A – Z OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
Z
is for ZSL London Zoo
London
Today we travel to London
To
ZSL London Zoo
The Zoological Society of London was
established in 1826 and is situated at the northern edge of Regent’s Park, on
the boundary line between City of Westminster and Camden. The Society also has
a more spacious site at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire
to which the larger animals such as elephants and rhinos have been moved.
First Reptile house (1849)
First public Aquarium (1853)
First insect house (1881)
First children's zoo (1938)
London Zoo was opened on 27 April 1828 and
is the world’s oldest scientific zoo and was originally intended to be used as
a collection for scientific study. It opened to the public in 1847
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Gardens
of the Zoological Society Regent's Park 1828
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Painting
of the Camel House 1835
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Today it houses a collection of 755 species of
animals with 16,802 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in
the United Kingdom.
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London
Zoo Entrance
© Laura Porter, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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1947
Guy the gorilla arrives at London Zoo.
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Statue of Guy the Gorilla
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Guy, a
Western lowland gorilla, arrived at the Zoo on Guy Fawkes Night, (hence the
name) 1947 from Paris Zoo. He lived at the Zoo until his death in 1978. Over
his 32-year life he became one of the Zoo's best-loved residents.
After
years of trying to find a mate, in 1969 five-year-old Lomie arrived from
Chessington Zoo and they were kept separated for a year to adjust to each
other, until they were finally united. Although they got on well together they
never produced any offspring.
In 1982 Guy was commemorated by a bronze statue
in Barclay Court, sculpted by William Timym.
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http://www.theweek.co.uk
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On 27
November 1949 Brumas, named after his keepers, Bruce and Sam (Sam reversed) became
the first polar bear to be successfully bred at the Zoo, and immediately became
a major attraction with the public.
This led
to the Zoo's annual attendance to rise to over 3 million in 1950 - a figure
that has yet to be topped. Although a female, the press reported that she was a
'he' and this was not corrected at the time, leading the public to believe the
bear was a male.
Eighteen
years later, on 1 December 1967 the second polar bear bred at the Zoo, this
time a male, was born. He was named Pipaluk (Inuit for little one) but,
in 1985, had to leave the Zoo when the Mappin Terraces closed.
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Reptile
House at London Zoo
© Laura Porter, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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Arrival: The Harry Potter scene
was filmed in the reptile house for the film in late 2001
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A scene from the
first Harry Potter moved was filmed in the Reptile House at London Zoo. In this
scene a Burmese Python spoke to Harry Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe, for
the first time.
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The
coach pulled up at the entrance
Thirty
children disembarked, hopped and danced
Fees
were paid, charges shepherded through gates
To
find the conveniences before it was too late
Gathering
all together they chose the gorillas
They
pushed and shoved, asked for ices
The
giraffes were tall and stretched their long necks
Their
skin was mottled with dark flecks
The
penguins waddled to and fro
A
keeper feed them fish from a wheelbarrow
On
to the reptile house with snakes and frogs
Little
faces open eyed and mouths agog
Tired
and weary
Back
to the bus and counted clearly
Oh my,
where’s little Jimmy
There
he is next to naughty Timmy.
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http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/exhibits/reptile-house
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