Yes, ‘Chia Chia’ was sent on breeding loan to Washington for a short while.
Incidentally, ‘Ching Ching’ is stuffed and on display in the Edinburgh Museum.
ZSL London Zoo What happened to London Zoos Last Pandas
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Yes, ‘Chia Chia’ was sent on breeding loan to Washington for a short while.
Incidentally, ‘Ching Ching’ is stuffed and on display in the Edinburgh Museum.
To digress briefly; Edinburgh Museum seem to have quite a few animals from zoos elsewhere(even if not on display nowadays)
They have the Quagga that was photo'd from London Zoo. I believe they may also have the famous Gorilla 'Jambo' from Jersey Zoo but not sure about that..
Agreed; there is a very interesting zoological collection in the Edinburgh Museum.
Unfortunately, on my last visit a few months ago, I discovered that most of the interesting specimens (including the quagga) that I recalled from previous visits were off exhibit; the giant panda ‘Ching Ching’ was still on display though.
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sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
To bump a very old thread with a question:
As Tim May says above, various pandas arrived at London Zoo, just prior to the Second World War. One ("Grandma") died in quarantine, but others lived for a few years: Sung (died 1939), Tang (1940) and Ming (1944).
During the war, they were - for all or part of the time - evacuated to Whipsnade. Does anyone know precisely when this happened, and if a panda (or two) remained in London at all times?
As Tim May says above, various pandas arrived at London Zoo, just prior to the Second World War. One ("Grandma") died in quarantine, but others lived for a few years: Sung (died 1939), Tang (1940) and Ming (1944).
During the war, they were - for all or part of the time - evacuated to Whipsnade. Does anyone know precisely when this happened, and if a panda (or two) remained in London at all times?
Am I remembering correctly that there was relatively recent talk of bringing giant pandas back to ZSL at one point (London or Whipsnade)? Was that an idea that never came to pass due to the pandas going to Edinburgh?
Also, what was the last year that there was actually a giant panda in London Zoo?
Also, what was the last year that there was actually a giant panda in London Zoo?
That was 1994
There was a time when all three of the ZSL giant pandas were at Whipsnade with none at London Zoo.
“Ming” actually made the journey between London and Whipsnade three times.
The excellent book “Men and Pandas” (Ramona & Desmond Morris; 1966) provides more details. Rather than trust to memory I wanted to double check dates against this book; unfortunately I mislaid my copy and it took a while to find it otherwise I would have responded yesterday.
The first of the three London giant pandas to be sent to Whipsnade was “Sung” on 23rd May 1939. On 1st September 1939 “Ming” and “Tang” were also sent to Whipsnade leaving no giant pandas at London Zoo.
“Sung” was taken ill at Whipsnade so was returned to London Zoo where he died on 18th December 1939. (Morris does not state exactly when this animal returned to London.) “Tang died on 23rd April 1940.
“Ming” travelled between London and Whipsnade on the dates below:-
- 1st September 1939 from London to Whipsnade
- 14th March 1940 from Whipsnade to London
- 17th October 1940 from London to Whipsnade
- 7th July 1942 from Whipsnade to London
- 15th October 1942 from London to Whipsnade
- 3rd June 1943 from Whipsnade to London
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
Thank you for this Tim - very much appreciated! (and very interesting too).
Lindafromderbyshire
New Member
I remember as a child going to London Zoo to see Chi- Chi and An-An. Linda from DerbyshireI am very sure he did
Just double checked, An An was at London zoo in 1968-1968 for ten months.
I visited London Zoo in 1966 as a very small child and the one animal I really wanted to see was Chi Chi. I have only the haziest recollections of the visit but I do remember being heartbroken at not seeing her as she was in Moscow with An An.
Chi Chi was an old animal when I visited London Zoo in 1972. She slept most of the time and stayed in her indoor enclosures at the end of the old Cattle Sheds (roughly where the vulture aviary is now).
Ching Ching and Chia Chia also slept a lot (a panda characteristic, of course) but they did use their outdoor space (the same enclosure as the crested macaques now). I always wish that the Zoo could have displayed them in a purpose built enclosure, rather than one of the monkey sections in the Sobells. I have some photos but they aren't awfully good and I have never bothered to scan them.
Chi Chi was an old animal when I visited London Zoo in 1972. She slept most of the time and stayed in her indoor enclosures at the end of the old Cattle Sheds (roughly where the vulture aviary is now).
