the historical account towards the start and the rather excellent map and associated key located at the end of the guidebook - compensate relatively well for these failings. Certainly I do not regret obtaining this guidebook - I do not expect to encounter another item from this region in the near future, and to be entirely honest I would have happily paid for the map alone - and it represents an interesting and unusual historical resource within my personal collection.
Quokka was just about the last species I expected to see when pertaining to this collection, that's obviously not mentioned in the Old Testament! I'd be curious to know how they fit it into their theme, but it sounds like this isn't a good enough guidebook to give you insight into that.Day 113: Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (1968) - Chimpanzee (English Language)
Page count: 20 pages (4 blank)
Photographs: 3 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief history of collection, followed by assorted short essays on subjects relating to zoo and a list of species typically held.
Map: Located within main body of guidebook.
A fairly brief and insubstantial guidebook today, but one which nonetheless presents more than enough material of interest to make it worthy of discussion here; at the time of writing this is the sole guidebook from the Middle East within my personal collection, and is a relatively new acquisition having been purchased a month or two ago. It is worth noting that the collection to which this guidebook pertains is *not* the modern-day zoo known by this name - although officially called the "Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem" - but rather a precursor collection located elsewhere in the city which closed in 1992. As such, despite the various flaws of this guidebook - which I shall relate anon - it does represent an important primary source for those interested in the history of closed zoological collections.
The main body of the guidebook comprises a collection of short essays and compilations of information relating - to a greater or lesser extent - to the zoo and the species found within; these represent material of rather variable quality, and overall provide rather less information about the collection than one would generally hope for from a zoological guidebook. The first segment of the guidebook, and de-facto title page, comprises a list of the executive council of the Jerusalem Zoological Society and senior members of the zoological staff. Beyond here, the guidebook contains the following:
- A brief historical account relating to the zoo; although short, this is perhaps one of the most interesting portions of the guidebook as a whole, providing an interesting insight into the major developments, setbacks and events impacting the zoo over the decades after it first opened in 1939. One key point which this historical account makes clear is that even at the time of publication, Jerusalem Biblical Zoo was located at its third site overall. This does, of course, mean that the modern-day collection known by this name is the fourth incarnation of the zoo - I would be rather interested to learn whether any other zoological collection has spanned as many different sites as this!
- A short passage discussing the fact that the collection viewed itself as a "breeding zoo" as opposed to a "display zoo", and as such aimed to contain exhibits designed for the benefit of the animals rather than the visitors to the collection; this is, of course, a commonplace claim and one which may even be the case in many collections, but given how little information is provided about the zoo itself within this guidebook there is no way to know how true the claims are here.
- An essay discussing the various challenges presented by the long-term aim for Jerusalem Biblical Zoo to represent a comprehensive collection of species mentioned or discussed within the Old Testament of the Bible; these include issues of translation and interpretation, the need to substitute extinct or extirpated native species with their closest available equivalent (for instance, obtaining lions from eastern and southern Africa in place of the extirpated populations of Asiatic Lion once native to the Middle East, and substituting Masai Ostrich for the recently-extinct Syrian subspecies), and those cases where multiple species are referred to by a single name. This section of the guidebook is also the only portion containing any illustration whatsoever, in the form of three black-and-white images showing species found within the collection.
- A short list of notable Biblical references to animals located within the zoo.
- A short list of assorted facts and trivia about various species within the animal collection; these vary widely in quality and accuracy, with some "facts" being plainly incorrect - for instance, the claim that most animals and birds are capable of seeing only in black-and-white, with primates, most birds (note the discrepancy!) and bees the only exceptions.
- A brief summary of scientific and conservation work undertaken at the collection, including research into snake and scorpion anti-venom, comparative anatomy, and antibody production in newborn wildlife.
However, the last of the segments within the main body of the guidebook deserves particular mention; although explicitly stated to not represent a fully comprehensive inventory of the species held within Jerusalem Biblical Zoo at the time of publication, a list of principal bird and mammal exhibits at the collection does provide a fairly good insight into the general scope and content of the animal collection. It is rather obvious that some liberties have been taken where the subject of how one would define a Biblical species is concerned, with exotic bird species such as macaws, cockatoos, kea and cassowary cited alongside more predictable taxa such as Egyptian Vulture, little owl and rock partridge. The mammalian collection is somewhat more prosaic and in line with what one would expect, but even here species such as quokka, dingo and orang-utan are listed!
The final portion of the guidebook - and certainly the one which provides the greatest value both for modern-day guidebook collectors and zoological historians, and those individuals who will have encountered Jerusalem Biblical Zoo as visitors at the time of publication - is a detailed and well-presented map of the collection, accompanied by a comprehensively numbered key listing the inhabitants of each exhibit within the zoo. Furthermore, the key also provides information about the general level of vegetation within various portions of the collection, noting which areas were marked by Mediterranean woodland and which contained scrub and shrubland. As such, this is perhaps the only portion of the guidebook which provides any real insight into what the collection was actually *like* at the time of publication.
Overall, then, this is not a particularly good zoological guidebook per se - it lacks many of the features which one would look for within such an item, whether one is a specialist collector or merely a visitor to the zoo, and gives a general sense of comprising a series of disparate essays, passages and lists vaguely tied together by their overall subject matter - Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. However, given how seldom material from zoological collections within this region of the world occurs on the secondary market in my experience, let alone a closed collection such as this one, I feel that the handful of redeeming features present within this guidebook - most notably the historical account towards the start and the rather excellent map and associated key located at the end of the guidebook - compensate relatively well for these failings. Certainly I do not regret obtaining this guidebook - I do not expect to encounter another item from this region in the near future, and to be entirely honest I would have happily paid for the map alone - and it represents an interesting and unusual historical resource within my personal collection.
