Chapter II: Preface

This book is intended chiefly as a work of reference. As most Zoological Gardens are much alike, it is impossible to avoid a certain monotony in describing them. And yet each Garden has generally its own distinctive features. These I had the opportunity of observing in a tour which I made early this year, and I have tried to recount them in the following pages, after first giving the main facts connected with the foundation and development of the respective Gardens. In my descriptive walks round I invariably turned to the left on entering, and made my way round the Gardens back to the entrance again.

The chief thought that has occurred to me as the result of my tour is that we in England take little interest in the breeding and acclimatization of wild animals as compared with the Germans, or even Americans. Almost every large town in Germany has its Zoological Garden, and, as it usually contains a concert-hall and other similar attractions, people flock to it, and are insensibly led to take an interest in the wild animals which they see around them. It seems to me a pity that we do not make our few English Gardens equally attractive. The result would be, I feel sure, that more people would become interested in wild animals, and probably many of our large towns would start Gardens of their own.

It is not generally known that most wild animals can be easily acclimatized, and, if properly treated, will breed well in captivity. The great secret is fresh air: animals which come from the equator do not require heat when once acclimatized. Just as human beings die of consumption through the want of fresh air, so do our anthropoid apes and other animals often die in captivity through being shut up, winter and summer, in hot-houses devoid of fresh air. We are far behind Germany and America in our knowledge of the breeding and cross-breeding of wild animals, and yet there must be many influential men in England who would assist in the formation of a National Park for such a purpose, thereby furthering the cause of science and conferring a great benefit on the nation. Our cousins in America have the Yellowstone National Park; we ought to have a similar place.

My thanks are due to many gentlemen who have kindly favoured me with histories, guide-books, photographs, and general information about the Zoological Gardens of Europe. And especially do I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. P. L. Sclater, the learned Secretary of our own Zoological Society in London; to Herr Carl Hagenbeck of Hamburg, Dr. C. Kerbert of Amsterdam, Dr. H. Bolau of Hamburg, Dr. Seitz of Frankfort-on-Main, Mr. E. W. B. Villiers of Clifton, Professor D. Cunningham of Dublin, Herr Schöff of Dresden, Herr Meissner of Berlin, Dr. Hagman of Basle, Dr. Wünderlich of Cologne, and to Messrs. J. Jennison and Co. of Manchester. The photographs of Berlin are published by kind permission of the Berlin Zoological Society.

In some few cases it has been found impossible to give historical details, through my appeals to the Directors eliciting no reply. The sketch of the London Gardens is a concise summary, with additions, of the history written by Dr. P. L. Sclater, that of Dublin is taken from a pamphlet written by Professor D. Cunningham, whilst the history of the Manchester Gardens is based on materials furnished by Messrs. J. Jennison and Co.

In conclusion, my best thanks are due to my sister, Mrs. Harry Duff, whose knowledge of foreign languages has enabled her to give me much valuable help in the translation of letters, guide-books, and catalogues of animals. Indeed, without her kind assistance I could scarcely have attempted this work.

C. V. A. PEEL.

OXFORD,
_October, 1902_.

CONTENTS

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN FRANCE.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. JARDIN DES PLANTES, PARIS 1

II. JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS 8

III. JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, MARSEILLES 26

IV. JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, NICE-CIMIEZ 32

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN HOLLAND.

V. KONINKLIJK ZOOLOGISCH GENOOTSCHAP, AMSTERDAM 36

VI. THE GARDENS OF THE ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL AND
BOTANICAL SOCIETY, THE HAGUE 45

VII. ROTTERDAMSCHE DIERGAARDE, ROTTERDAM 48

ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IN DENMARK.

VIII. ZOOLOGISK HAVE, COPENHAGEN 55

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN BELGIUM.

IX. THE GARDENS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGY,
ANTWERP 58

X. JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, GHENT 63

XI. JARDIN ZOOLOGIQUE, LIÈGE 66

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN GERMANY.