Ching Ching and Chia Chia also slept a lot (a panda characteristic, of course) but they did use their outdoor space (the same enclosure as the crested macaques now). I always wish that the Zoo could have displayed them in a purpose built enclosure, rather than one of the monkey sections in the Sobells. I have some photos but they aren't awfully good and I have never bothered to scan them.
There were a lot of postcards produced of ZSL pandas obviously. There were several of Ming, most in a styalised format with props like a chair or a wall. There is a famous one of the two young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret 'meeting' a panda, which I think is Ming.
Chi-Chi had several postcards, I have five different ones, most/all taken in the semi- circular 'grotto' style enclosure which was near the old camel house. Ching Ching and Chia Chia I have ten different cards of...
I remember An An's visit to London too, I visited the zoo a lot during that period and have a photo of him somewhere,he was big and overweight on arrival.
The last Pandas at ZSL, Bao-Bao and Ming-Ming I saw just the once- sleeping of course.
There are at least two dozen postcards of "Ming"; most were published by commercial postcard companies although there were a few official ZSL postcards too.
Many of the postcards are very anthropomorphic depicting the giant panda "reading" a newspaper, "driving" a toy car etc.
A number of postcards feature photos taken by Bert Hardy that depict the photographer's son Mike playing football with the panda, riding on the panda's back etc.
As mentioned earlier in this thread, "Ming" was originally called "Baby" and there is a rare postcard with the caption giving the panda's name as "Baby"; the card was subsequently reissued with the name changed to "Ming".
In contrast to the numerous cards of "Ming", postcards of "Lien-Ho", London Zoo's first post-war giant panda, are very scarce.
Thanks for posting these here. Some of my earliest zoo memories are of staring through that window at Chi Chi, nearly always asleep, which made it even more exciting if she was actually awake eating! The house stayed empty for some time I recall and I used to go to the window hoping to see another giant panda in there. I can also remember being very disappointed when it was demolished for the New Lion Terrace development.Chi Chi was an old animal when I visited London Zoo in 1972. She slept most of the time and stayed in her indoor enclosures at the end of the old Cattle Sheds (roughly where the vulture aviary is now).
Ching Ching and Chia Chia also slept a lot (a panda characteristic, of course) but they did use their outdoor space (the same enclosure as the crested macaques now). I always wish that the Zoo could have displayed them in a purpose built enclosure, rather than one of the monkey sections in the Sobells. I have some photos but they aren't awfully good and I have never bothered to scan them.
when ching ching amd chia chia arrived they were only meant to be in the sobell pavilion temporary as the zoo was going to build a proper panda enclosure for them . but as we all know for whatever reason this never happened . I have an old guide book and on the map the sobell enclosure does say temporary panda quartersChi Chi was an old animal when I visited London Zoo in 1972. She slept most of the time and stayed in her indoor enclosures at the end of the old Cattle Sheds (roughly where the vulture aviary is now).
Ching Ching and Chia Chia also slept a lot (a panda characteristic, of course) but they did use their outdoor space (the same enclosure as the crested macaques now). I always wish that the Zoo could have displayed them in a purpose built enclosure, rather than one of the monkey sections in the Sobells. I have some photos but they aren't awfully good and I have never bothered to scan them.
When you look at it, London have never had a purpose built enclosure for Giant Panda. All the ones they've had used accomodation formerly housing other species and converted (to some degree) for them. Includes the very last pair which were also in the Sobell pavilions.
Reptile House
Well-Known Member
Whereabouts were the pandas kept in London?
London Zoo's giant pandas were housed in various different places.
London's last giant pandas "Bao-Bao" and "Ming-Ming" were housed in a former primate cage in the Sobell Pavilions, which had previously been used for the pandas "Ching-Ching" and "Chia-Chia".
The famous giant panda "Chi-Chi" was housed in three different places in London Zoo. Initially she was kept in a pit between old Lion House and the Park Paddocks, close to the Penguin Pool; this pit was subsequently converted into a seal pond. "Chi-Chi" was then moved to the old bear dens near the Clock Tower (which were demolished to make way for the Sobell Pavilions). She was then moved to the old Deer and Cattle Sheds, occupying the area that previously housed white rhino.
Earlier giant pandas were housed in several different places including the old Lion House.
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