Day 114: Gatorland Zoo (1979) - American Alligator
Page count: 24 pages (including interior front and rear covers)
Photographs: 37 colour photographs (one double-page image)
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief history of collection, followed by information on the wild behaviour, breeding, habitat and diet of American Alligator, discussion of the difference between crocodiles and alligators, and a general description of the exhibits and attractions within Gatorland Zoo.
Map: Fold-out map at rear of guidebook.
One of the more unusual items within my personal collection today; I stumbled across this guidebook around a year ago on eBay, where it was being sold for only two or three pounds plus postage; given the fact it pertained to a zoological collection which was not only located in North America but moreover was one I had never heard about before, I seized the opportunity to pick it up. The guidebook is presented in a rather compact and pocket-sized format, with remarkably high quality paper and general print quality considering the fact that North American zoological collections - even before zoological guidebooks all-but disappeared from the continent - seldom viewed such material as anything more than ephemeral and not particularly worthy of note.
The guidebook opens with a short overview of the historical background to the collection, providing a brief biography of the founder and discussing the way in which it had grown and developed over the years; although significantly less in-depth than most historical accounts I have discussed within this thread over the last few months, I nonetheless find myself rather taken with this section of the guidebook - something I suspect is very much due to the fact that, as noted, before it entered my personal collection I had been entirely unaware of the zoological collection to which it pertained, and as such the information presented within was completely novel to me.
The main body of the guidebook can be roughly divided into two distinct segments; first, a series of fairly concise but detailed passages discussing a wide variety of subjects relating to the alligators native to the region of southeast North America where this zoological collection is located, including their diet, breeding behaviour, habitat and their interaction with humans, with the subject of the related Chinese Alligator and the sympatric American Crocodile also discussed at certain points.
The second portion of the guidebook focuses more specifically on Gatorland Zoo itself, with brief descriptions of the various animal exhibits located throughout the collection - not merely the breeding pens, alligator nurseries and other such enclosures, but also the presence of various species of bird and mammal, alongside several exhibits for native and locally-introduced species of snake. These passages also discuss a variety of other attractions throughout the collection, including the zoo shop, a boardwalk path leading through an area of cypress swamp containing a variety of native wild plants and animals, and a miniature train line covering perhaps two-thirds of the overall zoo footplan.
All of these accounts are well-written despite their brevity and provide a pretty good insight into the general feel and presentation of the zoo to which they pertain, and contain a large amount of interesting and unusual information about the focal species of the collection; moreover, the guidebook is lushly illustrated throughout by a wide range of colour photographs, depicting not only the various species held within the collection (with the primary focus, of course, being on American Alligator) but also various exhibit views and other related items.
The final page of the guidebook, covering the interior back cover, moves away from the overall subject matter covered within the main body of the text - instead, in a move which might seem somewhat perplexing at first glance until one recalls the fact that this collection can trace its roots to the commercial alligator-farming industry, the reader is provided with a variety of recipes making use of alligator meat! I suspect that there are precious few zoological guidebooks which overlap into the realm of cookery books - and I certainly doubt that any further items of this nature will fall into my possession anytime soon - but I feel that this is a highly-specialised niche which certainly helps the guidebook in question to stick in the memory long after one has read it. Given the fact that alligator meat is more or less impossible to readily obtain in this general area, I have not been able to try any of these recipes for myself incidentally.... just to ward off the inevitable questions!
I definitely would consider it if the opportunity arose, however.
The other major feature located within the final pages of this guidebook is a rather attractive and aesthetically-pleasing fold-out map of the collection; this is well-labelled with numbers corresponding to a provided key, and (when taken alongside the summary account located within the main body of text) helps the reader to get a pretty good sense of what the collection was like at the time of publication. Given the fact that, as noted, the guidebook itself is remarkably small and ideally-designed for use as a pocket guide, I strongly suspect that it will have highly-suitable to the purposes of those visiting at the time of publication...
which are, of course, the intended audience for documents such as this, even if guidebook collectors such as myself may sometimes forget this fact!
Overall, this is an interesting and rather attractive little guidebook to a zoological collection which - although still operating into the present day - is rather obscure and little-known among European zoo enthusiasts; given the fact that the master list of guidebooks maintained by the Bartlett Society indicates that this is the sole such item published by the collection, and (I suspect) the likelihood that the more famous St. Augustine Alligator Farm to the north has somewhat overshadowed Gatorland Zoo in recent decades. this is perhaps not all that surprising. Either way, this guidebook is surprisingly good, and provides a valuable insight into the collection to which it pertains.
Page count: 24 pages (including interior front and rear covers)
Photographs: 37 colour photographs (one double-page image)
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief history of collection, followed by information on the wild behaviour, breeding, habitat and diet of American Alligator, discussion of the difference between crocodiles and alligators, and a general description of the exhibits and attractions within Gatorland Zoo.
Map: Fold-out map at rear of guidebook.
One of the more unusual items within my personal collection today; I stumbled across this guidebook around a year ago on eBay, where it was being sold for only two or three pounds plus postage; given the fact it pertained to a zoological collection which was not only located in North America but moreover was one I had never heard about before, I seized the opportunity to pick it up. The guidebook is presented in a rather compact and pocket-sized format, with remarkably high quality paper and general print quality considering the fact that North American zoological collections - even before zoological guidebooks all-but disappeared from the continent - seldom viewed such material as anything more than ephemeral and not particularly worthy of note.
The guidebook opens with a short overview of the historical background to the collection, providing a brief biography of the founder and discussing the way in which it had grown and developed over the years; although significantly less in-depth than most historical accounts I have discussed within this thread over the last few months, I nonetheless find myself rather taken with this section of the guidebook - something I suspect is very much due to the fact that, as noted, before it entered my personal collection I had been entirely unaware of the zoological collection to which it pertained, and as such the information presented within was completely novel to me.
