New book: War Zone Zoo

[K. Prenger]

There is a mystery of a young female Asian elephant Tuzinka, born in Warsaw zoo in 1937, and taken as a bounty (together with many other animals) by German troops occuppying Poland in 1939. Tuzinka was 2 years old then.

Maybe you find it interesting to know both of her parents (born in the wild) also died during WW2. Father Jas was shot by soldiers in Rotterdam Zoo (Blijdorp) in 1940, mother Kaska II died in Warsaw Zoo during German bombardments in 1939. You can find all this information on the excellent elephant database I mentioned before.

 

[FBBird]

Maybe you find it interesting to know both of her parents (born in the wild) also died during WW2. Father Jas was shot by soldiers in Rotterdam Zoo (Blijdorp) in 1940, mother Kaska II died in Warsaw Zoo during German bombardments in 1939. You can find all this information on the excellent elephant database I mentioned before.

This is covered in a bit more detail in The Zookeeper's Wife.

 

[Jurek7]

Thanks a lot again. I know that parent asian elephants from Warsaw Zoo died during the WW2. However a book on zoo history in Poland from the 1970 says that both Jas and Kasia died in Warsaw zoo during the first days of the war. This source is much closer to the events both in time and geography. Therefore I am inclined to trust it.

Do you know what happened to a male nile hippo from Warsaw Zoo? Jan Zabinski in one of his popular books wrote in amazement, that this hippo, although a tropical animal, survived in broken, unheated pool and being loaded on transport by German troops in near-freezng temperatures.

 

[FBBird]

Thanks a lot again. I know that parent asian elephants from Warsaw Zoo died during the WW2. However a book on zoo history in Poland from the 1970 says that both Jas and Kasia died in Warsaw zoo during the first days of the war. This source is much closer to the events both in time and geography. Therefore I am inclined to trust it.

Do you know what happened to a male nile hippo from Warsaw Zoo? Jan Zabinski in one of his popular books wrote in amazement, that this hippo, although a tropical animal, survived in broken, unheated pool and being loaded on transport by German troops in near-freezng temperatures.

You're quite right, both parent elephants died at Warsaw, shot and bombed respectively.
I don't know about the hippo.

 

[K. Prenger]

Thanks a lot again. I know that parent asian elephants from Warsaw Zoo died during the WW2. However a book on zoo history in Poland from the 1970 says that both Jas and Kasia died in Warsaw zoo during the first days of the war. This source is much closer to the events both in time and geography. Therefore I am inclined to trust it.

Do you know what happened to a male nile hippo from Warsaw Zoo? Jan Zabinski in one of his popular books wrote in amazement, that this hippo, although a tropical animal, survived in broken, unheated pool and being loaded on transport by German troops in near-freezng temperatures.

You're right about the parent elephants. I misinterpreted the information on the website I used as my source. Father Jas was transferred from Rotterdam zoo (Blijdorp) in 1929 to Warsaw Zoo, where he was euthanized (shot) by soldiers on 2 September 1939.

Unfortunately I don't know the fate of the hippo from Warsaw zoo. I'm afraid he hadn't the luck his Berlin "colleague" Knautschke had.

 

[snowleopard]

Wow, thank you very much 'Snowleopard'! I'm very honored with your review. It is nice to know a zoo enthusiast like you learned a great deal about the Berlin zoo during WW2 thanks to my book.

Could you please send me a scan of the review in the magazine as soon as it's published? I'm looking forward to read it.

The latest issue of Zoo Grapevine & International Zoo News is out now (Issue 47, Summer 2018) and there is a review of your book inside. If you haven't already ordered a copy, then I could take a photo of the review and send it to your email address. Send me a private message if that idea interests you.

 

[MJB]

I think a book written by me is missing: El Parque Zoológico de Madrid: 1774-1994