Heritage 0609_Zoo.pdf - Australian Heritage Magazine

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By 1899 the Melbourne Zoo had assumed many of the features that would define it for more than half of the next century: landscaped gardens and a growing collection of exotic animals. people of Victoria had lost interest after so much money and effort had produced little but a string of failures and the odd disaster. If the zoo was to survive, it would have to change. Albert Le Souëf was the person to drive such change. When he was appointed secretary of the Society in 1870, many of the world’s great cities had zoos that exhibited exotic African and Asian animals in settings of beautiful gardens and elaborate architecture, and Le Souëf recognised that Melbourne’s growing civic pride was clamouring for a zoo that was comparable with them. The first change that he advocated was cosmetic: the Society was renamed the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria. Changing the zoo itself was to be more challenging. One of the cheapest and easiest reforms was to make the zoo more attractive and accessible to the public. As well as building basic amenities like benches, shelter sheds, food stalls and toilets, the grounds were landscaped with colourful flower beds and avenues of trees. But however attractive the zoo was, the public remained disinterested in the few left-overs of the acclimatisation experiments. Le Souëf suggested expanding one of the zoo’s side-lines – native animals. The collection of Australian animals had been one of the zoo’s few assets, either traded for other animals or sold to gain muchneeded funds. Albert Le Souëf recognised that they were an ideal place to start in the zoo’s development; they were fairly cheap to acquire and feed and the zoo already had the facilities and expertise to maintain them. By 1875 the collection included a wide variety of native birds, numerous species of kangaroos and wallabies, koalas, wombats, possums, Tasmanian tigers and devils. Though this was intended as an interim measure, the Australian fauna collection was retained to become a major part of the presentday zoo. These were not the only Australian natives that the Melbourne Zoo exhibited. Model Aboriginal encampments were at times among the attractions, their longevity limited only by availability of fresh bark. This went one stage further in 1888, when Kulin families were brought down from Coranderrk Reserve to live among replica humpies and stuffed animals. Though the new Australian exhibits did increase interest in the Melbourne Zoo, the real stars were a few lions, bears and monkeys that were kept in wooden-floored enclosures near the entrance. Though the public clamoured for large, exotic animals like elephants, rhinoceros, giraffe and hippopotamus, Le Souëf claimed the zoo could not afford them, even turning down an offer from a circus of elephants and hyenas. Competition between zoos for exotic animals drove prices up, and large animals required a great deal of expensive food. 52 Australian Heritage
However, Le Souëf had another motive in crying poor. From its beginning, entry to the zoo had been free; the zoo derived its income from membership fees and from government grants. By charging admission, it could gain some degree of financial independence. Though unhappy with the idea, in 1881 the Victorian government allowed the zoo to charge admission from Monday to Saturday. Sunday remained free until 1912, mainly because the Lord’s Day Observance Society lobbied to close any business or institution that opened on a Sunday if it was seen to make a profit. As a result, the zoo was one of the few recreational facilities open on Sundays, and it not infrequently attracted crowds of up to 40,000 people. Albert Le Souëf’s work in developing the zoo was recognised in 1882, when he was appointed Director of the Melbourne Zoo. ABOVE: The Melbourne Zoo’s first elephant, Ranee, was purchased in 1883 and put to work giving rides. In 1902, her job was taken over by Queenie who, for more than 40 years carried up to 500 children a day. Courtesy State Library of Victoria, H 33671/36. BELOW: Today, five elephants live together in Melbourne Zoo’s Trail of the Elephants, and clearly enjoy each other’s company. Photo courtesy Melbourne Zoo. Australian Heritage 53
Page 1 and 2: The Melbourne Zoo is the oldest zoo
Page 3: These wooden lion cages were fairly
Page 7 and 8: down her enclosure! Both animals li
Page 9: program, Melbourne Zoo now maintain

Heritage 0609_Zoo.pdf - Australian Heritage Magazine

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