The main body of the guidebook can be roughly divided into two distinct segments; first, a series of fairly concise but detailed passages discussing a wide variety of subjects relating to the alligators native to the region of southeast North America where this zoological collection is located, including their diet, breeding behaviour, habitat and their interaction with humans, with the subject of the related Chinese Alligator and the sympatric American Crocodile also discussed at certain points.
The second portion of the guidebook focuses more specifically on Gatorland Zoo itself, with brief descriptions of the various animal exhibits located throughout the collection - not merely the breeding pens, alligator nurseries and other such enclosures, but also the presence of various species of bird and mammal, alongside several exhibits for native and locally-introduced species of snake. These passages also discuss a variety of other attractions throughout the collection, including the zoo shop, a boardwalk path leading through an area of cypress swamp containing a variety of native wild plants and animals, and a miniature train line covering perhaps two-thirds of the overall zoo footplan.
All of these accounts are well-written despite their brevity and provide a pretty good insight into the general feel and presentation of the zoo to which they pertain, and contain a large amount of interesting and unusual information about the focal species of the collection; moreover, the guidebook is lushly illustrated throughout by a wide range of colour photographs, depicting not only the various species held within the collection (with the primary focus, of course, being on American Alligator) but also various exhibit views and other related items.
The final page of the guidebook, covering the interior back cover, moves away from the overall subject matter covered within the main body of the text - instead, in a move which might seem somewhat perplexing at first glance until one recalls the fact that this collection can trace its roots to the commercial alligator-farming industry, the reader is provided with a variety of recipes making use of alligator meat! I suspect that there are precious few zoological guidebooks which overlap into the realm of cookery books - and I certainly doubt that any further items of this nature will fall into my possession anytime soon - but I feel that this is a highly-specialised niche which certainly helps the guidebook in question to stick in the memory long after one has read it. Given the fact that alligator meat is more or less impossible to readily obtain in this general area, I have not been able to try any of these recipes for myself incidentally.... just to ward off the inevitable questions!
I definitely would consider it if the opportunity arose, however.
The other major feature located within the final pages of this guidebook is a rather attractive and aesthetically-pleasing fold-out map of the collection; this is well-labelled with numbers corresponding to a provided key, and (when taken alongside the summary account located within the main body of text) helps the reader to get a pretty good sense of what the collection was like at the time of publication. Given the fact that, as noted, the guidebook itself is remarkably small and ideally-designed for use as a pocket guide, I strongly suspect that it will have highly-suitable to the purposes of those visiting at the time of publication...
which are, of course, the intended audience for documents such as this, even if guidebook collectors such as myself may sometimes forget this fact!
Overall, this is an interesting and rather attractive little guidebook to a zoological collection which - although still operating into the present day - is rather obscure and little-known among European zoo enthusiasts; given the fact that the master list of guidebooks maintained by the Bartlett Society indicates that this is the sole such item published by the collection, and (I suspect) the likelihood that the more famous St. Augustine Alligator Farm to the north has somewhat overshadowed Gatorland Zoo in recent decades. this is perhaps not all that surprising. Either way, this guidebook is surprisingly good, and provides a valuable insight into the collection to which it pertains.
Doesn't the Apocrypha include "The quokka shall lie down with the thylacine"?
Last edited:
Day 114: Gatorland Zoo (1979) - American Alligator
Page count: 24 pages (including interior front and rear covers)
Photographs: 37 colour photographs (one double-page image)
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief history of collection, followed by information on the wild behaviour, breeding, habitat and diet of American Alligator, discussion of the difference between crocodiles and alligators, and a general description of the exhibits and attractions within Gatorland Zoo.
Map: Fold-out map at rear of guidebook.
One of the more unusual items within my personal collection today; I stumbled across this guidebook around a year ago on eBay, where it was being sold for only two or three pounds plus postage; given the fact it pertained to a zoological collection which was not only located in North America but moreover was one I had never heard about before, I seized the opportunity to pick it up. The guidebook is presented in a rather compact and pocket-sized format, with remarkably high quality paper and general print quality considering the fact that North American zoological collections - even before zoological guidebooks all-but disappeared from the continent - seldom viewed such material as anything more than ephemeral and not particularly worthy of note.
The guidebook opens with a short overview of the historical background to the collection, providing a brief biography of the founder and discussing the way in which it had grown and developed over the years; although significantly less in-depth than most historical accounts I have discussed within this thread over the last few months, I nonetheless find myself rather taken with this section of the guidebook - something I suspect is very much due to the fact that, as noted, before it entered my personal collection I had been entirely unaware of the zoological collection to which it pertained, and as such the information presented within was completely novel to me.
The main body of the guidebook can be roughly divided into two distinct segments; first, a series of fairly concise but detailed passages discussing a wide variety of subjects relating to the alligators native to the region of southeast North America where this zoological collection is located, including their diet, breeding behaviour, habitat and their interaction with humans, with the subject of the related Chinese Alligator and the sympatric American Crocodile also discussed at certain points.
The second portion of the guidebook focuses more specifically on Gatorland Zoo itself, with brief descriptions of the various animal exhibits located throughout the collection - not merely the breeding pens, alligator nurseries and other such enclosures, but also the presence of various species of bird and mammal, alongside several exhibits for native and locally-introduced species of snake. These passages also discuss a variety of other attractions throughout the collection, including the zoo shop, a boardwalk path leading through an area of cypress swamp containing a variety of native wild plants and animals, and a miniature train line covering perhaps two-thirds of the overall zoo footplan.
