12 Slides | Archival Video

London Zoo

Historical Images and Videos from the London Zoo.

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    Animal keepers and their animals

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

  • 1914

    An Arabian Camel with Keeper, being ridden by two children. A girl on its' hump and a younger child on its' neck. London Zoo, May 1914

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

  • 1919

    A keeper holds two baby alligators in 1919.

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

  • 1926

    Three ladies with three small children visit the Giraffe in their paddock ouside the Giraffe House. The keeper is introducing them as a Giraffe leans foward to lick the reaching hand of one of the children. London Zoo, July 1926.

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

  • 1927 Ernie Bowman

    Hippopotamuses Joan anf Jimmy at London Zoo in 1927. Their keeper, Ernie Bowman, nicknamed `The Professor' was awarded ZSL’s Bronze medal in 1927 `for services rendered in the successful rearing of a young hippopotamus, 1926-27’. `Jimmy’ a male calf was born on 20th August 1926.

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

  • 1934 cockatoo

    A Keeper with a Greater sulphur- crested cockatoo perched in one hand and a Critically endangered Lesser sulphur- crested cockatoo in the other for comparison. London Zoo, 1934.

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

  • 1934 Lubetkin Penguin Pool

    The Lubetkin Penguin Pool, June 1934. The pool was designed by modernist architect Berthold Lubetkin (1901-90) of Tekton and opened in 1934. It was a notable demonstration of the potential of reinforced concrete.

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

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    Jumbo the Elephant

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

  • Jumbo circa 1882

    Jumbo the extremely large elephant at ZSL London Zoo, circa 1882. Jumbo at riding steps, probably March 1882. Jumbo was London Zoo's first African elephant.

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

  • quagga 1870

    The only quagga to have ever been photographed alive, on display at ZSL London Zoo in 1870. An extinct species of zebra thought to have become extinct in 1883. This is thought to be the second quagga specimen at ZSL London Zoo, a female deposited by the dealer Carl Jamrach on 15 March 1851. She died on 15 July 1872 and her mounted skin is now on display in Edinburgh whilst her skeleton is in the Peabody Museum at Yale University.

    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

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    Photo courtesy of the London Zoo

London Zoo 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.

Videos Courtesy of the Sherman Grinberg Film Library.

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