XII. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, AIX-LA-CHAPELLE 67

XIII. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE 68

XIV. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, ELBERFELD 80

XV. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, DÜSSELDORF 82

XVI. THE WESTPHALIAN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MÜNSTER 86

XVII. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HANOVER 90

XVIII. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HAMBURG 96

XIX. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BERLIN 104

XX. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HALLE 117

XXI. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, LEIPZIG 119

XXII. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, DRESDEN 125

XXIII. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, BRESLAU 131

XXIV. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, POSEN 139

XXV. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, KÖNIGSBERG 141

XXVI. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, STUTTGART 146

XXVII. ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN 151

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN RUSSIA.

XXVIII. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, ST. PETERSBURG 161

XXIX. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MOSCOW 164

ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IN HUNGARY.

XXX. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, BUDA-PESTH 168

ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IN AUSTRIA.

XXXI. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, VIENNA 172

ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN IN SWITZERLAND.

XXXII. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, BASLE 175

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS IN THE BRITISH ISLES.

XXXIII. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, LONDON 179

XXXIV. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, CLIFTON 196

XXXV. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, MANCHESTER 201

XXXVI. ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, DUBLIN 212

XXXVII. CARL HAGENBECK, THE KING OF ANIMAL IMPORTERS 232

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

GROUP OF PERFORMING ANIMALS AT CARL HAGENBECK’S
_Frontispiece_

MARKHOR, JARDIN DES PLANTES, PARIS 6

SEA-LION SUCKLING ITS YOUNG, JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION,
PARIS 13

HERD OF BLACKBUCK, JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS 23

LE PALAIS LONGCHAMP, MARSEILLES 27

CONCERT-HOUSE AND LAKE, AMSTERDAM 37

YAK, AMSTERDAM 43

HERD OF WATERBUCK, JAPANESE DEER, BRINDLED GNU, AND
KANGAROOS 51

KANGAROO 60

BARBARY SHEEP, GHENT 64

STORKS, BATELEUR EAGLE, COCKATOO, STORK NESTING ON
THE GROUND, AND CRANES 73

PELICANS, COLOGNE 79

BARBARY RAM, DÜSSELDORF 84

CHEETAHS OR HUNTING LEOPARDS 93

MONKEY HOUSE, HAMBURG 99

STORK AND CRANE ENCLOSURES, HAMBURG 101

LLAMA AND MOUFFLON ROCKERY, BERLIN 106

ELEPHANT HOUSE, BERLIN 107

OSTRICH HOUSE, BERLIN 111

DEER SHED, BERLIN 113

KANGAROO, HALLE 118

WAPITI BULL, DRESDEN 126

OUTSIDE THE LION HOUSE, DRESDEN 128

FOUR-HORNED GOAT, DRESDEN 129

MONKEY HOUSE, BRESLAU 133

DUCK-POND, BRESLAU 137

OSTRICH SHED, KÖNIGSBERG 143

PELICANS, STUTTGART 147

BRINDLED GNU, STUTTGART 149

TOWER AND LAKE, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN 153

CAMEL AND LLAMA PENS, FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN 157

AMERICAN BISON, ST. PETERSBURG 162

MOOSE YARD, MOSCOW 165

TOWER, MOSCOW 167

AVIARY, BASLE 176

CARIBOU, BASLE 177

HIPPOPOTAMI, LONDON 183

LION, LONDON 185

GRÉVY’S ZEBRA, LONDON 189

SABLE ANTELOPE, LONDON 193

STRIPED HYÆNA, LONDON 194

GARDEN AND LAKE, CLIFTON 199

THE BEAR PITS, MANCHESTER 203

CHIMPANZEE, CONSUL I., MANCHESTER 207

PHŒNIX PARK, DUBLIN 215

THE LAKE, DUBLIN 225

LION CUBS FROM SOMALILAND, DUBLIN 230

CARL HAGENBECK 233

THE

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF EUROPE