All of these accounts are well-written despite their brevity and provide a pretty good insight into the general feel and presentation of the zoo to which they pertain, and contain a large amount of interesting and unusual information about the focal species of the collection; moreover, the guidebook is lushly illustrated throughout by a wide range of colour photographs, depicting not only the various species held within the collection (with the primary focus, of course, being on American Alligator) but also various exhibit views and other related items.
The final page of the guidebook, covering the interior back cover, moves away from the overall subject matter covered within the main body of the text - instead, in a move which might seem somewhat perplexing at first glance until one recalls the fact that this collection can trace its roots to the commercial alligator-farming industry, the reader is provided with a variety of recipes making use of alligator meat! I suspect that there are precious few zoological guidebooks which overlap into the realm of cookery books - and I certainly doubt that any further items of this nature will fall into my possession anytime soon - but I feel that this is a highly-specialised niche which certainly helps the guidebook in question to stick in the memory long after one has read it. Given the fact that alligator meat is more or less impossible to readily obtain in this general area, I have not been able to try any of these recipes for myself incidentally.... just to ward off the inevitable questions!
I definitely would consider it if the opportunity arose, however.
The other major feature located within the final pages of this guidebook is a rather attractive and aesthetically-pleasing fold-out map of the collection; this is well-labelled with numbers corresponding to a provided key, and (when taken alongside the summary account located within the main body of text) helps the reader to get a pretty good sense of what the collection was like at the time of publication. Given the fact that, as noted, the guidebook itself is remarkably small and ideally-designed for use as a pocket guide, I strongly suspect that it will have highly-suitable to the purposes of those visiting at the time of publication...
which are, of course, the intended audience for documents such as this, even if guidebook collectors such as myself may sometimes forget this fact!
Overall, this is an interesting and rather attractive little guidebook to a zoological collection which - although still operating into the present day - is rather obscure and little-known among European zoo enthusiasts; given the fact that the master list of guidebooks maintained by the Bartlett Society indicates that this is the sole such item published by the collection, and (I suspect) the likelihood that the more famous St. Augustine Alligator Farm to the north has somewhat overshadowed Gatorland Zoo in recent decades. this is perhaps not all that surprising. Either way, this guidebook is surprisingly good, and provides a valuable insight into the collection to which it pertains.
Not too many thoughts on the guide itself but Gatorland is one of my all time favourite collections as it mixes Florida Wildlife in huge bird colonies (heron, egret, ibis, stork etc) with a solid zoo attraction which you can see reference to in that map. This connection to local wildlife has been further enhanced by the addition of a swamp walk in the far right hand side of the map you shared.
My only negative memory is that I remember visiting in circa 98 and the Florida black bear was still at roughly position 26 in a barbarically small cage. now gone thankfully.
Interesting to see Tapir listed as outside of the crocodilian collection the site now focuses more primarily on endemic species from memory.
The "Gator Jumparoo" is always interesting here; employees dangling over the edge of a wood platform getting gators (and the occasional croc) to leap up and take chicken from their hand in what can only be described as a health and safety nightmare.
I recall that during this show they passed through the crowd asking for questions on a mic and someone asked "has anyone ever been bitten", the host went silent for a few seconds then said "has anyone else got a question" which was both funny and somewhat telling I suspect.
I also remember they had a relatively new exhibit for Cuban Crocodiles, signed as Cuban Jumping Crocodiles behind a stand off, then two layer of fences much like a prison would utilise and staffed by a ranger, the inference being that these crocs could and would wantonly throw themselves out of their enclosure and you were not safe unless under guard. Somewhat gimmicky looking back but visiting as a younger child it was very exciting!
The café/restaurant still sold gator products at the time of my last visit. Gator nuggets in fact which were supposedly real gator and the gift shop has always had some gator products/taxidermy when i have visited.
Finally, poisonous snakes? better not eat too many of those then!
Thanks for sharing and bringing back some fun memories!
This is a fairly well-known zoo on this side of the pond - not really as a zoo among the enthusiast community but as a tourist attraction - many families taking a vacation to the Orlando area stop at Gatorland (they dropped the "zoo" from their name some time ago). In fact I visited there as a toddler and although I don't remember it there's lots of photos I've seen of me having a good time.Day 114: Gatorland Zoo (1979) - American Alligator
Page count: 24 pages (including interior front and rear covers)
Photographs: 37 colour photographs (one double-page image)
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief history of collection, followed by information on the wild behaviour, breeding, habitat and diet of American Alligator, discussion of the difference between crocodiles and alligators, and a general description of the exhibits and attractions within Gatorland Zoo.
Map: Fold-out map at rear of guidebook.
One of the more unusual items within my personal collection today; I stumbled across this guidebook around a year ago on eBay, where it was being sold for only two or three pounds plus postage; given the fact it pertained to a zoological collection which was not only located in North America but moreover was one I had never heard about before, I seized the opportunity to pick it up. The guidebook is presented in a rather compact and pocket-sized format, with remarkably high quality paper and general print quality considering the fact that North American zoological collections - even before zoological guidebooks all-but disappeared from the continent - seldom viewed such material as anything more than ephemeral and not particularly worthy of note.
The guidebook opens with a short overview of the historical background to the collection, providing a brief biography of the founder and discussing the way in which it had grown and developed over the years; although significantly less in-depth than most historical accounts I have discussed within this thread over the last few months, I nonetheless find myself rather taken with this section of the guidebook - something I suspect is very much due to the fact that, as noted, before it entered my personal collection I had been entirely unaware of the zoological collection to which it pertained, and as such the information presented within was completely novel to me.
The main body of the guidebook can be roughly divided into two distinct segments; first, a series of fairly concise but detailed passages discussing a wide variety of subjects relating to the alligators native to the region of southeast North America where this zoological collection is located, including their diet, breeding behaviour, habitat and their interaction with humans, with the subject of the related Chinese Alligator and the sympatric American Crocodile also discussed at certain points.
