ZSL London Zoo Old times of the London Zoo

[FBBird]

ZSL London Zoo

In the 19th century, they had Whooping Cranes, Pink-headed Ducks, Carolina Parrakeets & Passenger Pigeons.
The Earl of Derby [nearly 200 years ago] bred so many Passenger Pigeons he was letting them out. Wish we had them today.

 

[Pertinax]

Indeed, the okapi returned to London Zoo in 1979; these were the first okapi at London Zoo since the early 1950s.
QUOTE]

Yes, perhaps surprisingly they went almost thirty years without Okapi in the collection. When Bristol got them in the early 1960's, they had the only ones in the UK and for most of the next twenty years too, until either London, or Marwell, both acquired them at a similar time.

I believe London's breeding female was the first(and handraised?) calf born at Marwell which presumably makes Marwell, rather than London, the second breeder of them in the UK after Bristol. So the breeding order was; 1. Bristol. 2. Marwell. 3. London?

 

[MikeG]

On the subject of "How many animal species that are today extinct has the London Zoo kept", we should also mention the Huia from New Zealand.
Apparently two male birds were kept at London Zoo in the 1880s - does anyone have further details?

 

[gentle lemur]

So am I...

I think there was a single male Hunting Dog in the 'dog pens' behind the Sealion stand.

Other species I can think of not held in that era would be; Anoa, Bearded Pig, Warthog, R.R. Hog(gone to Whipsnade now) Aardvark(?) Okapi( I can't remember when they started with them again? '80's?)

You may well be correct about the hunting dog, I remember the maned wolf and grey foxes in those pens. There were a pair of aardvarks in the nocturnal house in the Children's Zoo (which was a sort of dry run for the Moonlight World in the Clore). There was a single anoa in the Cotton terraces (where the Malayan tapir still are/have just left) which I feared would be the only one I would ever see - I am delighted I was wrong. You are right about the bearded pigs and r r hogs, but I think there was at least one warthog in the sandy pens in lowest tier of the Mappins.

Alan

 

[Tim May]

On the subject of "How many animal species that are today extinct has the London Zoo kept", we should also mention the Huia from New Zealand.
Apparently two male birds were kept at London Zoo in the 1880s - does anyone have further details?

London Zoo acquired a huia in 1870.

Errol Fuller's book “Extinct Birds” (2000) includes reproductions of two pictures of a huia at London Zoo drawn in 1870; these pictures were drawn by Laura Buller,the daughter of Walter Buller author of “A History of the Birds of New Zealand".

 

[pipaluk]

I'll attempt to answer question 3.
There are a few mammals in the zoo (or kept there recently) that were not kept in the 1970s, including

• Alaotra bamboo lemur
• aye aye (although they aren't on display)
• Australian water rats
• giant jumping rat
• golden-headed lion tamarin
• hunting dog
• Indian lion
• Francois langur
• tamandua

I'm working from memory only, so there may be some mistakes here. Of course the number of mammals that are no longer kept is much larger.

Alan

I think we would spend ages listing the 100+ mammals lost since the 70s, but reading this & thinking more, i'm surprised how many are new since then. Several primates have been brought in for example , to replace the many lost: did London have white-cheeked gibbon, white naped mangabey, red faced spider monkey, titi, even diana monkey or colobus back then. I can't remember everything that was in the Sobell cages then, but given i can think of several they did have & lost such as mandrill , debrazzas, they can't have held all those other current species.

 

[Pertinax]

Several primates have been brought in for example , to replace the many lost: did London have white-cheeked gibbon, white naped mangabey, red faced spider monkey, titi, even diana monkey or colobus back then. I can't remember everything that was in the Sobell cages then, but given i can think of several they did have & lost such as mandrill , debrazzas, they can't have held all those other current species.

I don't think they've ever had White-naped Mangabey before- formerly they had a group of (are they the nominate race?) Sooty Mangabey in the Sobells. The Sobells started off having representatives of the main different groups, so there was one species of Guenon, one Colobine, one Mangabey, one Macaque(pig-tailed) etc. I think the Colobus may have carried over from those days, possibly also the Dianas. I think there were Titis in the Clore. White-cheeked Gibbons appeared in the Sobells in the later years.

 

[pipaluk]

I don't think they've ever had White-naped Mangabey before- formerly they had a group of (are they the nominate race?) Sooty Mangabey in the Sobells. The Sobells started off having representatives of the main different groups, so there was one species of Guenon, one Colobine, one Mangabey, one Macaque(pig-tailed) etc. I think the Colobus may have carried over from those days, possibly also the Dianas. I think there were Titis in the Clore. White-cheeked Gibbons appeared in the Sobells in the later years.

