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How one man's mad mission became one of the best-loved places in the world The creation of a zoo in Dickensian London - when only one other existed across the world - is a story of jaw-dropping audacity. It is the story of trailblazing scientists, rival zookeepers and aristocratic naturalists collecting amazing animals from all four corners of the globe. It is the story of a weird and wonderful oasis in the heart of a swirling city, and of incredible characters, both human and animal - from Stamford Raffles and Charles Darwin to Jenny the orang-utan and Obaysch the celebrity hippo, the first that anyone in Britain had ever seen. Against a background of global Empire, domestic reform and industrialisation, this is a new history of a new world.
London Zoo examined in its nineteenth-century context, looking at its effect on cultural and social life At the dawn of the Victorian era, London Zoo became one of the metropolis's premier attractions. The crowds drawn to its bear pit included urban promenaders, gentlemen menagerists, Indian shipbuilders and Persian princes - CharlesDarwin himself. This book shows that the impact of the zoo's extensive collection of animals can only be understood in the context of a wide range of contemporary approaches to nature, and that it was not merely as a manifestation of British imperial culture. The author demonstrates how the early history of the zoo illuminates three important aspects of the histo...
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"The Zoo is a unique, fascinating, and often amusing, history of London Zoo illustrated with over seventy colour and black and white images." "London Zoo had its beginnings in 1826 when Sir Stamford Raffles founded the Zoological Society of London. The Crown had leased part of Regent's Park to the Society and the press excitedly anticipated the coming of the 'ark' to London. The stage was now set for the world's first truly scientific zoo." "In addition, the author recounts the history of Whipsnade Zoo (also founded by the Zoological Society of London). It was a completely different type of zoo and, in common with its forerunner, was the first of its kind in the world." "Many people who contributed to the London Zoo over the years are included, such as Bartlett the first superintendent, Peter Chalmers Mitchell and Julian Huxley, Jack Lester, George Cansdale and Desmond Morris." "The Zoo charts the history of London Zoo from its precarious beginnings, through the highs and lows including the threat of closure - to its secure footing today and its setting of ever better standards for zoos around the world."--BOOK JACKET.
Past progress and future challenges R.J. Wheater Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. In the past two decades much has been achieved in the sphere of breeding endangered species, and we should be pleased that our co operative efforts have already borne so much fruit. However, on balance and despite the best efforts of conservationists, the position of wildlife in the wild places where they are best conserved has become worse, often dramatically worse. Before returning to the United Kingdom in 1972, I was in Uganda for 16 years, most of which time was spent as Chief Warden of Murchison Falls National Park. Our main problem was that an over-population of large mammals was having a devastating impact on the habitat. Devas tation was being wrought on woodland areas by the arrival of large numbers of elephants into the sanctuary of the Park, following changes in land use in the areas outside the Park. These changes were in response to the requirements of an ever-expanding human population.
In 1850, a baby hippopotamus arrived in England, thought to be the first in Europe since the Roman Empire, and almost certainly the first in Britain since prehistoric times. Captured near an island in the White Nile, Obaysch was donated by the viceroy of Egypt in exchange for greyhounds and deerhounds. His arrival in London was greeted with a wave of ‘hippomania’, doubling the number of visitors to the Zoological Gardens almost overnight. Delving into the circumstances of Obaysch’s capture and exhibition, John Simons investigates the phenomenon of ‘star’ animals in Victorian Britain against the backdrop of an expanding British Empire. He shows how the entangled aims of scientific exploration, commercial ambition, and imperial expansion shaped the treatment of exotic animals throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Along the way, he uncovers the strange and moving stories of Obaysch and the other hippos who joined him in Europe as the trade in zoo animals grew.
An insightful guide to understanding conflicts over the conservation of biodiversity and groundbreaking strategies to deal with them.