The second portion of the guidebook focuses more specifically on Gatorland Zoo itself, with brief descriptions of the various animal exhibits located throughout the collection - not merely the breeding pens, alligator nurseries and other such enclosures, but also the presence of various species of bird and mammal, alongside several exhibits for native and locally-introduced species of snake. These passages also discuss a variety of other attractions throughout the collection, including the zoo shop, a boardwalk path leading through an area of cypress swamp containing a variety of native wild plants and animals, and a miniature train line covering perhaps two-thirds of the overall zoo footplan.
All of these accounts are well-written despite their brevity and provide a pretty good insight into the general feel and presentation of the zoo to which they pertain, and contain a large amount of interesting and unusual information about the focal species of the collection; moreover, the guidebook is lushly illustrated throughout by a wide range of colour photographs, depicting not only the various species held within the collection (with the primary focus, of course, being on American Alligator) but also various exhibit views and other related items.
The final page of the guidebook, covering the interior back cover, moves away from the overall subject matter covered within the main body of the text - instead, in a move which might seem somewhat perplexing at first glance until one recalls the fact that this collection can trace its roots to the commercial alligator-farming industry, the reader is provided with a variety of recipes making use of alligator meat! I suspect that there are precious few zoological guidebooks which overlap into the realm of cookery books - and I certainly doubt that any further items of this nature will fall into my possession anytime soon - but I feel that this is a highly-specialised niche which certainly helps the guidebook in question to stick in the memory long after one has read it. Given the fact that alligator meat is more or less impossible to readily obtain in this general area, I have not been able to try any of these recipes for myself incidentally.... just to ward off the inevitable questions!
I definitely would consider it if the opportunity arose, however.
The other major feature located within the final pages of this guidebook is a rather attractive and aesthetically-pleasing fold-out map of the collection; this is well-labelled with numbers corresponding to a provided key, and (when taken alongside the summary account located within the main body of text) helps the reader to get a pretty good sense of what the collection was like at the time of publication. Given the fact that, as noted, the guidebook itself is remarkably small and ideally-designed for use as a pocket guide, I strongly suspect that it will have highly-suitable to the purposes of those visiting at the time of publication...
which are, of course, the intended audience for documents such as this, even if guidebook collectors such as myself may sometimes forget this fact!
Overall, this is an interesting and rather attractive little guidebook to a zoological collection which - although still operating into the present day - is rather obscure and little-known among European zoo enthusiasts; given the fact that the master list of guidebooks maintained by the Bartlett Society indicates that this is the sole such item published by the collection, and (I suspect) the likelihood that the more famous St. Augustine Alligator Farm to the north has somewhat overshadowed Gatorland Zoo in recent decades. this is perhaps not all that surprising. Either way, this guidebook is surprisingly good, and provides a valuable insight into the collection to which it pertains.
I had planned at stopping at Gatorland myself on a recent trip to Florida but ended up not having enough time. A very intriguing part of the facility is that there's a huge nesting colony of waterbirds that show very little fear of humans (birds having no fear of humans is typical in Florida even in rural areas). Several species of herons and egrets as well as Wood Storks can be found here - I've been told it's quite the experience!
Interesting to hear alligator meat is hard to come by in the UK, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I wouldn't consider it too unusual in the US. It isn't an uncommon food in parts of the country where alligators occur, and outside those areas the meat is less typical but still usually isn't too hard to find at things like specialty stores or fairs and festivals. I've even seen alligator meat street vendors.
Presumably it is a regular dish in Switzerland though - I mean, the recipes include Swiss Style Alligator Steak so it must be so (and specifying the inclusion of MSG too!).
I had to google what "Kitchen Bouquet" is. I assumed it would be some sort of herb or spice mix but instead it is, as Wikipedia helpfully told me, "a browning and seasoning sauce primarily composed of caramel with vegetable flavorings." Sounds "delicious"!
Does anyone ask for 'an alligator steak and make it snappy'?Day 114: Gatorland Zoo (1979) - American Alligator
The final page of the guidebook, covering the interior back cover, moves away from the overall subject matter covered within the main body of the text - instead, in a move which might seem somewhat perplexing at first glance until one recalls the fact that this collection can trace its roots to the commercial alligator-farming industry, the reader is provided with a variety of recipes making use of alligator meat! I suspect that there are precious few zoological guidebooks which overlap into the realm of cookery books - and I certainly doubt that any further items of this nature will fall into my possession anytime soon - but I feel that this is a highly-specialised niche which certainly helps the guidebook in question to stick in the memory long after one has read it. Given the fact that alligator meat is more or less impossible to readily obtain in this general area, I have not been able to try any of these recipes for myself incidentally.... just to ward off the inevitable questions!
I definitely would consider it if the opportunity arose, however.
Customer: Do you have frogs' legs?
Waiter: Yes sir, of course.
Customer: Well jump over to the kitchen and bring me some alligator steaks then!
Does the guidebook contain some particularly religious description? Because religion sometimes do clash with science. I dont mean just quote of Bible but like the belief.Day 113: Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (1968) - Chimpanzee (English Language)
Page count: 20 pages (4 blank)
Photographs: 3 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief history of collection, followed by assorted short essays on subjects relating to zoo and a list of species typically held.
Map: Located within main body of guidebook.
A fairly brief and insubstantial guidebook today, but one which nonetheless presents more than enough material of interest to make it worthy of discussion here; at the time of writing this is the sole guidebook from the Middle East within my personal collection, and is a relatively new acquisition having been purchased a month or two ago. It is worth noting that the collection to which this guidebook pertains is *not* the modern-day zoo known by this name - although officially called the "Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem" - but rather a precursor collection located elsewhere in the city which closed in 1992. As such, despite the various flaws of this guidebook - which I shall relate anon - it does represent an important primary source for those interested in the history of closed zoological collections.
