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London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
on 27 April 1828 and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, the Tower of London menagerie animals were transferred to the zoo's collection. It was opened to the public in 1847. As of December 2022, it houses a collection of 14,926 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom. It is managed under the aegis of the
Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...
(established in 1826) and is situated at the northern edge of
Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
, on the boundary line between the
City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...
and the borough of Camden (the Regent's Canal runs through it). The Society also has a more spacious site at Whipsnade Zoo in
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
where larger animals, such as elephants and rhinos, have been moved. As well as being the first scientific zoo, London Zoo also opened the first reptile house (1849), the first
public aquarium A public aquarium () or public water zoo is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, which houses living aquatic animal and aquatic plant, plant specimens for public viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, ...
(1853), the first insect house (1881) and the first children's zoo (1938). ZSL receives no state funding and relies on 'Fellows' and 'Friends' memberships, entrance fees, venue hire, and sponsorship to generate income.


History


1828–1938

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) was established by Sir Stamford Raffles and Sir Humphry Davy in 1826, who obtained the land for the zoo and saw the plans before Raffles died of apoplexy later that year on 5 July, his birthday. After his death, Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne took over the project and supervised the building of the first animal houses. The zoo opened in April 1828 to fellows of the Society, providing access to species such as Arabian oryxes,
greater kudu The greater kudu (''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'') is a large woodland antelope, found throughout East Africa, eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory (animal), territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas d ...
s, orangutans and the now extinct quaggas and thylacines. The Society was granted a
royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
in 1829 by
King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...
, and in 1847 the zoo opened to the public to aid funding. It was believed that
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
animals could not survive outside in London's cold weather, so they were all kept indoors until 1902, when Peter Chalmers Mitchell was appointed secretary of the Society. He set about a major reorganisation of the buildings and enclosures of the zoo, bringing many of the animals out into the open, where many thrived. This was an idea inspired by the Hamburg Zoo, and led to newer designs for many of the buildings. Mitchell also envisaged a new park to the north of London, and in 1926 Hall Farm, near to Whipsnade, was bought. In 1931, Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, the world's first open zoological park, opened. The first woman to be a curator at London Zoo was Evelyn Cheesman, in 1920.


Second World War 1939–1945

After the start of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the London Zoo was closed multiple times for over a week, the first time being at 11:00 am on 3 September 1939, when all zoological places were closed by government order. Valuable animals were transferred to Whipsnade Zoo during the war for safety. On 27 September 1940, high explosive bombs damaged the Rodent house, the Civet house, the gardener's office, the propagating sheds, the North Gate and the Zebra house. In January 1941, the Camel House was also hit, and the aquarium could not open until May 1943 due to extensive bombing. No animals were harmed during the incidents, although a zebra, a female ass, and her foal escaped from the zoo during the bombings. For safety reasons, all venomous animals were killed at London Zoo. Throughout the war, members of the armed forces paid half price for entry, and the wounded entered free of charge.


Since 1946

In 1962, 'Caroline', an Arabian oryx, was lent to Phoenix Zoo,
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, US, in the world's first international co-operative breeding programme. Today, the zoo participates in breeding programmes for over 130 species. In the 1980s, London Zoo housed 8,000 animals of more than 900 species, and in the 1990s, the zoo possessed 7,000 animals of 850 species; the next biggest collection in Britain was
Chester Zoo Chester Zoo is a zoo in Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. The zoo is one of the UK's largest zoos at and the zoo has a total land holding of approximately . Chester Zoo ...
, with just under 3,500 animals. Many of the species in London Zoo could not be seen anywhere else in the country, such as the wombat,
Tasmanian devil The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii''; palawa kani: ''purinina'') is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now con ...
or long-nosed potoroo. Although this vast collection was part of the zoo's appeal, it may also have been one of the main causes of its financial problems. This contributed to the zoo being faced with closure in the 1980s. Due to the public change of attitude to animals kept in captivity and unsuitably cramped space, the zoo also suffered dwindling visitor numbers. However, when it was announced that London Zoo would close in 1991, a swell of public support in visitors and donations allowed the zoo to continue its work, attempt to balance its books and take on the huge task of restoring its buildings and creating environments more suitable for animal behaviour in the late 20th century. The BAFTA winning 1993 documentary series ''The Ark'' by Molly Dineen chronicled this period of time. One benefit of the 'swell of public support' was the development of volunteer staff. Volunteers who give one day a week to assist the running of London Zoo, wearing red pullovers, are employed by both Education and Animal care. During the COVID epidemic, which started in 2020, the zoo was closed from 21 March to 15 June 2020. This closure resulted in a "perilous financial position" for the zoo due to the loss of revenue. The Snowdon Aviary was redeveloped as Monkey Valley, opening in 2022.