So it looks like white cheeked gibbon & the mangabeys were absent in the 70s, as they held debrazzas, did they hold dianas as well in the Sobells back then? Colobus seem more likely!There's one member who will definitely know.

 

[Pertinax]

as they held debrazzas, did they hold dianas as well in the Sobells back then?

The Monkey groups I can remember clearly around the time it opened were; Sooty Mangabeys (came from Chester and other sources), Pig-tailed Macaques (bred from their own group of 2.3 from the old Monkeyhouse), Mandrills(from their own brother/sister breeding pair born at the zoo, and then outcrossed with Southport stock) I don't remember which Guenon species they had initially- I don't remember De Brazzas though. I just have a feeling the Dianas have been present for a long time, and probably the Colobus as well.

 

[Dassie rat]

Originally Posted by Norwegian moose
How many animal species that are today extinct have the London kept, I know about thylachine, quagga, and dodo, are there anymore?

The following additional species were kept in London Zoo: Crescent nail-tailed walaby; Schomburgk's deer; Falkland Islands wolf; Little Swan Island hutia; Partula turgida; passenger pigeon and huia. I expect there are quite a few more.

 

[gentle lemur]

The Monkey groups I can remember clearly around the time it opened were; Sooty Mangabeys (came from Chester and other sources), Pig-tailed Macaques (bred from their own group of 2.3 from the old Monkeyhouse), Mandrills(from their own brother/sister breeding pair born at the zoo, and then outcrossed with Southport stock) I don't remember which Guenon species they had initially- I don't remember De Brazzas though. I just have a feeling the Dianas have been present for a long time, and probably the Colobus as well.

I think there is a complete list of the first occupants of the Sobells in IZYB Volume 15 - but my library is packed away at the moment and I can't locate my copy. I think you're basically correct, except that I can add the assorted group of brown capuchins to your list. The only guenons I can remember clearly are the talapoins in the Clore, but I agree that there was probably at least one other species.
During the decade of the '70s other species certainly passed through. I remember geladas at one stage and I think there may have been a species of spider monkey too.

Alan

 

[Dassie rat]

I remember the douc langur just after the Sobells opened.

 

[IanRRobinson]

I remember the douc langur just after the Sobells opened.

How many did they have, and in which enclosure were they kept?

The 1972 guidebook showed a photo of Guereza, but I don't recall any colobines until the early 80s arrival of Western/King Colobus, nor any Asian colobines until the arrival of Sri Lankan Entellus in 1989.

 

[IanRRobinson]

The only guenons I can remember clearly are the talapoins in the Clore, but I agree that there was probably at least one other species.

Vervets (no idea which form they'd now be assigned to) were kept in that small enclosure where the Gelada would be and then the King Colobus. Diana Monkeys arrived in 1983 (I think), and Hamlyn's about 1987. De Brazza's were kept as well, but I don't remember when or for how long.

And for a while in the early 1990s Campbell/Mona hybrids were kept where the Giant Pandas and later Koalas were kept.

 

[bongorob]

I think there is a complete list of the first occupants of the Sobells in IZYB Volume 15 - but my library is packed away at the moment and I can't locate my copy. I think you're basically correct, except that I can add the assorted group of brown capuchins to your list. The only guenons I can remember clearly are the talapoins in the Clore, but I agree that there was probably at least one other species.
During the decade of the '70s other species certainly passed through. I remember geladas at one stage and I think there may have been a species of spider monkey too.