The main body of the guidebook comprises a collection of short essays and compilations of information relating - to a greater or lesser extent - to the zoo and the species found within; these represent material of rather variable quality, and overall provide rather less information about the collection than one would generally hope for from a zoological guidebook. The first segment of the guidebook, and de-facto title page, comprises a list of the executive council of the Jerusalem Zoological Society and senior members of the zoological staff. Beyond here, the guidebook contains the following:
- A brief historical account relating to the zoo; although short, this is perhaps one of the most interesting portions of the guidebook as a whole, providing an interesting insight into the major developments, setbacks and events impacting the zoo over the decades after it first opened in 1939. One key point which this historical account makes clear is that even at the time of publication, Jerusalem Biblical Zoo was located at its third site overall. This does, of course, mean that the modern-day collection known by this name is the fourth incarnation of the zoo - I would be rather interested to learn whether any other zoological collection has spanned as many different sites as this!
- A short passage discussing the fact that the collection viewed itself as a "breeding zoo" as opposed to a "display zoo", and as such aimed to contain exhibits designed for the benefit of the animals rather than the visitors to the collection; this is, of course, a commonplace claim and one which may even be the case in many collections, but given how little information is provided about the zoo itself within this guidebook there is no way to know how true the claims are here.
- An essay discussing the various challenges presented by the long-term aim for Jerusalem Biblical Zoo to represent a comprehensive collection of species mentioned or discussed within the Old Testament of the Bible; these include issues of translation and interpretation, the need to substitute extinct or extirpated native species with their closest available equivalent (for instance, obtaining lions from eastern and southern Africa in place of the extirpated populations of Asiatic Lion once native to the Middle East, and substituting Masai Ostrich for the recently-extinct Syrian subspecies), and those cases where multiple species are referred to by a single name. This section of the guidebook is also the only portion containing any illustration whatsoever, in the form of three black-and-white images showing species found within the collection.
- A short list of notable Biblical references to animals located within the zoo.
- A short list of assorted facts and trivia about various species within the animal collection; these vary widely in quality and accuracy, with some "facts" being plainly incorrect - for instance, the claim that most animals and birds are capable of seeing only in black-and-white, with primates, most birds (note the discrepancy!) and bees the only exceptions.
- A brief summary of scientific and conservation work undertaken at the collection, including research into snake and scorpion anti-venom, comparative anatomy, and antibody production in newborn wildlife.
However, the last of the segments within the main body of the guidebook deserves particular mention; although explicitly stated to not represent a fully comprehensive inventory of the species held within Jerusalem Biblical Zoo at the time of publication, a list of principal bird and mammal exhibits at the collection does provide a fairly good insight into the general scope and content of the animal collection. It is rather obvious that some liberties have been taken where the subject of how one would define a Biblical species is concerned, with exotic bird species such as macaws, cockatoos, kea and cassowary cited alongside more predictable taxa such as Egyptian Vulture, little owl and rock partridge. The mammalian collection is somewhat more prosaic and in line with what one would expect, but even here species such as quokka, dingo and orang-utan are listed!
The final portion of the guidebook - and certainly the one which provides the greatest value both for modern-day guidebook collectors and zoological historians, and those individuals who will have encountered Jerusalem Biblical Zoo as visitors at the time of publication - is a detailed and well-presented map of the collection, accompanied by a comprehensively numbered key listing the inhabitants of each exhibit within the zoo. Furthermore, the key also provides information about the general level of vegetation within various portions of the collection, noting which areas were marked by Mediterranean woodland and which contained scrub and shrubland. As such, this is perhaps the only portion of the guidebook which provides any real insight into what the collection was actually *like* at the time of publication.
Overall, then, this is not a particularly good zoological guidebook per se - it lacks many of the features which one would look for within such an item, whether one is a specialist collector or merely a visitor to the zoo, and gives a general sense of comprising a series of disparate essays, passages and lists vaguely tied together by their overall subject matter - Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. However, given how seldom material from zoological collections within this region of the world occurs on the secondary market in my experience, let alone a closed collection such as this one, I feel that the handful of redeeming features present within this guidebook - most notably the historical account towards the start and the rather excellent map and associated key located at the end of the guidebook - compensate relatively well for these failings. Certainly I do not regret obtaining this guidebook - I do not expect to encounter another item from this region in the near future, and to be entirely honest I would have happily paid for the map alone - and it represents an interesting and unusual historical resource within my personal collection.
I havent had any alligator meat but i have had crocodile's (you know, China) and it's meh. So you aint missing out on anything
None whatsoever, as a matter of fact.
Day 115: Living Coasts (2012) - "Voyage of Discovery"
Page count: 26 pages
Photographs: c.38 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: 26 colour drawings of animals
Layout: General overview of exhibits and notable species within collection, with children's puzzles and discussion of conservation work within central pages.
Map: N/A
Today, we shall be taking a look at a closed UK collection which - I suspect - may well be one of the greatest losses to the European zoological landscape in recent years; whilst many of the zoological collections which have closed within living memory are still remembered with some fondness, this is often a result of the species which were displayed within rather than any great level of exhibit quality or noteworthy design. Living Coasts, however, will be remembered not only for the various unusual species which were present within the collection, but also as a genuinely great zoo which faltered due to financial difficulties, the CV-19 pandemic and related issues, rather than failings in animal husbandry and welfare standards. It speaks volumes that more or less everyone participating in the recent top European exhibits/enclosures thread curated by @lintworm agreed that the exhibits at Living Coasts would have been among the most worthy of inclusion, had matters been otherwise. Perhaps only the imminent loss of Bristol Zoo, and the closure of the original Emmen Zoo on the continent, are likely to outweigh Living Coasts in this regard.
