A lot of the cranes were taken off exhibit and housed behind the bird garden.
ZSL London Zoo Old times of the London Zoo
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A lot of the cranes were taken off exhibit and housed behind the bird garden.
There still are( or at least fairly recently) a pair of Stanley Crane & at least one other crane species in the bird garden, along with several other species.
BongoHardwood
Well-Known Member
Correct. The Blue/Stanley cranes are technically off-show but are on the edge of the bird garden and therefore visible through the screening across the road from the rhea (the most recent inventory lists 2.3 interestingly - I have only ever seen a pair in that enclosure). Manchurian/Red-crowned cranes are on-show next to the sloth bears (and currently have two chicks) and Demoiselle cranes are on-show in the aviary joining the café. As well as these three species visible to the public, there are also off-show wattled cranes and (according to the latest inventory on the website) African grey-crowned cranes and African black-crowned cranes. Just a pity they closed the bird garden to the public!
Although not on-show now, the most interesting example of a mammal species kept by London now which was not back in the 1970's is the Panay Cloud Rat - which was only scientifically described in the mid-90's!
Manchurian Cranes at Whipsnade.
I know Cranes can be very long-lived birds and there has been a pair of Manchurian cranes breeding in that enclosure for many years now. I wonder 1. how old they are, 2. if its one continuous pair, or 3. if one or other were themselves bred at Whipsnade?
I know Cranes can be very long-lived birds and there has been a pair of Manchurian cranes breeding in that enclosure for many years now. I wonder 1. how old they are, 2. if its one continuous pair, or 3. if one or other were themselves bred at Whipsnade?
Among the extinct species probably held in London and possibly in other major zoos, I should remember the Capo Verde skink Macroscincus coctei. Anyone has data concerning this specie in captivity in London or elsewhere? I known that a good number of individuals (40) was acquired by the Italian herpetologist Peracca in 1891.
I wouldn’t like to estimate how many different animal species have been kept at London Zoo although the following may be of interest:-
Between 1862 and 1896 the Zoological Society of London produced nine editions of the book “List of the Vertebrated Animals now or lately Living in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London”. Then in 1929, a centenary three volume edition was published that listed every species of vertebrate kept in the zoo between 1828 and 1927.
According to this centenary edition the following number of species had been kept at London Zoo during its first one hundred years:-
- mammals 949
- birds 2330
- reptiles 736
- amphibians 158
- fish 280
With all the taxonomic changes over the last eighty odd years, if a similar list of species covering the years 1828 – 1927 were produced according to today’s taxonomy, the exact number of species would surely be different. Nevertheless, these figures are indicative of the approximate number of vertebrate species kept at London Zoo during its first one hundred years.
Obviously many new species, not featured in this list, have been kept subsequently; a few species of mammals first kept after 1927 immediately spring to mind including:-
okapi; gerenuk; white rhinoceros; mountain gorilla; Philippine tarsier; golden snub-nosed monkey; giant panda; Baikal seal; giant armadillo; Hispaniolan solenodon........
Of course there are a great many other new mammal species and many other new vertebrate species that have been kept since 1927 too.
And, of course, lots of invertebrates........
London Zoo did, indeed, have Cape Verde skink (or, as they were then known, Cocteau’s great skink).
Professor Barboza du Bocage presented two of these skinks to London Zoo on 14th October 1874. Another three individuals were acquired in 1883.
Bib Fortuna
Well-Known Member
Does anybody here has a few more informations of the old"Anteater and Sloth House" at London Zoo ?
It stood on the side of the present library building and was used for diffrent animals like sloth,pangolins,anteaters, tamanduas, armadillos ,aardvark,aardwolf and chimpanzees.
I couldn't find any detailed informations, even in the phantastic book"London Zoo from old photographs-second Edition"-only two Pictures of the chimpanzee Cage.
I would like to know when this house was opened-it was after 1882, and closed-around 1905, I think. Has anybody old guidebooks before 1905 and can tell me, which other species were kept in it ? I would like to know, if anteaters,aardvark,pangolins,sloth,armadillo and aardwolf were kept there at the same time.
Thank you.
It stood on the side of the present library building and was used for diffrent animals like sloth,pangolins,anteaters, tamanduas, armadillos ,aardvark,aardwolf and chimpanzees.
I couldn't find any detailed informations, even in the phantastic book"London Zoo from old photographs-second Edition"-only two Pictures of the chimpanzee Cage.
I would like to know when this house was opened-it was after 1882, and closed-around 1905, I think. Has anybody old guidebooks before 1905 and can tell me, which other species were kept in it ? I would like to know, if anteaters,aardvark,pangolins,sloth,armadillo and aardwolf were kept there at the same time.
