zoo history

Have just found out there is a second edition being published soon of Vernon Kisling's 'Zoo and Aquarium History: Ancient Animal Collections to Conservation Centres'. The first edition was comprehensive, but prohibitively expensive; the second edition is still £100 at pre-order, but in case...

There was an article written in Vice that was published today that piqued my interest. Back in 1994, 25 black men, women, and children from the Ivory Coast were hired and sent to the park for a 6-month stint in a re-created African village, sponsored by St. Michel. "Bambouland" as it was called...

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham currently have an exhibit about Clara, the famous Indian Rhinoceros that was taken around Europe in the 18th Century, and achieved celebrity status! Miss Clara and the Celebrity Beast in Art, 1500 - 1860 - The Barber Institute of Fine Arts The...

Since covid I haven't been top thrift stores as much do I've bought a couple items on ebay to fulfill my treasure hunting urge. Suffice to say I've picked up some old view master slides from African Lion Safari and Marineland and Game Farm. Wish I could share pics but not really feasible. Anyway...

Mortality is sadly a given in this life and for many popular individual animals which touch the lives of generations of visitors to zoos over years and decades it can be a very sad time when they pass away. Many zoos around the world choose to commemorate the lives of these animals in the form...

I thought it would be good to create a thread where zoochatters can share anything they know or find out about the history of either ex-situ captive breeding of endangered species at Jersey zoo or the in-situ conservation work assisted by the Durrell Trust around the world. So feel free to...

I found this interesting article the other day on the history of zoos in Latin America written by a scholar at Oxford University, UK. It chronicles the the ancient / Pre-Colombian history of zoos in the region, the colonial and post-independence periods and the modern history of these...

Found this interesting video featuring several abandoned zoos. There are a couple of errors where the visuals do not match the narration, the most notable is at the very end when they are discussing Griffith Park Zoo and throw in a photo from several segments earlier of Stanley Park Zoo. Still...

Hello everyone! My name is Karie, and as avid zoo enthusiast and historian I have started a blog called Zoo Walks through History that I thought this community would be interested in. Zoo Walks through History I am located in the DC area, so many of my posts are about the history of the...

The trailer has been released for a movie about Belfast Zoo in WWII, which is due for release later this year

Part of an exhibition on the zoo's history in the giraffe house.

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Sounds Natural, Adam Faith I recently stumbled across this programme on BBC Radio 4 Extra - Sounds Natural, a series from 1973, where notables of the day would pick their favourite natural sounds. This episode is Adam Faith, who picks sounds recorded at London Zoo, and there...

Somehow this new temporary exhibit passed me by until I heard about it today Making Nature: How we see animals It's not a typical natural history exhibition, but an exhibition about how humans see the natural world. Interestingly, in the gallery guide, one section named 'Observing' focusses on...

ZooChatters interested in zoo history might like to know about the very recent publication:- • Menagerie:- The History of Exotic Animals in England (Caroline Grigson; 2016) I purchased a copy this afternoon; I‘ve not had time to study the book thoroughly yet but it appears to be a...

Looking at the photo of Chi Chi in the gallery, got me to wondering, what other gems were kept in this part of the gardens. Was there wild dogs as well as deer kept there too?

BBC1 Scotland is showing a documentary on the 14th of July to commemorate 100 years of the Edinburgh zoo. I don't know if it will be shown nationally, but i am sure it will be available through the i-player. BBC One - Animal Magic - 100 Years of Edinburgh Zoo

Britain from above is a new online service, cataloging photos from the early part of the 20th century, taken from the air. So far i have only found pictures taken of London and the now closed Belle Vue zoo, Manchester. http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/asearch?search=zoo...

This is my first new thread, apologies if it is in the wrong place:) A couple of days ago, I uncovered some interesting leads that I must follow up whilst reading a passage in the Staffordshire Way handbook. It was regarding Sir John Giffard of Chillington Park who lived there from 1486 until...

Can anyone provide any information regarding shoebills that have been kept in the UK. I know that 2 zoos have kept them in the past, London and Edinburgh, i think Bristol may have kept one or two in the past (unconfirmed). Do we see a collection in the future, bringing in my favourite bird...