70-944: Capra rupicapra Linnaeus, 1758 The chamois ( / ˈ ʃ æ m w ɑː / ) ( Rupicapra rupicapra ) or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe , from the Pyrenees , the Alps , the Apennines , the Dinarides , the Tatra to the Carpathian Mountains , the Balkan Mountains , the Rila – Rhodope massif, Pindus , the northeastern mountains of Turkey , and
140-527: A curator at London Zoo was Evelyn Cheesman , in 1920. After the start of the Second World War , 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
210-706: A darkened area called "Nightlife", which houses nocturnal animals such as Mohol bushbaby , slender lorises , West African pottos , Malagasy giant rats , aye-ayes and blind cave fish . 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 bears , penguins , sheep , goats , kangaroos , leopards, and wild boar . The Mappin Terraces
280-713: 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 birds . Into Africa is an Africa -themed area that opened in April 2006. Animals on display in this area include Chapman's zebras , common warthogs , okapis , common ostriches , giraffes , pygmy hippos , and African wild dogs . The Giraffe House at London Zoo, built in 1837,
350-604: A four-day horse trek to Mount Cook. The first surviving releases were made in the Aoraki / Mount Cook region and these animals gradually spread over much of the South Island . In New Zealand, chamois hunting is unrestricted and even encouraged by the Department of Conservation to limit the animal's impact on New Zealand's native alpine flora . New Zealand chamois tend to weigh about 20% less than European individuals of
420-630: A hunter stalking chamois from above is less likely to be observed and more likely to be successful. The tuft of hair from the back of the neck, the gamsbart (chamois "beard"), is traditionally worn as a decoration on hats throughout the alpine countries. Chamois leather, traditionally made from the hide of the chamois, is very smooth and absorbent and is favoured in cleaning, buffing, and polishing because it produces no scratching. Modern chamois leather may still be made from chamois hides, but hides of deer or domestic goats or sheep are much more commonly used. An artificial fabric known as "chamois"
490-523: 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
560-435: 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 meerkats were declared unaccounted for and presumed dead. The zoo reopened on Christmas Eve. One of London Zoo's most well-known buildings,
630-486: A male named Asim, a female named Gaysha, and their two cubs, Zac and Crispin, born in June 2022. The enclosure is 2,500 square metres (27,000 square feet) in size and features authentic Indonesian plant life, as well as a net canopy of 3mm steel cable supported by four metal poles. 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
700-417: 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
770-441: A small, food-rich area against other members of the same species; and 'grazers', which gather together into herds and roam freely over a larger, usually relatively infertile area. The resource-defenders are the more primitive group: they tend to be smaller, dark in colour, males and females fairly alike, have long, tessellated ears, long manes, and dagger-shaped horns. The grazers (sometimes collectively known as tsoan caprids , from
SECTION 10
#1732772667127840-484: A type of bovid. Although most goat-antelopes are gregarious and have fairly stocky builds, they diverge in many other ways – the muskox ( Ovibos moschatus ) is adapted to the extreme cold of the tundra ; the mountain goat ( Oreamnos americanus ) of North America is specialised for very rugged terrain; the urial ( Ovis orientalis ) occupies a largely infertile area from Kashmir to Iran , including much desert country. The Armenian mouflon ( Ovis gmelini gmelini )
910-477: Is a walk-through exhibit housing various species of birds including waldrapp ibises , Abdim's storks , great arguses , emerald doves , and scarlet ibises . 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
980-459: Is called a caprine . Prominent members include sheep and goats , with some other members referred to as goat antelopes . Some earlier taxonomies considered Caprinae a separate family called Capridae (with the members being caprids), but now it is usually considered either a subfamily within the Bovidae, or a tribe within the subfamily Antilopinae of the family Bovidae, with caprines being
1050-410: Is currently an Australia-themed exhibit called "The Outback", housing emus and red-necked wallabies . There was an aquarium 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 who coined the word "aquarium", as a portmanteau of aquatic vivarium. In 1853 opened a building known as Fish House, while
1120-561: Is currently undeveloped. 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 to convert the Snowdon Aviary to a colobus monkey enclosure. The scheme
1190-495: Is fully grown by one year of age, but do not reach sexual maturity until they are three to four years old, although some females may mate at as early two years old. At sexual maturity, young males are forced out of their mother's herds by dominant males (who sometimes kill them), to wander somewhat nomadically until they can establish themselves as mature breeding specimens at eight to nine years of age. Chamois eat various types of vegetation, including highland grasses and herbs during
