London Zoo
Get breathtakingly close to a colony of western lowland gorillas in our Gorilla Kingdom exhibit which brings the serenity of the African rainforest to the heart of London and brings visitors up close to these incredible animals. Clore Rainforest Lookout brings a cross-section of the South American rainforest to the Zoo, including marmosets, tamarins, birds and invertebrates. Visitors will walk along the rainforest canopy before descending to the forest floor, where these creatures live in harmony.When the London Zoo opened in 1828 it housed a collection of exotic animals that were studied by eminent scientists of the day. Only later, in 1847, did the Zoo open its doors to the public, and, from then on it became the most famous zoo in the world. Among many world firsts, the Zoo opened the first reptile house (1849), the first public aquarium (1853), insect house (1881) and children’s zoo (1938). Today the Zoo looks after 650 animal species, of which 112 species are listed as threatened in the Red Data books, and participates in breeding programmes for 146 species.
History
ZSL london zoo was established by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1826, who obtained the land for the Zoo and saw the plans before he died of apoplexy later that year. After his death the third Marquis 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 the now extinct quagga & 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.
“London Zoo” was born of three key moments. An introduction to the thriving Dub-Step scene (of which The Bug is very much a pioneer before it carried a name) and it’s key producers (via Kode 9) where Kevin realized there was others on the same sonic trajectory as himself, an introduction to Warrior Queen via his work with Wayne Lonesome on the Razor X Productions project, and a Mary Anne Hobb’s Breezeblock session which introduced him to Flowdan (Roll Deep), and Ricky Ranking. All three of which figure heavily in the end result and live presentation.
Animals in the London Zoo have also created one of the rarest collections of species in the world. The only living quagga ever to be photographed was in residence at the London Zoo until its death in 1883. A number of other animals in the London Zoo that are now extinct, such as the thylacine, were also photographed. The first hippopotamus to be viewed in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire was seen at the London Zoo in the 19th century.
One of the great popular characters of the nineteenth century was Jumbo, an African bull elephant who came to the zoo as a baby and ended up as a six-ton cantankerous beast. Jumbo was so loved by Londoners of the time that there was a national outcry when the Zoo Council and Abraham Dee Bartlett, the zoo’s superintendent, sold him to Mr Bamum of Bamum and Bailey’s Circus. Jumbo sailed to the United States where hedrew huge crowds until his death in a train accident two years later. London Zoo benefitted from the sale to the tune of two thousand pounds.
Daily Live Events The ampitheater shows with birds and monkeys are a great opportunity to see the animals out of cages.
* 11.30am: Discover Reptiles
* 1.30pm: Otters feeding
* 2pm and 4pm: Penguin feeding
* 2.30pm: Animals in Action in the amphitheater