The guidebook we will be discussing today was purchased by myself during my first visit to the collection in 2013; as far as I have been able to discover, it was published in the latter months of 2012, and was the fifth (or sixth, if one counts variant covers) and penultimate guidebook released by the collection. When compared to the guidebooks released during the same timespan at Living Coasts' sister collections Newquay Zoo and Paignton Zoo - which, as one can imagine, I obtained during the same overall trip to the southwest - this guidebook feels somewhat lacking in detail and content; however, as I hope to demonstrate, this does not mean that it is entirely without merit.
Due to the slightly awkward format and shape of the guidebook, it has been difficult for me to scan the contents effectively without cutting content in half; as such, I hope that my choice of images conveys the general feel and content of the guidebook adequately.
The main body of the guidebook broadly speaking comprises a general overview of the various exhibit areas located within Living Coasts at the time of publication, with each double-page spread discussing the exhibit and briefly highlighting two or three of the notable species displayed within. Each species account gives information on the habitat, diet, number of offspring, lifespan, and conservation status of the taxon in question; one of the more interesting aspects of these accounts (and the guidebook as a whole) is the fact that they make a note of the differences between the diet fed to the captive animals and the diet they would have in the wild. Although this is only a small detail, it does provide an interesting insight into the captive husbandry of the species in question. Unfortunately, considering the diverse and unusual species collection within Living Coasts, the unique concept and design of the collection itself, and the wide range of information that *could* have been given relating to these factors, I feel that the general style and content of this guidebook is sorely lacking; in many ways it feels more like a modern-day guidebook published by the Sea Life chain, being very much child-oriented (complete with a word-search and spot-the-difference game in the central pages) and - barring small glimmerings of potential such as the aforementioned differentiation between captive and wild diet, and the information provided in the handful of species accounts - lacking detail, or much to demonstrate how unusual and special Living Coasts actually was.
Although oddities such as Bank Cormorant and Tufted Puffin *are* cited within the text, I feel that the guidebook could have easily done much more; overall, only around a quarter of the bird species held within the seabird aviaries and exhibits at the collection are mentioned whatsoever, with the number of fish and invertebrate species cited being significantly lower despite the aquarium complex within Living Coasts comprising perhaps half of the species collection in total. As I alluded previously, and may well demonstrate within this thread at some point, the equivalent guidebooks published at this time by Newquay and Paignton provided significantly higher amounts of detail, and covered a rather larger proportion of their respective animal collections. However, it should be noted that the guidebook *does* contain a short section discussing the various conservation programmes which Living Coasts, and the wider Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (now known as the Wild Planet Trust, much to my vague distaste) were involved with at the time of publication - this is definitely a point in the guidebook's favour.
Overall, then, a fairly average guidebook for a significantly above-average collection, and one which I along with many others will miss greatly; I feel that I probably have been somewhat more harsh towards this guidebook than might perhaps be fair, and it should be emphasised that it is not *bad* in the slightest.... merely a massive missed opportunity, and perhaps an early indication of a wider issue revolving around the way Living Coasts was handled and promoted which may have a bearing on future events.
Page count: 26 pages
Photographs: c.38 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: 26 colour drawings of animals
Layout: General overview of exhibits and notable species within collection, with children's puzzles and discussion of conservation work within central pages.
Map: N/A
Today, we shall be taking a look at a closed UK collection which - I suspect - may well be one of the greatest losses to the European zoological landscape in recent years; whilst many of the zoological collections which have closed within living memory are still remembered with some fondness, this is often a result of the species which were displayed within rather than any great level of exhibit quality or noteworthy design. Living Coasts, however, will be remembered not only for the various unusual species which were present within the collection, but also as a genuinely great zoo which faltered due to financial difficulties, the CV-19 pandemic and related issues, rather than failings in animal husbandry and welfare standards. It speaks volumes that more or less everyone participating in the recent top European exhibits/enclosures thread curated by @lintworm agreed that the exhibits at Living Coasts would have been among the most worthy of inclusion, had matters been otherwise. Perhaps only the imminent loss of Bristol Zoo, and the closure of the original Emmen Zoo on the continent, are likely to outweigh Living Coasts in this regard.
The guidebook we will be discussing today was purchased by myself during my first visit to the collection in 2013; as far as I have been able to discover, it was published in the latter months of 2012, and was the fifth (or sixth, if one counts variant covers) and penultimate guidebook released by the collection. When compared to the guidebooks released during the same timespan at Living Coasts' sister collections Newquay Zoo and Paignton Zoo - which, as one can imagine, I obtained during the same overall trip to the southwest - this guidebook feels somewhat lacking in detail and content; however, as I hope to demonstrate, this does not mean that it is entirely without merit.
Due to the slightly awkward format and shape of the guidebook, it has been difficult for me to scan the contents effectively without cutting content in half; as such, I hope that my choice of images conveys the general feel and content of the guidebook adequately.
The main body of the guidebook broadly speaking comprises a general overview of the various exhibit areas located within Living Coasts at the time of publication, with each double-page spread discussing the exhibit and briefly highlighting two or three of the notable species displayed within. Each species account gives information on the habitat, diet, number of offspring, lifespan, and conservation status of the taxon in question; one of the more interesting aspects of these accounts (and the guidebook as a whole) is the fact that they make a note of the differences between the diet fed to the captive animals and the diet they would have in the wild. Although this is only a small detail, it does provide an interesting insight into the captive husbandry of the species in question. Unfortunately, considering the diverse and unusual species collection within Living Coasts, the unique concept and design of the collection itself, and the wide range of information that *could* have been given relating to these factors, I feel that the general style and content of this guidebook is sorely lacking; in many ways it feels more like a modern-day guidebook published by the Sea Life chain, being very much child-oriented (complete with a word-search and spot-the-difference game in the central pages) and - barring small glimmerings of potential such as the aforementioned differentiation between captive and wild diet, and the information provided in the handful of species accounts - lacking detail, or much to demonstrate how unusual and special Living Coasts actually was.