1260-427: Is home to Asian small-clawed otters , while the other enclosure houses meerkats . The exhibit was initially designed to accommodate meerkats , otters , European forest reindeer and Goeldi's monkeys . However, the reindeer were relocated to Whipsnade Zoo , and the monkeys were transferred to the zoo's Rainforest Life building. Three Island Pond was only granted exhibit status in 2021. This artificially shaped pond
1330-406: Is made variously from cotton flannel , PVA , viscose, and other materials with similar qualities. It is napped to produce a plush surface similar to moleskin or chamois leather. Caprinae The subfamily Caprinae , also sometimes referred to as the tribe Caprini , is part of the ruminant family Bovidae , and consists of mostly medium-sized bovids . A member of this subfamily
1400-440: 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 . Other notable animals in London Zoo's collection include Bactrian camels , military macaws , hyacinth macaws , blue-throated macaws and Alaotran gentle lemurs . The zoo's north bank, north of the canal, formerly housed the bird incubation and rearing unit. The area
1470-523: Is the world's oldest scientific zoo . It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study . In 1831 or 1832, the animals of the Tower of London menagerie 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
SECTION 20
#17327726671271540-643: 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 is a walk-through indoor exhibit that houses many species of South American rainforest animals. Among the species in the main forest walk-through are Linnaeus's two-toed sloths , golden lion tamarins , red titi monkeys , red-faced spider monkeys , big hairy armadillos , Goeldi's marmosets , southern tamandua , golden-headed lion tamarins , red-footed tortoises and Rodrigues flying foxes . The building also has
1610-671: Is thought to be the ancestor of the modern domestic sheep ( Ovis aries ). Many species have become extinct since the last ice age , probably largely because of human interaction. Of the survivors: Members of the group vary considerably in size, from just over 1 m (3 ft) long for a full-grown grey goral ( Nemorhaedus goral ), to almost 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) long for a musk ox, and from under 30 kg (66 lb) to more than 350 kg (770 lb). Musk oxen in captivity have reached over 650 kg (1,430 lb). The lifestyles of caprids fall into two broad classes: 'resource-defenders', which are territorial and defend
1680-736: The Caucasus . It has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand . Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU under the European Habitats Directive . The chamois is a very small bovid. A fully grown chamois reaches a height of 70–80 cm (28–31 in) and measures 107–137 cm (42–54 in). Males, which weigh 30–60 kg (66–132 lb), are slightly larger than females, which weigh 25–45 kg (55–99 lb). Both males and females have short, straightish horns which are hooked backwards near
1750-544: The Miocene , when members of the group resembled the modern serow in their general body form. The group did not reach its greatest diversity until the recent ice ages , when many of its members became specialised for marginal, often extreme, environments: mountains, deserts, and the subarctic region. The ancestors of the modern sheep and goats (both rather vague and ill-defined terms) are thought to have moved into mountainous regions – sheep becoming specialised occupants of
1820-734: The Zoological Society's Gardens , Regent's Park, London, accepted an invitation from the New Zealand Government to deliver a consignment of chamois (two bucks and six does) to the colony. They arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, on 23 January 1907, on board SS Turakina . From Wellington the chamois were transhipped to the Manaroa and conveyed to Lyttelton, then by rail to Fairlie in South Canterbury and
1890-991: The thylacine , the Falkland Islands Wolf , a pair of pink headed ducks , some Passenger pigeons , the Bubal hartebeest , the Syrian wild ass , the Northern Sumatran rhinoceros , the Javan tiger , the Schomburgk's deer , the Pinta Island tortoise , the Caspian tiger , as well as the endlings of the norfolk kaka , the Partula turgida snail, and the Santa Lucian Pilorie . Obaysch
1960-503: The 1990s, the zoo possessed 7,000 animals of 850 species; the next biggest collection in Britain was 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 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
2030-610: 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,
2100-518: The Galápagos was opened in 2009 to coincide with the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin , 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. London Zoo's Komodo dragon enclosure
2170-471: The Hebrew tso'n meaning sheep and goats) evolved more recently. They tend to be larger, highly social, and rather than mark territory with scent glands, they have highly evolved dominance behaviours. No sharp line divides the groups, but a continuum varies from the serows at one end of the spectrum to sheep, true goats, and musk oxen at the other. The goat-antelope, or caprid, group is known from as early as
Chamois - Misplaced Pages Continue