Areas and attractions

The Zoo has many named areas and attractions. Several of them are available for hire outside the zoo's opening hours, including The Terrace, Penguin Beach, Ninos cove, Tiny Giants, Land of the Lions, Tiger Territory, and Attenborough Komodo Dragon House.


Monkey Valley

The Snowdon Aviary was designed by Cedric Price, Frank Newby and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, built between 1962 and 1964, and opened in 1965. It was Britain's first public, walk-through aviary, and primarily housed shorebirds such as gulls and ibis. It is constructed with a pyramidal aluminium framework reaching high. In 2021, the aviary was re-developed into a walkthrough primatarium called "Monkey Valley", which opened to the public in August 2022 and houses a troop of eastern black and white colobus monkeys. The structure has been a Grade II*
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
since 1998.


Land of the Lions

Land of the Lions is London Zoo's Asiatic lion enclosure, opened in 2016. It covers 2,500 square metres, and is designed to resemble an Indian town on the edge of the Gir National Park, intended to demonstrate how the lion's natural habitat overlaps with local urban environments. Hanuman langurs, small Indian mongooses, black kites, and Rüppell's vultures are also displayed in this area.


Tiger Territory

Tiger Territory is London Zoo's
Sumatran tiger The Sumatran tiger is a population of ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the only surviving tiger population in the Sunda Islands, where the Bali tiger, Bali and Javan tigers are extinct. DNA sequencing, Sequ ...
enclosure, designed by architect Michael Kozdon and officially opened by the
Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...
in March 2013. The zoo currently houses four tigers: a male named Asim, which arrived from
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, a female named Gaysha, and their two cubs, Zac and Crispin, born in June 2022. The enclosure is in size and features authentic Indonesian plant life, as well as a net canopy of steel cable supported by four metal poles.


The Casson Pavilion

The Casson Pavilion is one of the zoo's Grade II listed buildings and was designed by architect Sir Hugh Casson between 1962 and 1965. The building was originally built to house rhinos and
elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
s. However, after an accident in which a keeper was killed in 2001, the animals were relocated to Whipsnade Zoo, and since then, the building has housed camels and
porcupines Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
. At one point, it was also part of Tiger Territory when it housed bearded pigs and Malayan tapirs. It is now its own exhibit, known as The Cassons, and it houses a family of red river hogs and babirusas.


Gorilla Kingdom

Opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in March 2007, Gorilla Kingdom consists of a moated island, home to a group of western lowland gorillas. The zoo currently holds seven gorillas: an adult male named Kiburi, two adult females named Mjukuu and Effie, a juvenile female named Alika (the daughter of Mjukuu and former silverback Kumbuka) born in December 2014, a juvenile male named Gernot (the son of Effie and former silverback Kumbuka) born in November 2015, a female infant named Juno born to mother Mjukuu on 17 January 2024 and a second female infant named Venus was born to mother Effie on 8 February 2024, just three and a half weeks after the first. The Gorilla Kingdom area also features smaller enclosures housing white-naped mangabeys and Diana monkeys. The exhibit also features a walk-through aviary housing African
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s.


Into Africa

Into Africa is an
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
-themed area that opened in April 2006. Animals on display in this area include Chapman's zebras, common warthogs, okapis,
common ostrich The common ostrich (''Struthio camelus''), or simply ostrich, is a species of flightless bird native to certain areas of Africa. It is one of two extant species of ostriches, the only living members of the genus ''Struthio'' in the ratite group ...
es,
giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...
s, pygmy hippos, and African wild dogs. The Giraffe House at London Zoo, built in 1837, is the world's oldest zoo building still used for its original purpose. The Giraffe House has been designated as a Grade II listed building because of its historical and architectural significance.