Although oddities such as Bank Cormorant and Tufted Puffin *are* cited within the text, I feel that the guidebook could have easily done much more; overall, only around a quarter of the bird species held within the seabird aviaries and exhibits at the collection are mentioned whatsoever, with the number of fish and invertebrate species cited being significantly lower despite the aquarium complex within Living Coasts comprising perhaps half of the species collection in total. As I alluded previously, and may well demonstrate within this thread at some point, the equivalent guidebooks published at this time by Newquay and Paignton provided significantly higher amounts of detail, and covered a rather larger proportion of their respective animal collections. However, it should be noted that the guidebook *does* contain a short section discussing the various conservation programmes which Living Coasts, and the wider Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (now known as the Wild Planet Trust, much to my vague distaste) were involved with at the time of publication - this is definitely a point in the guidebook's favour.
Overall, then, a fairly average guidebook for a significantly above-average collection, and one which I along with many others will miss greatly; I feel that I probably have been somewhat more harsh towards this guidebook than might perhaps be fair, and it should be emphasised that it is not *bad* in the slightest.... merely a massive missed opportunity, and perhaps an early indication of a wider issue revolving around the way Living Coasts was handled and promoted which may have a bearing on future events.
Can't help but feel like they should at least have a page or 2 discussing the Geology and Ecology of coast, not just about the animals within the collection.Day 115: Living Coasts (2012) - "Voyage of Discovery"
Page count: 26 pages
Photographs: c.38 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: 26 colour drawings of animals
Layout: General overview of exhibits and notable species within collection, with children's puzzles and discussion of conservation work within central pages.
Map: N/A
Today, we shall be taking a look at a closed UK collection which - I suspect - may well be one of the greatest losses to the European zoological landscape in recent years; whilst many of the zoological collections which have closed within living memory are still remembered with some fondness, this is often a result of the species which were displayed within rather than any great level of exhibit quality or noteworthy design. Living Coasts, however, will be remembered not only for the various unusual species which were present within the collection, but also as a genuinely great zoo which faltered due to financial difficulties, the CV-19 pandemic and related issues, rather than failings in animal husbandry and welfare standards. It speaks volumes that more or less everyone participating in the recent top European exhibits/enclosures thread curated by @lintworm agreed that the exhibits at Living Coasts would have been among the most worthy of inclusion, had matters been otherwise. Perhaps only the imminent loss of Bristol Zoo, and the closure of the original Emmen Zoo on the continent, are likely to outweigh Living Coasts in this regard.
The guidebook we will be discussing today was purchased by myself during my first visit to the collection in 2013; as far as I have been able to discover, it was published in the latter months of 2012, and was the fifth (or sixth, if one counts variant covers) and penultimate guidebook released by the collection. When compared to the guidebooks released during the same timespan at Living Coasts' sister collections Newquay Zoo and Paignton Zoo - which, as one can imagine, I obtained during the same overall trip to the southwest - this guidebook feels somewhat lacking in detail and content; however, as I hope to demonstrate, this does not mean that it is entirely without merit.
Due to the slightly awkward format and shape of the guidebook, it has been difficult for me to scan the contents effectively without cutting content in half; as such, I hope that my choice of images conveys the general feel and content of the guidebook adequately.
The main body of the guidebook broadly speaking comprises a general overview of the various exhibit areas located within Living Coasts at the time of publication, with each double-page spread discussing the exhibit and briefly highlighting two or three of the notable species displayed within. Each species account gives information on the habitat, diet, number of offspring, lifespan, and conservation status of the taxon in question; one of the more interesting aspects of these accounts (and the guidebook as a whole) is the fact that they make a note of the differences between the diet fed to the captive animals and the diet they would have in the wild. Although this is only a small detail, it does provide an interesting insight into the captive husbandry of the species in question. Unfortunately, considering the diverse and unusual species collection within Living Coasts, the unique concept and design of the collection itself, and the wide range of information that *could* have been given relating to these factors, I feel that the general style and content of this guidebook is sorely lacking; in many ways it feels more like a modern-day guidebook published by the Sea Life chain, being very much child-oriented (complete with a word-search and spot-the-difference game in the central pages) and - barring small glimmerings of potential such as the aforementioned differentiation between captive and wild diet, and the information provided in the handful of species accounts - lacking detail, or much to demonstrate how unusual and special Living Coasts actually was.
Although oddities such as Bank Cormorant and Tufted Puffin *are* cited within the text, I feel that the guidebook could have easily done much more; overall, only around a quarter of the bird species held within the seabird aviaries and exhibits at the collection are mentioned whatsoever, with the number of fish and invertebrate species cited being significantly lower despite the aquarium complex within Living Coasts comprising perhaps half of the species collection in total. As I alluded previously, and may well demonstrate within this thread at some point, the equivalent guidebooks published at this time by Newquay and Paignton provided significantly higher amounts of detail, and covered a rather larger proportion of their respective animal collections. However, it should be noted that the guidebook *does* contain a short section discussing the various conservation programmes which Living Coasts, and the wider Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (now known as the Wild Planet Trust, much to my vague distaste) were involved with at the time of publication - this is definitely a point in the guidebook's favour.
Overall, then, a fairly average guidebook for a significantly above-average collection, and one which I along with many others will miss greatly; I feel that I probably have been somewhat more harsh towards this guidebook than might perhaps be fair, and it should be emphasised that it is not *bad* in the slightest.... merely a massive missed opportunity, and perhaps an early indication of a wider issue revolving around the way Living Coasts was handled and promoted which may have a bearing on future events.