Welcome to the London Zoo…

What’s a scientific zoo?

Additionally referred to as zoological gardens, scientific zoos are park-like areas housing animals primarily for the aim of scientific examine, conservation, and public training. Analysis and conservation efforts are sometimes a precedence for such scientific zoos, they usually play a pivotal function in finding out animal behaviour and genetics, and nurturing breeding programmes. Such zoos are additionally on the forefront of initiatives in terms of educating the general public about wildlife and conservation efforts. Along with analysis, conservation efforts, and academic initiatives, welfare of the animals residing within the zoo can be of utmost significance.

The London Zoo is taken into account the world’s oldest scientific zoo. When it opened its doorways on April 27, 1828, it was completely for the members of the Zoological Society of London – a society based in 1826 to allow scientists to check animals stored in comparative freedom. It stayed that manner for practically twenty years, earlier than finally opening its doorways to the general public in 1847 to assist funding.

The London Zoo prides itself at being change-makers from its inception, typically breaking new floor in conservation science whereas at all times passionately advocating for wildlife. With a concentrate on nice structure, they’ve continuously been in a position to spark a love of animals amongst its guests. The animals’ enclosures are created with their pursuits in thoughts, whereas additionally creating areas that foster marvel and studying amongst its guests.

The person behind the London Zoo

The London Zoo was the brainchild of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. Born in July 1781, Raffles had a brief however adventurous life. His many accomplishments embrace founding trendy Singapore and serving because the Lieutenant-Governor of Java. He additionally arrange the oldest college in Singapore, which nonetheless bears his title – Raffles Establishment.

A naturalist, Raffles constructed an enormous assortment of vegetation, animals, birds, and fish throughout his time in south-east Asia, along with 1000’s of drawings and work pertaining to pure historical past. This priceless assortment, nevertheless, was misplaced because the ship carrying it again to England caught fireplace.

Not one to lose coronary heart, Raffles arrange the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) together with Sir Humphry Davy in 1826, following his return to England. Bringing collectively scientists and collectors along with different gents (girls had been admitted from 1827 onwards), the Society’s goal was to type a group of animals that may very well be studied by its members for the development of zoological data. A lease on an space of Regent’s Park was obtained for this goal in 1826 and Decimus Burton, a younger architect, was roped in and tasked with planning the grounds of the zoo, which included designing lodging for animals and laying out the gardens.

Shortly after establishing the ZSL and turning into its first president, Raffles unexpectedly died in July 1826, aged 45. Regardless of this setback, the members of ZSL ensured that Raffles’ dream got here true and the London Zoo was arrange and opened to its members on April 27, 1828.

What’s a stocktake?

Almost 200 years on since its institution, the London Zoo continues to thrive and is a spot that greater than 10,000 particular person animals can now name dwelling. The annual stocktake, which is now a requirement for the London Zoo to retain its zoological license, is when zookeepers tally up each mammal, hen, reptile, and invertebrate within the zoo.

Suppose once more should you had been beneath the impression that that is a straightforward activity and all it takes is a stroll by the zoo. Regardless that counting massive mammals is likely to be straightforward, the identical can’t be mentioned of the zoo’s varied different species, particularly the varied assortment of invertebrates.

Kumbuka, a male gorilla, inspects the zookeeper’s chalk board in his enclosure at the London Zoo in 2014.
| Photograph Credit score:
AP

The annual stocktake on the London Zoo usually lasts per week. The data thus gathered is then shared with many different zoos all through the world by a database referred to as ZIMS Species360. This information is employed to assist handle the worldwide conservation breeding programmes for endangered animals.

The newest London Zoo annual stocktake began on January 3, 2025 and turned out to be a busy and profitable endeavor.

Well-known residents

There have been various animals which were crowd pullers in their very own proper and have gone down in historical past for the function they’ve performed. Listed here are a few of them:

Sculpture of Man the gorilla on the most important entrance of London Zoo.
| Photograph Credit score:
Katie Chan / Wikimedia Commons

Man the gorilla

A western lowland gorilla, Man the gorilla was nearly a celeb on the zoo throughout his time there from 1947 to 1978. He will get his title from the truth that he arrived on the zoo on November 5, the day when Man Fawkes Evening is noticed, primarily in Nice Britain.

Regardless that western lowland gorillas are the world’s largest primates, Man was thought-about a delicate big. What’s extra, Man even cradled birds in his bucket-sized arms after they flew into his enclosure, earlier than setting them free once more.

Man attracted 1000’s of holiday makers to the zoo within the three a long time when he referred to as it dwelling. There’s a gorilla statue now on the entrance to the London Zoo as a tribute to Man.

Jumbo the elephant

For 17 years from 1865 to 1882, the London Zoo was dwelling to an African bull elephant that glided by the title Jumbo. Reaching a grand top of 11 ft (African bull elephants develop 10-11 ft on common, with the most important recorded to date being 13 ft!), Jumbo towered over the a whole lot of holiday makers who got here to the zoo to catch a sight of this magnificent creature.

This elephant, captured as a child in Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia) in 1861, had been acquired by the London Zoo as a small male elephant from France. In February 1882, U.S. circus showman P. T. Barnum purchased Jumbo within the midst of giant pleasure within the U.S. and a big outcry in England, with Barnum being largely answerable for each. Jumbo, nevertheless, had a tragic ending as he was unintentionally killed in Ontario on September 15, 1885 when a freight practice struck him whereas the circus was loading as much as journey elsewhere.

Jumbo is a part of the way in which we converse now as he has gone down into our vocabulary. He served because the inspiration for the phrase “jumbo” that we now use to seek advice from one thing “very massive, unusually massive for its sort.”

The elephant’s title might be from slang jumbo that means “clumsy, unwieldy fellow” (recorded utilization in 1823), which in itself is probably going derived from the phrase for elephant in a West African language. The Oxford English Dictionary additionally suggests it may very well be the second component of the phrase “mumbo jumbo.”

Winnie the bear

Do you know that the youngsters’s story Winnie-the-Pooh was in truth impressed by a resident of the London Zoo? Winnie was a feminine black bear that lived on the zoo for twenty years from 1914 till she died in 1934.

Writer Alan Alexander Milne encountered Winnie throughout a go to to the zoo along with his son Christopher Robin. Impressed by the bear, Milne modified the title of his now iconic character from Pooh to Winnie-the-Pooh.