Rainforest Life and Night Life

Rainforest Life is a walk-through indoor exhibit that houses many species of South American
rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
animals. Among the species in the main forest walk-through are Linnaeus's two-toed sloths, golden lion tamarins, red titi monkeys, Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs, big hairy armadillos, Goeldi's marmosets, Southern tamanduas, golden-headed lion tamarins, red-footed tortoises, narrow-striped mongooses and Rodrigues flying foxes. The building also has a darkened area called "Nightlife", which houses these nocturnal animals: Mohol bushbaby, Senegal bushbaby, grey slender lorises, West African pottos, Malagasy giant rats, naked mole-rats, pygmy slow lorises, harvest mice, lesser hedgehog tenrecs and a Northern treeshrews. Night Life is located below Rainforest Life, with the bottom of the latter exhibit being viewable from a point in the former.


The Outback

The Mappin Terraces opened in 1913, and features an artificial rocky cliff made of concrete blocks for animal enrichment. This was the zoo's first major attempt at recreating natural environments without bars, influenced by European zoos such as Tierpark Hagenbeck, and many different species have been kept in this enclosure during its lifetime, including
bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
s,
penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
s,
sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...
,
goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
s,
kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
s, leopards, and wild boars. The Mappin Terraces is currently an Australia-themed exhibit called "The Outback", housing
emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
s, red kangaroos and red-necked wallabies.


The former Aquarium

There was an
aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...
at the zoo from 1853 until 2019. The zoo's first aquarium was also the world's first public aquarium, and was created and stocked by
Philip Henry Gosse Philip Henry Gosse (; 6 April 1810 – 23 August 1888), known to his friends as Henry, was an English natural history, naturalist and populariser of natural science, prolific author, "Father of the Aquarium", scientific illustrator, lecturer, e ...
who coined the word "aquarium", as a portmanteau of aquatic vivarium. In 1853 opened a building known as Fish House, while the most recent aquarium was built in 1921 next to and beneath the Mappin Terraces and was officially opened by
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...
and his wife Queen Mary in April 1924. The collection in 1853 included 58 fish species and 200 invertebrate species. The aquarium was separated into three halls, each home to different types of fish and other aquatic wildlife. The first hall primarily contained freshwater species such as rudds and European eels, as well as some saltwater species involved in various conservation projects and captive-breeding programmes, such as broad sea fans,
uaru ''Uaru'' is a small genus of cichlids found in Blackwater river, blackwater and Whitewater river (river type), whitewater habitats in the upper Orinoco and the Amazon basin. Etymology The name ''Uaru'' comes from the Amazon word for toad. Speci ...
s and
seahorse A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine Osteichthyes, bony fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. The genus name comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meanin ...
s. The second hall displayed various species of
coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...
fish from around the world, such as clownfish, copperband butterflyfish and regal tangs, as well as real coral. The third hall housed species native to the Amazon River, including
red-bellied piranha The red-bellied piranha, also known as the red piranha (''Pygocentrus nattereri''), is a Type (biology), type of piranha native to South America, found in the Amazon basin, Amazon, Paraguay River, Paraguay, Paraná River, Paraná and Essequibo Ri ...
s, angelfish,
arapaima The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of bonytongue in the genus ''Arapaima'' native to the Amazon Basin, Amazon and Essequibo River, Essequibo basins of South America. ''Arapaima'' is the type genus of the subfamily Arapaiminae ...
s and ocellate river stingrays. In addition to the three halls, the aquarium also featured the "Big Fish Tank". This tank housed large fish species that were all former pets. They had to be rescued because their owners did not have the proper equipment or understanding to care for them. The dedicated London Aquarium, unconnected with ZSL, opened in 1997. The Zoo's smaller aquarium closed on 22 October 2019; some of the aquatic creatures were moved to a new aquarium at Whipsnade Zoo, while others were set to be housed in a new corals exhibit in the Tiny Giants building in 2020.


