Old Taronga zoo guide book » Taronga Zoo

Old Taronga zoo guide book
18-05-2006

I recently bought a old Taronga zoo guide book off e-bay. I think it was from the 40's or 50's. Some of the birds and animals listed at the zoo back then would made any zoo fan drool. Some of the animals in the collection back then included: Barbirusa,lesser kudu,muntjacs,anoas,polar bears,hanuman langurs (entellus monkeys) and hyenas.
Some of the birds included: King vultures, bali miners, hornbills and toucans.
I am still waiting to receive a couple of other old zoo guides from taronga from the 60's and 70's. Also an old Adelaide guide from the 80's.

18-05-2006

i have an old book on zoos from the late 60's. there is whole chapter devoted to taronga zoo and its then director, sir edward hallstrom. he was responsible for pioneering alot of new zoo species in australia and was famous for having the best longevity records for animals in the world. this was largely due with his obsession with concrete, as he knew the substance, washed and disinfected daily was very hygenic and thus his animals avoided regular bouts of intestinal worms and other ailments that was common with other animals in zoos at the time.

not much is said about the collection at the time other than the zoo was having considerable success with breeding black rhino and orangs and chimps. it housed numerous gorillas that it was not so lucky with. birds-of-paradise and other new guinea fauna where there (as i a kid i remeber visiting and seeing bright orange and white cuscus) and he was planning a elaborate seaworld style dolphin show but had not yet captured the dolphins - sounds like he got them in the end.