HUMP DAY HISTORY!

Sorry for the late entry, but it's 11:00pm on Washington, D.C. time so it's still hump day here!

A Wild Day at the Zoo

Whether you are a fan of the scientific and educational merits of a public zoo or find it cruel to animals (I'm still on the fence on this one), all of us have probably been to a zoo at some point.  Like me, you were probably on a school trip or dragged by your parents on a hot Saturday in the summer so you would stop annoying them for a few hours.  Some of you may have even visited a zoo last month with your own kids!  My point is, we're all familiar.

Did you know that the oldest scientific zoo open to the public was actually in Regent's Park London?



http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/



 It's true!  This zoo was opened to the public around 1828.  Before this time, there were animal parks in existence across Europe and the rest of the world but they were primarily used as private royal menageries for kings, queens, and emperors.  I suppose a modern equivalent would be Mr. Hugh Hefner's own private zoo on the Playboy Mansion grounds.



I am told Hugh has actual rabbits in the Playboy private zoo. PicSource





















The London Zoo opened in April 1828 to fellows of the research society and among the first species available were an Arabian oryx, greater kudus, orangutan and the now extinct quagga & thylacine (InfoSource)

The next year, King George IV granted a Royal Charter to the researchers to open the zoo to the public in hopes of raising ongoing funds.  To this day, the London Zoo receives no public funds, but instead relies on membership fees from members, private donations, and entrance fees.

60 years later, the same mission for zoological research and public education was the impetus for creating my neighborhood zoo, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.  The National Zoo was created by Congress for “the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the people.”  We are very fortunate that due to both federal funding and private foundation funds, the zoo is free to the public.  For now, anyways!

So the next time you enter the stinky enclosure of the majestic elephant or have a childhood flashback to watching the adorabe prairie dogs on a school field trip, you can thank the Zoological Society of London for leading the rest of the world.

Or, if you're not a zoo fan, then you can point the blame accordingly.



OMG can I keep it?  (Source)

 Okay back to packing! 

-A-