It’s National Zoo Lovers Day! I love going to a zoo. When I say to friends and family that I am going away, they ask if I’ll be going to a zoo when I’m there. If they have one of course. Zoo’s or menageries, as they were then known, became popular during the early 1800’s. They were a form of entertainment and wonder. Whereas now they are more about conservation and education.
National Zoo Lovers Day is a great excuse to get your family together, friends or partners and take a trip to see local and exotic animals of the world. It takes place yearly on 8th April. Let’s be fair; it’s not like you can see lions prowling in your back garden or playful monkeys swinging through the trees on your commute to work. Or a pack of coyotes eyeing up their next kill – well, unless you’re at the Next Boxing Day Sale.
Do animals suffer in zoos?
I could not write this post, without addressing this question. It is a tough one for me. I understand it is not their natural habitat. And that they are permanently caged and are limited to where and what they can do. But I do also understand the need to keep these exhibits open to raise funds for conservation programs all over the world. And to fight to protect species from going extinct.
Good modern zoos are very aware of the conditions needed to mirror the natural habitat as closely as possible. Plus, maintain the proper health and behaviour of the animals. Activities are arranged to help keep them mentally alert and physically active, which to some extent eliminates the boredom, deterioration, and eventual degradation of the animal at the zoo. However, there are some habitats a zoo simply cannot replicate.
Why zoos are important?
The reality is most of these programs are underfunded and underrepresented. There is also the struggle of humans destroying forests, other natural habitats as well as the environment. It means that zoos, national parks, or other care facilities are relied upon to support the rehabilitation of the animals and their populations. Zoos benefit conservation by providing suitable habitats and care to endangered animals. When properly regulated, they present a safe, clean environment for the animals to diversely repopulate.
Some zoo facts
- The Vienna Zoo is the oldest existing zoo. It was founded as an imperial menagerie in 1752 and was opened to the public in 1765.
- Animal print clothing is banned at Chessington World of Adventures after zookeepers noticed that the animals moved closer to people wearing their respective patterns and colouring.
- The United State’s first public zoo, Central Park Zoo, opened in 1874 in New York.
- During the 18th century, the price of admission into a zoo in England was three half-pence, or the supply of a cat or dog to be fed to the lions.
- A bear cub named Winnipeg was exported from Canada to the London Zoo in 1915. A little boy named Christopher Robin Milne loved to visit Winnipeg (or Winnie for short) and his love for the bear cub inspired the stories written by his father, A.A. Milne, about Winnie-the-Pooh.
Some zoo facts continued
- Human beings were also displayed in cages during the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition and as late as 1958 in a “Congolese Village” display in Brussels. It included people from Madagascar, India, China, Sudan, Congo, Tunisia and Morocco. Over 1 million people visited the zoo.
- Approximately 600 million people visit a zoo each year.
- While writing the Origin of the Species, Charles Darwin regularly visited ZSL London Zoo to study the first orangutan that lived there, named Jenny. He noticed the human-like behaviour and characteristics of the ape such as listening to the zookeeper, throwing tantrums when she didn’t get a snack and being surprised by her own reflection in a mirror.
- There are more than 10,000 zoos and aquariums in the world
- ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is the biggest zoo in the UK whereas Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska is considered to be the biggest in the world in terms of space and species
Some of my favourite zoos
Here’s a list of the zoos that I have visited, but I’m pretty sure I’ve missed some of the list:
Northern Ireland
- Belfast Zoo
England
- Bristol Zoo Gardens
- Chessington World of Adventures
- Chester Zoo
- Cotswold Wildlife Park
- Drayton Manor Theme Park
- Dudley Zoological Gardens
- Fowey Aquarium
- Longleat Safari Park
- Mevagissey Aquarium
- Paignton Zoo Environmental Park
- Plymouth Aquarium
- Sea Aquarium Western Super Mare
- Sealife Weymouth
- The Donkey Sanctuary
- The Monkey Sanctuary
- Torquay Coastal Zoo & Aquarium
- Twycross Zoo
- Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo
- ZSL Whipsnade
Scotland
- Edinburgh Zoo
Wales
- Folly Farm
- Penscynor Wildlife Park
- The Welsh Hawking Centre
- Wales Ape & Monkey Sanctuary
Ireland
- Dublin Zoo
Channel Islands
- Jersey Zoo
Europe
- Aquarium Berlin
- Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden
- Krakow Zoo
- Prague Zoo
- Zoo Berlin
America
- Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida
- Central Park Zoo, New York
- Gatorland, Orlando, Florida
- Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Springs, California
- Seaworld California
- Seaworld Orlando
- Wild Florida
What’s your favourite zoo? Or your favourite animal? How will you be National Zoo Lovers Day? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. You can also follow the conversation on social using #NationalZooLoversDay #ZooLoversDay