Animal Adventure

Animal Adventure, formerly known as the Ambika Paul Children's Zoo, was established in 2009. It is a dedicated area for children, featuring playgrounds and a water fountain. It was built after a child who loved visiting the zoo with her family, Ambika Paul, died from cancer. Her parents donated £1,000,000 to the zoo to build a children's zoo in her honour. Many of the animals in Animal Adventure are domestic animals, such as
llama The llama (; or ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with ...
s,
alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recentl ...
s, and
goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
s, as well as kunekune pigs. Exotic species on display include Cape porcupines, brown-nosed coatis, and yellow mongooses. At approximately 6 am on Saturday, 23 December 2017, a large fire broke out at Animal Adventure. The fire was brought under control by 9:30 am after spreading to the cafe and shop on the premises. It is estimated that three-quarters of the cafe/shop suffered severe damage. A nine-year-old aardvark named Misha was pronounced dead, and four
meerkat The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...
s were declared unaccounted for and presumed dead. The zoo reopened on Christmas Eve.


The former Reptile House

One of London Zoo's most well-known buildings, the Reptile House opened in 1927 and was designed by Joan Beauchamp Procter and Sir Edward Guy Dawber. It housed several species of reptile, including Jamaican boa, Philippine crocodiles, Annam leaf turtles, Fiji banded iguanas, Northern caiman lizards, puff adders,
king cobra The king cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') is a species complex of snakes Endemism, endemic to Asia. With an average of and a record length of , it is the world's longest venomous snake and among the heaviest. Under the genus ''Ophiophagus'', i ...
s and emerald tree boas. In December 2012, a refurbished amphibian section was opened to the public, displaying amphibians such as
Chinese giant salamander The Chinese giant salamander (''Andrias davidianus'') is one of the largest salamanders and one of the largest amphibians in the world.axolotl The axolotl (; from ) (''Ambystoma mexicanum'') is a neoteny, paedomorphic salamander, one that Sexual maturity, matures without undergoing metamorphosis into the terrestrial adult form; adults remain Aquatic animal, fully aquatic with obvio ...
s, African bullfrogs, Lake Oku clawed frogs, White's tree frogs and various types of poison dart frog. A new Reptile House, titled "The Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians",The Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians
/ref> opened in Easter 2024.Revealing the Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians
/ref>


Giants of the Galápagos

Giants of the Galápagos was opened in 2009 to coincide with the 200th birthday of
Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...
, and is home to three female Galápagos giant tortoises named Dolly, Polly and Priscilla. It includes a large indoor area with a heated pond and underfloor heating, while the outdoor paddock has been designed to mimic the tortoise's natural environment and features two heated pools, one of which is a naturalistic clay wallow.


The Attenborough Komodo Dragon House

London Zoo's
Komodo dragon The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo (island), Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili ...
enclosure was opened by Sir David Attenborough in July 2004. The zoo used to own two Komodo dragons, a female named Rinka and a male named Raja. Raja was filmed in his exhibit for an action sequence in the 2012
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
film '' Skyfall''. A new male dragon called Ganas (one of the parthenogenic hatchlings from
Chester Zoo Chester Zoo is a zoo in Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. The zoo is one of the UK's largest zoos at and the zoo has a total land holding of approximately . Chester Zoo ...
) moved to London in 2015 after the previous dragons died. Their enclosure is designed to resemble the dragon's natural habitat of a dry river bed, and sounds of Indonesian birds are regularly played into the enclosure. The house also displays a yellow-headed water monitor in a separate enclosure.


Tiny Giants

Tiny Giants, formerly called B.U.G.S., is an exhibit featuring invertebrates and fish. It is held in a building called The Millennium Conservation Centre, and the building displays over 160 species, including
western honey bee The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for 'bee', and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for 'honey-bearing' or 'honey-carrying', ...
s, leafcutter ants, emperor scorpions, golden orb weavers, Madagascar orb weavers, Mexican redknee tarantulas, bird-eating spiders,
desert locust The desert locust (''Schistocerca gregaria'') is a species of locust, a periodically swarming, short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae. They are found primarily in the deserts and dry areas of northern and eastern Africa, Arabia, and ...
s, moon jellyfish, partula snails and many others. It also features a large coral reef aquarium with corals and over 200 reef fish. The Millennium Conservation Centre aims to be environmentally friendly, constructed from materials requiring little energy to produce, and generating its heating from the body heat of both the animals and visitors. In May 2015, an exhibit called "In With the Spiders" opened in the exhibit as Europe's first and only spider walkthrough exhibit. It houses many different types of spiders, including one of the United Kingdom's most endangered animals, the fen raft spiders, as well as golden orb weavers.