Thank you.
I haven’t time to do a thorough check through old London Zoo guides this evening but, according to the guide for 1878, the Sloths’ House contained Hoffmann’s sloth, aardvark and aardwolf while great anteaters were housed in the adjacent Marsupial House.
In his delightful book “A Walk Through the Zoological Gardens” (1900) F. G. Aflalo complains that the building is called the Sloths’ House when it doesn’t contain a sloth! He does, though, list its inhabitants as aardwolf, great anteaters, armadillos, tree kangaroos, chevrotain and phalangers.
I will search through other old London Zoo guides and supply more information when I have a little more time.
Further to Bib Fortuna’s question and my earlier post about inhabitants of London Zoo’s Sloths’ House, a little more information:-
According to the London Zoo guide for 1881 the Sloths’ House contained Hoffmann’s sloth and aardwolf while great anteaters were housed in the adjacent Marsupial House.
The London Zoo guide for 1882 also records the Sloths’ House as displaying Hoffmann’s sloth but makes no mention of aardwolf; again great anteaters are listed as being in the adjacent Marsupial House.
The London Zoo guide for 1890 still lists Hoffmann’s sloth as an inhabitant of the Sloths’ House. More surprisingly the chimpanzee “Sally”, acquired in 1883, is also listed as being housed in this building. Again great anteaters are listed as living in the adjacent Marsupial House; according to this guide a Cape ant bear (i.e. an aardvark) is also kept in this building.
In the 1908 guide the building is referred to as the Sloth and Anteaters’ House; its inhabitants are listed as great anteater, tamandua, armadillo and two-toed sloth. In addition, some lemurs (species not given) are kept in this building due lack of space in the Monkey House.
According to the 1909 guide the Sloth and Anteaters’ House contained great anteater, tamandua, armadillos, lemurs and a thylacine. (Presumably the latter animal was the thylacine that arrived on 12th March 1909 and died on 5th December 1914.)
According to the London Zoo guide for 1881 the Sloths’ House contained Hoffmann’s sloth and aardwolf while great anteaters were housed in the adjacent Marsupial House.
The London Zoo guide for 1882 also records the Sloths’ House as displaying Hoffmann’s sloth but makes no mention of aardwolf; again great anteaters are listed as being in the adjacent Marsupial House.
The London Zoo guide for 1890 still lists Hoffmann’s sloth as an inhabitant of the Sloths’ House. More surprisingly the chimpanzee “Sally”, acquired in 1883, is also listed as being housed in this building. Again great anteaters are listed as living in the adjacent Marsupial House; according to this guide a Cape ant bear (i.e. an aardvark) is also kept in this building.
In the 1908 guide the building is referred to as the Sloth and Anteaters’ House; its inhabitants are listed as great anteater, tamandua, armadillo and two-toed sloth. In addition, some lemurs (species not given) are kept in this building due lack of space in the Monkey House.
According to the 1909 guide the Sloth and Anteaters’ House contained great anteater, tamandua, armadillos, lemurs and a thylacine. (Presumably the latter animal was the thylacine that arrived on 12th March 1909 and died on 5th December 1914.)
Bib Fortuna
Well-Known Member
@Tim may
Do you know, why the last Cape Mountain Zebra at London had to be killed by order in 1930, and who gave this order ? The goverment of the City or the Country ?
And how many specimens of cape mountain Zebras were kept at the Zoo ?
Do you know, why the last Cape Mountain Zebra at London had to be killed by order in 1930, and who gave this order ? The goverment of the City or the Country ?
And how many specimens of cape mountain Zebras were kept at the Zoo ?
Bib Fortuna
Well-Known Member
Thank you,FBBird.
Did the London Zoo ever experiment with keeping tenrec species beyond the greater hedgehog tenrec that Bongorob mentioned, or did they leave that to Gerald Durrell?
Yes, I think it means "Killed by Order of the Council of the Zoological Society of London" doesn't it? At least that is the impression I get from Clinton Keeling's books.
The earliest tenrecs at London Zoo,that I am aware of, were two tail-less tenrecs received in 1900 from Walter Rothschild (founder of the Tring Zoological Museum).
This female Cape mountain zebra was acquired on 14th August 1907 and destroyed on 19th May 1930; I don't know why but, as FBBird has already mentioned, it seems probable it was due to old age.
Incidentally,I believe that this is the female that gave birth to a hybrid foal after mating with a Somali wild ass.
Yes, as John Edwards mentions in his book, she was called 'Jenny' and she did kill a mountain zebra stallion.
Flower records two hybrids born at London Zoo to a female mountain zebra:-
- Somali wild ass x mountain zebra
- Chapman's zebra x mountain zebra
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