Description of the attraction
London Zoo is the world's oldest science zoo. About 17 thousand animals of 755 species make it the owner of one of the largest British zoological collections.
Among those to whom the zoo owes its establishment in 1826 are statesman Stamford Raffles, founder of the city of Singapore (in Great Britain he is called "the father of Singapore and the London Zoo"), and the famous chemist, inventor of the safe mining lamp Humphrey Davy. They were among the organizers of the Zoological Society of London (and Raffles was its first president), which received from the Crown a piece of land in Regent's Park to house and study animals.
The zoological garden opened in 1828 - at first only for members of the society. Among the first animals were already then rare, and now completely exterminated quagga and marsupial wolf. In 1847, they had to let the general public in - they needed money. The first hippopotamus in Europe and the first African elephant in England appeared here. For the first time in the world, a reptile house, an insect house, and a public aquarium were opened here. Actually, even the word "aquarium" appeared in the London Zoo - they used to say "water vivarium".
Many animals were real stars. That same hippopotamus (named Obaysh) drove Londoners crazy - up to 10 thousand people a day went to watch him. Queen Victoria brought her children to look at the hippopotamus and made an entry in her diary, the press told about all the details of his life, and "The Hippopotamus Polka" instantly became a hit. Even the term "hippomania" was coined.
The audience's favorite was the elephant Jumbo, as well as later - the gorilla Guy, the polar bear Brumas, the giant panda Chi-Chi. And the black bear Winnipeg, who lived in the zoo from 1915 to 1934, gave the name to the toy of Christopher Robin, the son of the writer Alan Milne - the teddy bear was named Winnie the Pooh, and he became the hero of a great book.
Now local visitors also have favorites. People enjoy watching the harsh Kumbuka, the leader of the gorilla pack. Smiling and very predatory Komodos monitor lizards are always popular. Tag and Nicky, a pair of pygmy hippos, are fascinated. In the African section, visitors are given the opportunity to look a giraffe in the eye by climbing on a special platform.
Tiger territory is home to rare Sumatran tigers. The species is on the verge of extinction, there are only about 300 of these animals in the world, and three tiger cubs were born to Je-Je and Melati in February 2014 at the London Zoo.
The zoo is not large, it occupies 15 hectares, it is possible to get around it in a few hours. At the entrance, it is better to take a map with the schedule of events so as not to miss the hours of feedings and performances. People especially love the show on Penguin Beach - the Humboldt penguin colony sunbathes, eats and dives (it's interesting to watch their snorkeling through the windows). A local celebrity is the macaroni penguin Rikki.
A hungry tourist can easily find food for himself - there are several cafes in the zoo. Connoisseurs recommend the classic takeaway fish and chips near the insect pavilion.