2240-550: The Lemurs is a walk-through exhibit housing a group of ring-tailed lemurs and Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs . It also has a family of aye-ayes living in the indoor section as well as lesser hedgehog tenrecs . The exhibit is designed to resemble a shrub forest in Madagascar , featuring plant life such as loquat and Chusan palm trees. Opened by comedians Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt of The Mighty Boosh in 2005, Meet
2310-478: The Lions, Tiger Territory, and Attenborough Komodo Dragon House. 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 21m high. In 2021,
2380-530: 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. 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
2450-563: 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 and killed. Winnipeg the Bear (or Winnie) was an American black bear given to the zoo in 1914 by a Canadian lieutenant , Harry Colebourn . A. A. Milne visited with his son Christopher Robin , and the boy was so enamoured with
2520-807: 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 cobras and emerald tree boas . In December 2012, a refurbished amphibian section was opened to the public, displaying amphibians such as Chinese giant salamanders , axolotls , 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", opened in Easter 2024. Giants of
2590-723: 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
2660-532: The United Kingdom's most endangered animals, the fen raft spider , as well as golden orb weavers . Penguin Beach opened on 26 May 2011 and houses Humboldt penguins . A single male northern rockhopper penguin 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. Opened in March 2015, In with
2730-630: The United Kingdom. It is managed under the aegis of the Zoological Society of London (established in 1826), and is situated at the northern edge of Regent's Park , on the boundary line between the City of Westminster 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 to which the larger animals such as elephants and rhinos have been moved. As well as being
2800-467: 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 since 1998. 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
2870-459: 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 Hamburg Zoo , and led to newer designs for many of the buildings. Mitchell also envisaged a new 600-acre (240 ha) park to the north of London, and in 1926 Hall Farm, near to Whipsnade village , was bought. In 1931, Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, the world's first open zoological park, opened. The first woman to be
Chamois - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-529: The chamois spends the summer months in alpine meadows above the tree line, but moves to elevations of around 800 m (2,600 ft) to spend the winter in pine-dominated forests. Alpine chamois arrived in New Zealand in 1907 as a gift from the Austrian Emperor, Franz Joseph I in exchange for specimens of living ferns, rare birds and lizards. Albert E. L. Bertling, formerly head keeper of
3010-512: The day. 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. The Meerkats and Otters exhibit, previously known as "Happy Families", consists of two enclosures. One enclosure
3080-585: The dragon's natural habitat of a dry river bed, and sounds of Indonesian birds are regularly played into the enclosure. 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 bees , leafcutter ants , emperor scorpions , golden orb weavers , Madagascar orb weavers , Mexican redknee tarantulas , bird-eating spiders , desert locusts , moon jellyfish , partula snails and many others. It also features
3150-570: The edge of the Gir Forest National Park , intended to demonstrate how the lion's natural habitat overlaps with local urban environments. Hanuman langurs , small Indian mongooses , and Rüppell's vultures are also displayed in this area. Tiger Territory is London Zoo's Sumatran tiger enclosure, designed by architect Michael Kozdon and officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in March 2013. The zoo currently houses four tigers:
3220-459: The first scientific zoo, London Zoo also opened the first reptile house (1849), the first public aquarium (1853), 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. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) was established by Sir Stamford Raffles and Sir Humphry Davy in 1826, who obtained
3290-1037: The foothills and nearby plains, and relying on flight and flocking for defence against predators, and goats adapting to very steep terrain where predators are at a disadvantage. Internal relationships of Caprinae based on mitochondrial DNA . Bos Pantholops (Tibetan antelope) † Bootherium (helmeted muskox) Ovibos (musk ox) Capricornis (serow) Naemorhedus (goral) Ovis (domestic sheep) Oreamnos (mountain goat) Budorcas (takin) † Myotragus (Balearic Islands goat) Rupicapra (chamois) Ammotragus (Barbary sheep) Arabitragus (Arabian tahr) Pseudois (bharal) Hemitragus (Himalayan tahr) Capra (turs, markhor, ibexes, & goats) Phylogeny based on Hassanin et al. , 2009 and Calamari, 2021. Family Bovidae The following extinct genera of Caprinae have been identified: London Zoo London Zoo , previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo ,
3360-507: 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 hatchery and a pupa display cabinet, where visitors can witness different types of pupae and the development of new butterflies. 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
3430-473: The land for the zoo and saw the plans before Raffles died of apoplexy (a stroke ) 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 oryx , greater kudus , orangutan and