Alan

Species kept in the Clore 1967-1974

Long-nosed echidna Zaglossus bartoni
Virginian Opossum Didelphis marsupialis
Woolly Opossum Caluromys lanatus
Mouse Opossum Marmosa carryi
Tasmanian Devil Sarcophilus harrisii
Brush-tailed Possum Trichosurus vulpecula
Sugar Gilder Petaurus breviceps
Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo Dendrologus goodfellowi
Agile Wallaby Macropus agilis
Common Wombat Vombatus ursinus hirsutus
Moonrat Echinosorex gymnurus
Greater Hedgehog Tenrec Setifer setosus
Common Shrew Sorex araneus
Indian Fruit Bat Pteropus giganteus
Vampire Bat Desmodus rotundus
Short-nosed Elephant Shrew Elephantulus brachyrhynchus
North African Elephant Shrew Elephantulus rozeti
Common Tree Shrew Tupaia glis
Large Tree Shrew Tupaia tana
Grey Mouse Lemur Microcebus murinus
Red Mouse Lemur Microcebus rufus
Hybrid Ruffed Lemur Lemur variegatus
Black and White Ruffed Lemur Lemur variegatus variegatus
Red Ruffed Lemur Lemur variegatus ruber
Ring-tailed Lemur Lemur catta
Common Potto Perodicticus potto
Angwantibo Arctocebus calabariensis
Slow Loris Nycticebus coucang
Slender Loris Loris tardigradus
Thick-tailed Bushbaby Galago crassicaudatus
Senegal Bushbaby Galago senegalensis
Allen's Bushbaby Galago alleni
Douroucouli Aotus trivirgatus
Dusky Titi Callicebus moloch
Common Squirrel Monkey Saimiri sciureus
Talapoin Monkey Cercopithecus talapoin
Tamandua Tamandua tetradactyla
Hairy Armadillo Chaetophractus nationi
Linné's Two-toed Sloth Choloepus didactylus
Hoffman's Sloth Choloepus hoffmanni
Steppe Pika Ochotona pusilla
Northern Flying Squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus
Southern Flying Squirrel Glaucomys volans
Fire-footed Squirrel Funisciurus pyrrhopus leonis
White-footed Mouse Peromyscus leucopus
Dwarf Hamster Phodopus sungorus
Dwarf Hamster Phodopus roborovskii
Red-backed Vole Clethrionomys gapperi
Steppe Lemming Lagurus lagurus
African Gerbil Tatera afra
Clawd Jird Meriones unguiculatus
Field Mouse Apodomys sylvaticus
Long-tailed Thicket Rat Grammomys dolichurus
Nile Rat Arvicanthis niloticus
Four-striped Rat Rhabdomys pumilio
Sladen's Rat Rattus rattus sladeni
African Giant Rat Cricetomys gambianus
Indian Crested Porcupine Hystrix indicus
African Brush-tailed Porcupine Atherurus africanus
Cuis Galea musteloides
Green Acouchy Myoprocta pratti
Red Acouchy Myoprocta acouchy
Plains Viscacha Lagostomus maximus
Mountain Viscacha Lagidium peruanum
Chinchilla Chinchilla laniger
Degu Octodon degus
Casirauga Proechimys guariae
Long-tailed Porcupine Trichys lipura
Canadian Porcupine Erethiozon dorsatum
Paca Cuniculus paca
Agouti Dasyprocta aguti
Tuco Tuco Ctenomys talarum
European Badger Meles meles
African Civet Viverra civetta
Bobcat Felis rufus
Leopard Cat Felis bengalensis
Margay Felis wiedii
Zorilla Ictonyx striatus
Small-toothed Palm Civet Arctogalidia trivirgata
Fennec Fox Fennecus zerda
Red Panda Ailurus fulgens
Bat-eared Fox Otocyon megalotis
Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata
Chinese Ferret Badger Melogale moschata
Tayra Eira barbara
Aardvark Orycopterus afer
Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis
Beecroft's Hyrax Dendrohyrax dorsalis

 

[bongorob]

Crocodile Inventory London Zoo 1st January 1973

American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis 3.2.1
Spectacled Caiman Caiman crocodilus crocodilus 4.1
Yacare Caiman Caiman crocodylus yacare 4 arrived in 1948
American Crocodile Crocodylus arcutus 1.0
Slender-snouted Crocodile Crocodilus cataphractus 1.0
Morelet's Crocodile Crocodylus moreletii 1.0
Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus 1.0.3
Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris 0.2
Saltwater Crocodile Crocodylus porosus 2.0
Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis 1.0

 

[Tim May]

I remember the douc langur just after the Sobells opened.

London Zoo acquired two douc langurs in 1972, the year the Sobell Pavilions opened.

I remember geladas at one stage and I think there may have been a species of spider monkey too.

London Zoo obtained four geladas and seven black spider monkeys in 1973, the year after the Sobell Pavilions opened.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

Crocodile Inventory London Zoo 1st January 1973

American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis 3.2.1
Spectacled Caiman Caiman crocodilus crocodilus 4.1
Yacare Caiman Caiman crocodylus yacare 4 arrived in 1948
American Crocodile Crocodylus arcutus 1.0
Slender-snouted Crocodile Crocodilus cataphractus 1.0
Morelet's Crocodile Crocodylus moreletii 1.0
Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus 1.0.3
Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris 0.2
Saltwater Crocodile Crocodylus porosus 2.0
Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis 1.0

Amazing list. Shame they were mostly not pairwise.

 

[pipaluk]

Amazing list. Shame they were mostly not pairwise.

It is an amazing list and puts today's one (1 species!) to shame. I think they also held gharial or false gharial at some point in the 70s.
Thanks for posting these lists Rob!

 

[Pertinax]

London Zoo obtained four geladas and seven black spider monkeys in 1973, the year after the Sobell Pavilions opened.

I believe the Geladas were the ex Jersey group. London did have their own(non-breeding) pair in the old Monkeyhouse but I am not sure if they were amalgamated with the Jersey ones or not- I think probably not as they had already died(or been disposed of).