Saint Louis Zoo in the 1950’s

Sphenisciologist

Sphenisciologist

Well-Known Member
Footage of Saint Louis Zoo in the 1950’s


Some notable differences:
- The zoo had Black Rhinos in the Red Rocks area rather than the Rivers Edge, which didn’t come for about 50 more years.
- The zoo had Plain’s Zebras rather than Grevy’s Zebras. Along with that, based on the spots patterns, Reticulated Giraffes seem to be absent. Possible they had Masai back in the 50’s?
 
I'd consider the elephant seals a much more notable difference than rhinos being in a different area... or the animal shows, the keeper in with 5+ lions, making the elephant calf walk on its front legs, the sloth bears and wolverines, maned wolf...
 
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Sphenisciologist said:
Along with that, based on the spots patterns, Reticulated Giraffes seem to be absent. Possible they had Masai back in the 50’s?
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They are Reticulated based on pattern. I believe Masai was not really around til later.

Also what about the male elephant seal? And all the very dated practices and exhibits seen?
 
While not shown in the video, according to my mom, when she was a kid (which would have been in the 1950's-1960's) the primate house at the Saint Louis Zoo had free-roaming orangutans in the central area with all the foliage, which would obviously be all sorts of risky. When I was a kid, in the 90's-early 00's they had tamarins and marmosets roaming in that area, but now it's just the foliage, even small free-roaming primates having been rightly deemed too much of a risk for both the animals and the guests.
 
Cowrie said:
While not shown in the video, according to my mom, when she was a kid (which would have been in the 1950's-1960's) the primate house at the Saint Louis Zoo had free-roaming orangutans in the central area with all the foliage, which would obviously be all sorts of risky. When I was a kid, in the 90's-early 00's they had tamarins and marmosets roaming in that area, but now it's just the foliage, even small free-roaming primates having been rightly deemed too much of a risk for both the animals and the guests.
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Right deemed? Most zoos in Europe (and a couple of zoos in North America) actually keep primates such as lemurs and small monkeys in walk-through enclosures. A few even keep them free-roaming outdoors.

I still agree that an orangutan walk-through is not safe, though.
 
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I see. If a set up like that for small primates is safe, maybe the marmosets and tamarins were removed from the central area due to insurance issues or something.
 
Cowrie said:
While not shown in the video, according to my mom, when she was a kid (which would have been in the 1950's-1960's) the primate house at the Saint Louis Zoo had free-roaming orangutans in the central area with all the foliage, which would obviously be all sorts of risky. When I was a kid, in the 90's-early 00's they had tamarins and marmosets roaming in that area, but now it's just the foliage, even small free-roaming primates having been rightly deemed too much of a risk for both the animals and the guests.
Click to expand...
I rather suspect that your mother's memories are mistaken, combining several elements of the zoo at that time. The apes in the 1950s were housed in cages in the Great Ape House not in the Monkey House, and the Monkey House itself was renovated in the 1970s (the central area in the 1950s did not look the way it does now). The zoo also had trained chimps and orangutans which did publicity stunts, and there was also a scheduled circus performance at the zoo where chimps rode ponies and did other such tricks.
 
There are many old zoo posctards depicting animals at St Louis Zoo during this period doing circus -type tricks, including the 'chimps riding ponies' ones. It seems the St Louis circus performances were somewhat unusual in this respect as few other cards from US zoos during this era depict anything similar.
 
Chlidonias said:
I rather suspect that your mother's memories are mistaken, combining several elements of the zoo at that time. The apes in the 1950s were housed in cages in the Great Ape House not in the Monkey House, and the Monkey House itself was renovated in the 1970s (the central area in the 1950s did not look the way it does now). The zoo also had trained chimps and orangutans which did publicity stunts, and there was also a scheduled circus performance at the zoo where chimps rode ponies and did other such tricks.
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Huh. If it was renovated in the 70's, maybe the memory was from her 20's?
 
Pertinax said:
There are many old zoo posctards depicting animals at St Louis Zoo during this period doing circus -type tricks, including the 'chimps riding ponies' ones. It seems the St Louis circus performances were somewhat unusual in this respect as few other cards from US zoos during this era depict anything similar.
Click to expand...
Quite a few zoos had performances with their animals, especially elephants. St. Louis was well-known for their variety and quality, though.
 
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