3500-412: 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,
3570-563: The main predators of chamois. Chamois usually use speed and stealthy evasion to escape predators and can run at 50 km/h (31 mph) and can jump 2 m (6 ft 7 in) vertically into the air or over a distance of 6 m (20 ft). The chamois is native to the Pyrenees , the mountains of south and central Europe , Turkey , and the Caucasus . It lives in precipitous, rugged, rocky terrain at moderately high elevations of up to at least 3,600 m (11,800 ft). In Europe,
SECTION 50
#17327726671273640-749: The most recent aquarium was built in 1921 next to and beneath the Mappin Terraces and was officially opened by King George V 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 rudd and European eels , as well as some saltwater species involved in various conservation projects and captive-breeding programmes, such as broad sea fans , uarus and seahorses . The second hall displayed various species of coral reef fish from around
3710-472: The now extinct quagga and thylacine . The Society was granted a royal charter in 1829 by King George IV , and in 1847 the zoo opened to the public to aid funding. It was believed that tropical 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
3780-559: 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, formerly known as the Ambika Paul Children's Zoo,
3850-474: The public. Old Martin was a large grizzly bear , 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 in about 1870. Other now extinct species the zoo once held were
3920-426: The same age, suggesting that food supplies may be limited. The species R. rupicapra is categorized into seven subspecies: As their meat is considered tasty, chamois are popular game animals. Chamois have two traits that are exploited by hunters: the first is that they are most active in the morning and evening when they feed; the second is that they tend to look for danger originating from below, which means that
3990-559: The summer and conifers, barks and needles from trees in winter. Primarily diurnal in activity, they often rest around mid-day and may actively forage during moonlit nights. Chamois can reach an age of 22 years in captivity, although the average recorded age in the wild ranges from 15 to 17 years. Common causes of mortality can include avalanches, epidemics and predation. In the past, the principal predators were Eurasian lynxes , Persian leopards and Golden Jackal , gray wolves , and possibly brown bears and golden eagles , but humans are now
4060-426: The tip, the horn of the male being thicker. In summer, the fur has a rich brown colour which turns to a light grey in winter. Distinct characteristics are white contrasting marks on the sides of the head with pronounced black stripes below the eyes, a white rump and a black stripe along the back. Female chamois and their young live in herds of up to 15 to 30 individuals; adult males tend to live solitarily for most of
4130-410: The war, members of the armed forces paid half price for entry, and the wounded entered free of charge. In 1962, 'Caroline', an Arabian oryx, was lent to Phoenix Zoo , Arizona , 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
4200-511: 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 piranhas , angelfish , arapaimas 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
4270-563: The year. During the rut (late November/early December in Europe, May in New Zealand ), males engage in fierce battles for the attention of unmated females. An impregnated female undergoes a gestation period of 170 days, after which a single kid is usually born in May or early June. On rare occasions, twins may be born. If a mother is killed, other females in the herd may try to raise the young. Kids are weaned at six months of age and
SECTION 60
#17327726671274340-495: 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
4410-462: 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 '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 . The sale of Jumbo sent the citizens of London into a panic, and 100,000 schoolchildren wrote to
4480-413: 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. 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
4550-530: 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. Throughout its history, the zoo has had many well-known residents. Those individuals could have been scientifically important or simply beloved by
4620-647: 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 llamas , alpacas , and goats , as well as kunekune pigs . Exotic species on display include Cape porcupines , South American coatis , and yellow mongooses . At approximately 6 am on Saturday, 23 December 2017,
4690-473: 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 film Skyfall . A new male dragon called Ganas (one of the parthenogenic hatchlings from Chester Zoo ) moved to London in 2015 after the previous dragons died. Their enclosure is designed to resemble
4760-455: Was originally built to house rhinos and elephants . 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 . 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 . Opened by
4830-458: 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. As of February 2023 the Zoo was trying to ensure that
4900-585: Was the first hippopotamus 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 , the largest elephant known at the time, was transferred to
#126873