Penguin Beach

Penguin Beach opened on 26 May 2011 and houses Humboldt penguins. A single male
Northern rockhopper penguin The northern rockhopper penguin, Moseley's rockhopper penguin, or Moseley's penguin (''Eudyptes moseleyi'') is a penguin species native to the southern Indian Ocean, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is described as distinct from the southern rockho ...
named Ricky also lived there until he was moved to Whipsnade Zoo in March 2017. The pool itself is the largest penguin pool containing penguins in an English zoo.


In with the Lemurs

Opened in March 2015, In with the Lemurs is a walk-through exhibit housing a group of
ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a medium- to larger-sized strepsirrhine (wet-nosed) primate and the most internationally recognized lemur species, owing to its long, black-and-white, ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of fiv ...
s, narrow-striped mongooses,
aye-aye The aye-aye (''Daubentonia madagascariensis'') is a long-fingered lemur, a Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar with rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger that they can use to catch grubs ...
s and grey mouse lemurs, with the latter two species living in a nocturnal section. The exhibit is designed to resemble a shrub forest in
Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
, featuring plant life such as loquat and Chusan palm trees.


Meet the Monkeys

Opened by comedians Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt of The Mighty Boosh in 2005, Meet the Monkeys is a walk-through enclosure that houses a troop of black-capped squirrel monkeys. The exhibit has no roof, and there are no boundaries between the monkeys and the visitors. It is the southernmost enclosure in the zoo.


Butterfly Paradise

Opened in May 2006, Butterfly Paradise houses several species of butterfly and moth from around the world, as well as plant species specially selected to provide nectar and breeding areas for the insects. Species on display include the clipper butterfly, blue morpho butterfly, atlas moth, zebra longwing, glasswing butterfly and postman butterfly. The exhibit also features a
caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
hatchery and a pupa display cabinet, where visitors can witness different types of pupae and the development of new butterflies.


Bird Safari

The Bird Safari opened in 2005 as a redevelopment of the old stork and ostrich house, replacing enclosures that were outdated by modern zoo-keeping standards. It is a walk-through exhibit housing various species of birds including waldrapp ibises, Abdim's storks, great arguses, emerald doves, and scarlet ibises.


Blackburn Pavilion

The Blackburn Pavilion is a rainforest-themed tropical bird aviary that opened in March 2008 as a refurbishment of the zoo's outdated birdhouse. It rejuvenated the birdhouse by adding a walk-through element. The building was originally constructed in 1883 as a reptile house. The pavilion houses roughly 50 different species of exotic rainforest birds, including blue-crowned laughingthrushes, collared trogons, Socorro doves, red-crested turacos, splendid sunbirds and red-and-yellow barbets. Outside the entrance is one of the pavilion's prominent features, a large elaborate clock by Tim Hunkin. It gives a bird-themed display every thirty minutes throughout the day.


Gibbon Habitat

The Gibbon Habitat is a new enclosure for the zoo's two gibbons. It has two viewing points: one at ground level near the camel paddock and one at a higher level from Tiger Territory. One male pair is a Northern white-cheeked gibbon, and the other is a hybrid species. They were initially housed in the Gorilla Kingdom.


Meerkats and Otters

The Meerkats and Otters exhibit, previously known as "Happy Families", consists of two enclosures. One enclosure is home to Asian small-clawed otters, while the other enclosure houses
meerkat The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...
s. The meerkats have since moved to another part of the zoo, with them being replaced by dwarf mongooses. There is also a third enclosure, housing Kirk's dik-diks. The exhibit was initially designed to accommodate
meerkat The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...
s,
otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...
s, European forest reindeers and Goeldi's monkeys. However, the reindeer (who lived in the dik-dik paddock) were relocated to Whipsnade Zoo, and the monkeys were transferred to the zoo's Rainforest Life building.


Three Island Pond

Three Island Pond was only granted exhibit status in 2021. This artificially shaped pond is named after the three islands within it. It is separated into two enclosures: one houses greater flamingoes, and the other is home to Eastern white pelicans.


Others

Other notable animals in London Zoo's collection include
Bactrian camel The Bactrian camel (''Camelus bactrianus''), also known as the Mongolian camel, domestic Bactrian camel or two-humped camel, is a camel native to the steppes of Central Asia. It has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped drome ...
s, military macaws, hyacinth macaws, blue-throated macaws and Darwin's frogs. The zoo's north bank, north of the canal, formerly housed the bird incubation and rearing unit. The area is currently undeveloped.


