Dublin Zoo – celebrating 180 years!

Senior Times

  Feeding the camels, early 20th century

This year Dublin Zoo celebrates its 180th anniversary and it has changed so much in recent years that anyone visiting after a lengthy break will wonder if they are really in the zoo of their childhood.  But the modern changes are yet another stage in the continuing evolution of a remarkable Dublin Institution.

 

Dublin Zoo was opened on 1 September 1831 by the Zoological Society of Ireland to provide members and their guests with an opportunity to study the wonders of the animal world. In 1840, the Society decided to allow visitors into the Zoo for a penny on Sundays. This was soon extended to public holidays and most evenings. It was an inspired decision and created a special bond between Dubliners and the Zoo. Nineteenth century visitors were sure to see lions, monkeys, bears and parrots and early twentieth century visitors could also expect to see elephants, chimpanzees, tigers and polar bears.

A period of great change began in the Zoo in the 1940s. Although few animals were replaced during the war, visitor numbers rose at an extraordinary rate. In 1940, the Zoo received 150,000 visitors but by 1950, more than 348,000 people were coming through the gates.   Sundays were so busy that cheap entry ceased. Tickets for members’ dances, dinners and other social events were in such demand that newspapers hinted that they were available on the black market. The refreshment room in Haughton House frequently filled to capacity and visitors had to bring their own sugar. Around the Zoo Sarah the Asian elephant was giving rides to children and young chimpanzees were being brought out to meet visitors.

      

 Queuing at the entrance, 1940s           Monkey House, 1942

In the 1950s and 1960s, giraffe, rhinos and hippos arrived in the Zoo and added great excitement by breeding young. Scheduled feeding times and interaction with some animals contributed to the enjoyment of the day. Chimpanzee tea parties were set up on the lawn and the chimps would sit on tall chairs dressed in bibs or bonnets and drink from cups. In the Roberts House, lion feeding time was an unforgettable mix of noise, smells and crowds. Sarah continued to give rides by the lake until 1961; after that Jimmy Kenny, the head elephant keeper, would allow children to sit on Komali, the younger female elephant, in the yard by the elephant house. Pony rides for children continued, as did the pony and cart rides around the Zoo. This was a prosperous and happy time for Dublin Zoo; family membership increased, busloads of school children from around Ireland came to the Zoo during their visit to the capital, and many important occasions, such as a child’s First Communion, were celebrated by a day among the animals. 

                                  

Giraffes in Dublin Zoo 1950s                       Bim the elephant seal, mid-1960s

           

However zoos around the world were changing. Following the end of the Second World War, zoos had rushed to rebuild and many expeditions were sent to gather exotic animals from the wild. This prompted concern about the preservation of wildlife, biodiversity and conservation of species. Cooperation between zoo professionals developed on a global scale. Innovative habitats were designed to support the natural behaviour of animals in zoos. By the 1980s, international cooperation between zoos had developed to such a degree that studbooks were being established to manage animals as part of a unified collection. Zoos took on the responsibility of keeping a natural group of a species and developing expensive habitats to support them. They were also prepared to move animals between zoos without charge even if this meant sending a well-known animal to a different country.

But Dublin Zoo in the 1980s was struggling to pay ongoing costs.  Although the cost of buying animals ended, the cost of creating habitats to international standards was beyond its financial capability. For visitors, it was still an important day out and parents did not want to deprive their children of the magical experience of getting close to a rhino or an elephant. Eventually, however, disquiet amongst visitors and staff erupted in the media. The condition of the Zoo appeared irretrievable and it came within weeks of closure in 1990.

                     Dublin Zoo in 1980

Yet the enduring bond that had existed between Irish people and their zoo since 1840 when penny entry had been introduced now showed its strength. In a spontaneous expression of support, groups around the country raised funds for the Zoo, staff and visitors lobbied the government for help, while visitors arriving to have a last look boosted gate receipts. In 1993, the Fianna Fail government voted a capital grant of £15 million. In 1997, the lake and surrounding grounds was transferred from Áras an Uachtaráin to the Zoo allowing for the development of the African Plains. In 2000 and 2006, further substantial capital grants were given to Dublin Zoo, which was still been run as a charity by the Zoological Society.
The most obvious change for the visitor who has not been to Dublin Zoo for a long time is the landscaping. In the past it was possible to see virtually all of the Zoo from the entrance, particularly in winter. Now lush and exotic foliage is nurtured all year round to immerse the visitor in the world of the animals. Dublin Zoo’s animals live in natural groups in spacious and complex habitats. For visitors, it requires a way of looking at the animals that is quite different from the past. The excitement of direct interaction between themselves and the animals has been replaced with the opportunity to watch the animals interact amongst themselves. Often the animals’ body language is subtle: the twitch of an ear or the movement of a shoulder can speak volumes and, as information about the behaviour of species becomes more widely known, visitors are prepared to spend more time observing the groups. 

The nature of the day out in Dublin Zoo has changed but for the 46 million people who have visited the Zoo since 1831, the magic of being close to magnificent animals has been the constant joy for successive generations.

  Brendan Walsh feeding the sea lions, 2009

 
For more information about Zoo  www.dublinzoo.ie 

 

 

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