ZSL London Zoo London Zoo Crisis of early 1990s

[IanRRobinson]

I don't know where it comes from! My parents were never interested in zoos/animals nor were/are my children. But I was almost from the year dot and began pestering to visit zoos from about the age of six..

Maybe playgrounds have an important role after all- to distract bored children of zoo enthusiasts!

Swapping notes, I might add that I've never known any of the children that I've taken round London, Whipsnade, Marwell, Twycross, Chester and many others (over some twenty years) take any particular interest in "Children's" Zoos. Playgrounds, yes; domestic animals, no.

 

[pipaluk]

I don't know where it comes from! My parents were never interested in zoos/animals nor were/are my children. But I was almost from the year dot and began pestering to visit zoos from about the age of six..

Maybe playgrounds have an important role after all- to distract bored children of zoo enthusiasts!

My interest began even earlier than that,i was obsessed with zoo animals from getting my first set of plastic animals aged 1 ! As a child when asked where id like to go, i know it irritated my parents that they only got 1 answer-the zoo(we nearly always went to london in those days too) i never had any interest in museums,galleries,churches & other old buildings,or music & still dont!

 

[pipaluk]

Swapping notes, I might add that I've never known any of the children that I've taken round London, Whipsnade, Marwell, Twycross, Chester and many others (over some twenty years) take any particular interest in "Children's" Zoos. Playgrounds, yes; domestic animals, no.

Thinking about it,this is my experience too,unless the domestic animals could be fed, my daughter had no interest at all.

 

[chizlit]

Swapping notes, I might add that I've never known any of the children that I've taken round London, Whipsnade, Marwell, Twycross, Chester and many others (over some twenty years) take any particular interest in "Children's" Zoos. Playgrounds, yes; domestic animals, no.

Call me sad but I love to see domestic animals in a zoo if it's well laid out, the fact that you can usually make contact with them is an added bonus.
If you live in a big city like I do it's not everyday you have chance to stroke a donkey or goat, I'd prefer the kids not to be there, they can go play on the rides

 

[Pertinax]

! As a child when asked where id like to go, i know it irritated my parents that they only got 1 answer-the zoo(we nearly always went to london in those days too) i never had any interest in museums,galleries,churches & other old buildings,or music & still dont!

I made similar requests when an outing was offered. My earliest Zoo memories are of Whipsnade-always raining it seemed but that didn't bother me. In fact I didn't realise even Whipsnade could have decent weather too, until I was quite a lot older!

I was interested in Museums too- but only the Natural History sections- I would make straight for the Bird Galleries in particular. As there was no Zoo near to my home then, the local Museum was something of a day-to-day substitute.

 

[Pertinax]

Call me sad but I love to see domestic animals in a zoo if it's well laid out, the fact that you can usually make contact with them is an added bonus.

Not sad. I usually have a poke around the Children's Zoo where there is one. I like Guinea Pig colonies, Rare breed Poultry and 'good' Pygmy Goats in particular. My favourite Children's Zoo/Farm is probably Cotswold's with their little Dwarf zebu etc, but I used to like the old one at Twycross too. Twycross' new one is good also but doesn't have the same intimate flavour.

This is digressing rather...

 

[Shorts]

And if we're talking lawns and wasted space can I also throw Twycross into the mix

Let's have them sorting out what they've got before they fill any more space.

Personally I'd like to see a Baboon Island on the lawn between the Tropical House and Hyenas/Otters (in the distant future obviously).

 

[chizlit]

Let's have them sorting out what they've got before they fill any more space.

Personally I'd like to see a Baboon Island on the lawn between the Tropical House and Hyenas/Otters (in the distant future obviously).

Hmmmm yeah ok, they will probably pull down the green mile to make more room for lawns.

 

[chizlit]

Not sad. I usually have a poke around the Children's Zoo where there is one. I like Guinea Pig colonies, Rare breed Poultry and 'good' Pygmy Goats in particular. My favourite Children's Zoo/Farm is probably Cotswold's with their little Dwarf zebu etc, but I used to like the old one at Twycross too. Twycross' new one is good also but doesn't have the same intimate flavour.

This is digressing rather...

Yes it is, but it's interesting so I dont mind.......

 

[wenxue]

And it does all ultimately relate to the point - how does a zoo pull in visitors/make money/keep open whilst still focussing on the core function of being a zoo and not a theme park/playground/something else.

 

[SHAVINGTONZOO]

Of course, if London depended on UK visitors it would have closed years ago!!

 

[chizlit]

Of course, if London depended on UK visitors it would have closed years ago!!

Then I wonder what your average European / American visitor thinks after spending £20+ to get in and sees more lawns and playgrounds than animals especially if they are Dutch or German and have such high class zoos and pay less to visit them.

 

[volvox]

Well, I can tell you from experience: the reactions of non-UK visitors is as mixed as the UK variety. Most like or love it, the odd one is critical. No one has ever complained to me about the lovely green space in the centre of the zoo (well, I like it anyway! I still think of it as the "zoological gardens"): plenty complain about the lack of animals but that's usually because they haven't looked and it only takes a minute to direct them to what they've missed (like for example the entire other side of the zoo, through the tunnels!!!).

And just to go back to a previous point: Wenxue mentioned that a "scattering of volunteers at busy times would do no harm"... in fact every day has a team of between 10 and 25 volunteers present but of course we are stationed at various crucial points (eg the walkthroughs); wandering around just chatting to visitors is a luxury which we enjoy very much but don't often have time for. We'd need twice the number of volunteers and getting and retaining vols is not easy!

 

[wenxue]

Thanks for your post Volvox. The work all staff and volunteers do is much much appreciated. I know you can't be all things to all people all of the time. Some parents need to do more of the work before kids even get to the zoo. No kid should reach any great age without knowing that a swan is not a duck or not all lions have manes. Just frustrates me like mad when I see such things.

 

[SHAVINGTONZOO]

Then I wonder what your average European / American visitor thinks after spending £20+ to get in and sees more lawns and playgrounds than animals especially if they are Dutch or German and have such high class zoos and pay less to visit them.

Since most will be one-time visitors I don't suppose it has much commercial impact!

The reality is that for this, and other, reasons Regent's Park operates to a different set of rules than any other UK collection.

 

[volvox]

It's not just kids, Wenxue: many adults are astonishingly lacking in animal knowledge, which is I think one of the justifications for the continuing existence of zoos. Visitors are really interested and appreciative when you tell them stuff they don't know (not difficult!) – it's one of the huge pleasures of being a volunteer.

 

[Maz Kam]

Just wanted to ask - can anyone tell me how much tickets for London Zoo cost in, say, 1994 - or the mid-nineties in general? For adults and children? Thank you.

 

[Panthera1981]

Other than the revised first edition, are there still plans to release a successor to “London Zoo from old photographs...” that covers post 1914? There was talk many years ago (based I believe on the success of the first edition) but it’s been very quiet since!

 

[Ned]

@Maz Kam Don't know if this helps but a years membership for an adult in 1999 started at £29.00. I would guess that a day ticket was around £9.00

 

[Pertinax]

Then I wonder what your average European / American visitor thinks after spending £20+ to get in and sees more lawns and playgrounds than animals especially if they are Dutch or German and have such high class zoos and pay less to visit them.

I have often wondered that too. I can't think of many countries that have such a 'thin' collection among their own major zoos nowadays. But I guess its just taken in the spirit of tourism and they aren't likely to return if they are tourists anyway.