Subsidised entry

London Zoo established a Community Access Scheme in 2019 to provide 100,000 subsidised tickets to charities and groups assisting low-income families, older individuals, and people with disabilities. The scheme is intended to run until 2023. This started with a grant from the
National Lottery Heritage Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
to convert the Snowdon Aviary to a colobus monkey enclosure. The scheme was successful and was later extended to allow anyone who received certain benefits to buy tickets for £3, about a tenth of the full price, leading to visits by thousands of families, and long queues which were controlled by requiring pre-booking and capping numbers. Some visitors who were not receiving benefits complained about the crowds. the Zoo was trying to ensure that the £3 tickets were not cannibalising demand for full-price tickets. However, they intended to maintain the £3 scheme if further funding became available. The director general of the Zoological Society of London described the result of the scheme as a "brilliant development", despite the queues and challenges.


Notable past animals

Throughout its history, the zoo has had many well-known residents. Those individuals could have been scientifically important or simply beloved by the public. Old Martin was a large
grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...
, the first in Britain, moved to the zoo with many other animals from the Royal Menagerie, Tower of London when it was closed in 1832. The zoo was home to the only living quagga ever to be photographed before the species became extinct in the wild due to hunting in
southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...
in about 1870. Other now extinct species the zoo once held were the
thylacine The thylacine (; binomial name ''Thylacinus cynocephalus''), also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, was a carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmani ...
, the Falkland Islands Wolf, a pair of pink headed ducks, some
Passenger pigeon The passenger pigeon or wild pigeon (''Ectopistes migratorius'') is an bird extinction, extinct species of Columbidae, pigeon that was endemic to North America. Its common name is derived from the French word ''passager'', meaning "passing by" ...
s, the
Bubal hartebeest The bubal hartebeest, also known as northern hartebeest or bubal antelope or simply bubal (''Alcelaphus buselaphus buselaphus'') is the extinct nominal (i.e., first described) subspecies of hartebeest. It was formerly found north of the Saharan ...
, the Syrian wild ass, the Northern Sumatran rhinoceros, the
Javan tiger The Javan tiger was a ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' population native to the Indonesian island of Java. It was one of the three tiger populations that colonized the Sunda Islands during the last glacial period 110,000–12,000 years ago. It used t ...
, the Schomburgk's deer, the Pinta Island tortoise, the Caspian tiger, the Glaucous macaw, as well as the
endling An endling is the last known individual of a species or subspecies. Once the endling dies, the species becomes extinct. The word was coined in correspondence in the scientific journal ''Nature''. Usage The 4 April 1996 issue of ''Nature'' p ...
s of the norfolk kaka, the Partula turgida snail, and the Santa Lucian Pilorie. Obaysch was the first
hippopotamus The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Sahar ...
to be seen in Europe since the Roman Empire and the first in England since prehistoric times. The hippo arrived at the London Zoo in May 1850 as a gift from the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt in exchange for some greyhounds and deerhounds. Obaysch led to a doubling of the zoo's visitors that year. In 1865,
Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...
, the largest
elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
known at the time, was transferred to the zoo from Jardin des Plantes in Paris. His name, possibly from ''Jambo'', Swahili for ''hello'', became an epithet for anything of large size, such as
Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
's 747 Jumbo jet. Jumbo became a crowd favourite due to his size, and would give rides to children on his back, including those of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
. The sale of Jumbo sent the citizens of London into a panic, and 100,000 schoolchildren wrote to the Queen begging her to stop the sale. He was sold to Phineas Barnum's circus, the Barnum & Bailey Circus, in 1882, where he was later crushed by a
locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
and killed. Winnipeg the Bear (or Winnie) was an
American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with ...
given to the zoo in 1914 by a Canadian
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
, Harry Colebourn. A. A. Milne visited with his son Christopher Robin, and the boy was so enamoured with the bear Milne wrote the famous series of books for him entitled ''
Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...
''. A 2004 film, '' A Bear Named Winnie'', is based on the story of Winnie the bear, with Michael Fassbender playing Harry Colebourn. Mo Koundje ('Mok'), a western lowland gorilla, was purchased by the zoo in 1932. A new gorilla house was designed for him by Berthold Lubetkin. Mok died of Bright's disease in 1938. His skeleton and skin were purchased by Leeds Museums and Galleries and are on display in Leeds, UK at
Leeds City Museum Leeds City Museum, established in 1819, is a museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Since 2008 it has been housed in the former Mechanics' institute, Mechanics' Institute built by Cuthbert Brodrick, in Cookridge Street (now Millennium Squar ...
and Leeds Discovery Centre. Guy, a western lowland gorilla, arrived at the zoo on
Guy Fawkes Night Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration list of minor secular observances#November, observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and firewor ...
(hence the name) 1947 from Paris Zoo and lived at the zoo until he died 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. 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 Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
statue in Barclay Court, sculpted by William Timym. Dumbo (born 1948) was a female Indian elephant who resided at London Zoo during the 1950s and was renowned for her fondness for sweets. Her parents were killed by hunters, and she was flown from India to England, where she spent her adult life giving rides to the children. Dumbo was named after the eponymous Disney character because she was the first elephant to travel by aeroplane. In 1958, she was transferred to Moscow Zoo in return for four endangered snow leopards. At some point between 1962 and 1971, Dumbo was acquired by circus performer Dolly Jacobs, but by 1978 she had been sold to Hollywood circus producer Paul V. Kaye and was living in California with three other elephants. On 27 November 1949, Brumas became the first
polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of 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. Despite being a female bear, the press mistakenly reported her as a 'he', and this error was not corrected, leading the public to believe the bear was a male. Eighteen years later, on December 1, 1967, the zoo welcomed its second polar bear cub, a male. He was named Pipaluk (a Greenlandic Inuit feminine given name meaning ''little one'' or ''sweet little thing'') but, in 1985, had to leave the zoo when the Mappin Terraces closed. One of the zoo's most famous
giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white animal coat, coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. ...
s, Chi Chi, arrived in 1958. Although originally destined for an American zoo, Washington, D.C. had ceased all trade with
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
China, and so Chi Chi was refused entry to the United States. In the interests of conservation, ZSL had stated they would not encourage the collection of wild pandas. However, when it was pointed out that Chi Chi had already been collected, her purchase was approved, and she immediately became the star attraction at London Zoo. As the only giant panda in the West, she was the inspiration for Sir Peter Scott's design for the
World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...
logo. In July 1972, Chi Chi died and was publicly mourned. The zoo's last giant panda was Ming Ming. She arrived in 1991 on a breeding loan from China. After unsuccessful breeding attempts with Berlin's Zoo giant panda Bao Bao, it was decided that Ming Ming should return to China. As a result, the London Zoo has been without a giant panda since the end of October 1994. Zoo staff later suggested that Chinese zookeepers knew that she was infertile and lent her in order to hide how much more advanced Western husbandry techniques were compared to theirs. On 31 January 1996, the last known '' Partula turgida'' land snail named "Turgi" died in his habitat. For four days in late August 2005, the zoo ran an exhibit entitled the Human zoo, which put eight
human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...
s on display in the Mappin Terraces. The exhibit aimed to demonstrate the basic nature of man as an animal and examine our impact on the animal kingdom.


Architecture

Since its earliest days, the zoo has prided itself on appointing leading
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
s to design its buildings. Today, it holds two Grade I and eight Grade II listed structures. The initial grounds were laid out in 1828 by Decimus Burton, the zoo's first official architect from 1826 to 1841, made famous for his work on the London Colosseum and Marble Arch. Burton's work began with the Clock Tower in 1828 above what was then the llama house, which today is the first aid kiosk. In 1830, the East Tunnel, which linked the north and south parts of the zoo together for the first time, was completed, which also acted as a bomb shelter during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Burton concluded his work in 1837 with the Giraffe House, which, due to its functional design, still remains in use as the zoo's giraffe enclosure in the ''Into Africa'' exhibit. The earliest surviving exhibit is the Ravens' Cage, an ornate ironwork aviary now retained as a monument. It was installed in 1829, soon after the zoo first opened. Its location on the grounds has changed over time, and several refurbishments have been required due to weather damage. The Eastern Aviary, along the eastern boundary, currently holds parrots and birds of prey. It was built in 1863 with a hooped tubular steel frame. In 1989, further renovations were carried out on the exhibit using "invisible" wire. The Stork and Ostrich House, built in 1896, can still be seen as holding pens behind the current Bird Safari exhibit. Victorian structures that have been demolished over time included the Lion House, Monkey House, Carnivore Terrace, and Elephant and Rhino House. After Burton, Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell and John James Joass were appointed to design the Mappin Terraces. Completed in 1914, the Mappin Terraces imitates a mountain landscape to provide a naturalistic habitat for bears and other mountain wildlife. In 1933 the Round House, designed by Berthold Lubetkin's Tecton Architectural Group to house gorillas, was one of the first
modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
style buildings to be built in Britain. The following year the Penguin Pool also designed by Tecton, was opened; both now grade I listed. The Modernist dual concrete spiral ramps of the Penguin Pool have made it famous as a piece of modern architecture, but in 2004 the African penguins were moved out of the pool permanently following 'bumblefoot' infections in the birds caused by micro-abrasions from walking on the concrete. The Snowdon Aviary, built-in 1964 by Cedric Price,
Lord Snowdon Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon (7 March 1930 – 13 January 2017) was a British photographer. He is best known internationally for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in ''Vogue (magazine), Vogu ...
and Frank Newby, made pioneering use of
aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
and tension for support. A year later, the Casson Pavilion, designed by Sir Hugh Casson and Neville Conder, was opened as an elephant and rhinoceros house. The Pavilion was commissioned "to display these massive animals in the most dramatic way" and designed to evoke a herd of elephants gathered around a watering hole. Many of these buildings are available on a private hire basis for events, as well as a number of the animal houses. The profits from the use of spaces at the zoo are re-invested directly back into the society.


In popular culture


In film and television

Many films and television programmes have used London Zoo as a location for filming. * The Zoo and its Aquarium appear in Hitchcock's 1936 film ''Sabotage''. * In 1947, Carol Reed took his film crew and actors Ralph Richardson, Michèle Morgan and Bobby Henrey to London Zoo to film location scenes there for '' The Fallen Idol'' (released in 1948). Scenes were filmed inside the lion house, the reptile house, and on the Mappin Terraces. Today, the scenes provide a historical view of what the zoo looked like in the immediate post-war years. * A scene from the film '' The Pumpkin Eater'' (1964) with Anne Bancroft and James Mason was also set at the zoo. * In 1967, part of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook's movie ''Bedazzled'' was filmed at the zoo. * The opening sequence for series 3 and 4 of the 1973 ITV/Thames television show ''Man About The House'' was filmed in the London Zoological Gardens. * During ''
An American Werewolf in London ''An American Werewolf in London'' is a 1981 comedy horror film written and directed by John Landis. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne and ...
'' (1981), the lead character David Kessler (played by David Naughton) woke up naked in the wolves' enclosure. Several other animals are also visible, and the old caged enclosures of the tigers and apes are clearly visible. * Part of the film '' Turtle Diary'' (1985), based on the novel by Russell Hoban and starring Ben Kingsley and Glenda Jackson, was also filmed here; the film follows a plan to help two of the turtles escape from the zoo. * In the final scene from the film '' Withnail and I'' (1987), a sad Withnail is shown standing in the pouring rain next to the former wolf enclosure, declaiming the speech What a piece of work is a man from ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
''. * In 2000, the
Burmese python The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian pyth ...
scene from the film '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (2001) was filmed at the zoo's Reptile House. In reality, the tank shown is typically home to smaller reptile species. A plaque beside the enclosure commemorates the event.


See also

* ''''


References


Further reading

* Wilfrid Blunt, ''The Ark in the Park: The Zoo in the Nineteenth Century'' (Hamish Hamilton, 1976).


External links


London Zoo

Article and film about the London Zoo
(archived 12 May 2019)


Zoo Village
{{authority control 1828 establishments in England Aviaries Buildings and structures in Regent's Park Cultural and educational buildings in London Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster Grade II* listed zoo buildings Grade II listed zoo buildings Grade II* listed buildings in the City of Westminster Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster Regent's Park Decimus Burton buildings Tourist attractions in London Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster Zoological Society of London Educational organizations established in 1828 Zoos established in the 19th century Zoos in England 1828 in London