A Guidebook Library: TLD's year-long randomised walkthrough of zoo guides

Day 72: Cotswold Wildlife Park (2014) - Crowned Sifaka



Page count: 50 pages (including interior front and rear cover pages)
Photographs: c.128 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: c.10 diagrams/drawings showing key anatomical features
Layout: Introduction to the zoo and its history, followed by general discussion of the exhibits throughout the collection, the conservation work undertaken by CWP, the botanical gardens and displays throughout the collection and key visitor information.
Map: Located within central pages.

Today, we shall discuss an item from one of the few major zoological collections within the United Kingdom which still regularly publishes guidebooks, Cotswold Wildlife Park; I purchased this particular edition almost exactly eight years ago when I first visited the collection in April 2014, shortly after the guidebook was first released. As such, given the fact that I only started to collect zoo guidebooks in earnest when I attended the Zoohistorica event held at Bristol Zoo the preceding autumn, this is probably one of the very first additions to my collection. As I hope to make clear over the course of the following handful of paragraphs, I feel that the guidebooks published by Cotswold Wildlife Park are some of the highest-quality and most attractive available in the present day.



After a brief introduction to the collection, written by the owner Reggie Heyworth, the guidebook opens with a fairly detailed historical account relating to the estate within which the wildlife park is located and the events leading to the foundation of the collection, also discussing in some detail the way in which the original manor house, outbuildings and surrounding structures have been converted into zoological exhibits, storage areas, administration and maintenance offices and other such purposes. These accounts are immediately followed by a brief summary of the current day status of the collection, relating some of the aims and objectives of Cotswold Wildlife Park at the time of publication. As is the case throughout this guidebook, these sections are lushly illustrated with well-labelled and brightly-coloured photographs; these include four rather interesting images showing aspects of the gardens within the collection during each of the four seasons.



Beyond here, the guidebook moves into an exhibit-by-exhibit discussion of the collection as a whole; a double-page spread is devoted to each exhibit in the general order that the visitor to the Wildlife Park would encounter them, with each account noting the species located within, and relating something of the background history of the exhibit. For instance, when discussing the Tropical House, Madagascar walkthrough and the other animal exhibits located within the Walled Garden, the original use of this area as a kitchen garden and associated greenhouses supplying fresh fruit and vegetables for the Manor House is highlighted. Similarly, those sections relating to the Reptile House and Insect House go into some detail about their prior status as stable blocks located within the courtyards behind the Manor House.

Furthermore, a fairly large amount of detailed information is given about the diet, lifestyle, and natural habitats of the various species held throughout the collection, and the environs in which they are held at the wildlife park; when taken in conjunction with the aforementioned high standard of photographic illustration throughout this guidebook, with every single page containing at least one or two photographs and many including large-format background images depicting exhibits, enclosures and views of the gardens, these accounts represent an interesting, highly-informative and useful resource both for the visitor to the collection, and the zoo-historian wishing to gain an insight into Cotswold Wildlife Park at the time of publication.




The guidebook contains a number of shorter segments beyond the exhibit-by-exhibit walkthrough account, of no less value or quality to those which precede them; the first of these this is a discussion of the various conservation and captive breeding programmes which Cotswold Wildlife Park is involved in, and placing these efforts in a wider context. As I have remarked before within this thread, it is always extremely satisfying to find succinct but comprehensive summaries of the importance and value of zoological collections - as tools for education, conservation and entertainment - within the material published by said collections, providing as they do a complete rebuttal to many of the arguments made by the anti-zoo lobby.

The second of these concluding segments comprises a lengthy and once again lushly-illustrated account of the various botanical displays, gardens, terraces and tree plantations present throughout the estate within which Cotswold Wildlife Park is located. Given the massive impact which the setting of the collection has on the overall feel and atmosphere of the wildlife park, this being very much one of the reasons why the collection is so beloved by many UK zoo-enthusiasts both on this forum and elsewhere online, it strikes me as vitally-important that a guidebook to the collection should devote some care and attention to this aspect of the overall collection.

The final section of the guidebook relates a variety of important details regarding the amenities available to visitors, rules and conditions pertaining to entry, and general information relating to opening times and emergency contact information.



Here, it seems appropriate to briefly discuss the map of the collection located within the central pages of this guidebook; as is invariably the case with the maps produced by Cotswold Wildlife Park, it is well-labelled, aesthetically pleasing to the eye and extremely easy to interpret. In point of fact, I would argue that this is probably one of the best maps produced by a zoological collection within the UK in recent years; whilst the current trend where such material is concerned seems to lean towards brightly-coloured and highly-simplified maps which are difficult or even misleading to read, and often aesthetically-unpleasant (the current style of map produced at Chester Zoo, for instance) this map successfully combines both simplicity and detail where required.



Overall - as I noted previously - this is one of the most attractive, well-designed, informative, and aesthetically-pleasing guidebooks published within the United Kingdom in the past decade; Cotswold Wildlife Park has a strong tradition of producing high-quality content of this sort, and unlike many zoological collections continues to release a new guidebook every year or two. As such, this is one of the small handful of British zoos for which I actively seek out guidebooks (whether newly-released or past editions missing from my collection) rather than merely obtaining copies as-and-when opportunity arises; I still have many gaps in my collection, of course, but time will tell how successful I am in rectifying this omission.

In the meantime, I would very much be interested to hear your thoughts, queries and feedback on this post!

 

Day 73: Flamingo Park (1973) -Chilean Flamingos



Page count: 16 pages
Photographs: 15 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief introduction to collection, followed by summary account of species held, statistics relating to the construction of the collection, and key visitor information.
Map: Fold-out collection map within interior front cover, and map of Isle of Wight showing location of collection within interior rear cover.

Today, another interesting item from a closed UK collection; although known as Seaview Wildlife Encounter in the final few years before it ultimately closed in 2015, this guidebook for Flamingo Park on the Isle of Wight dates back to 1973, only two years after the collection first opened. As such, it provides a valuable insight into the history and early years of a collection now lost to us; given my interest in zoo history, especially where closed collections are concerned, it will surprise few individuals reading this thread to learn that I specifically sought out material from this collection some years ago. Given the brevity of this guidebook, there is relatively little that I can say about it within this post; however, hopefully what information I can convey may provoke questions and feedback, and perhaps even memories of the collection from those who visited it.



The guidebook opens with a general introduction to the collection, discussing the location of Flamingo Park in the north-east of the island overlooking the Solent and the mainland beyond, describing the general setting of the collection and the work which was undertaken to prepare the site for public access, and giving a brief overview of the exhibits located within.

Beyond here, the bulk of the guidebook comprises a series of short passages discussing the animals displayed within the collection at the time of publication, each accompanied by colour photographs depicting some of the species and exhibits mentioned within the text; these can more or less be divided into wild and domestic waterfowl species, domestic pigeons and chickens of various breeds, ornamental passerines and softbills, pheasants, and of course the titular flock of Chilean flamingos. These passages are all relatively brief, but nonetheless contain interesting information relating to the diets, provenance and wild behaviour of the species concerned; moreover, the choice of photographs include several attractive images giving a wider view of the exhibits and gardens, and hence a clearer impression of what the collection was like at this early point in its history.




The guidebook concludes with a small simple map showing the Isle of Wight and the location of Flamingo Park therein, alongside various items of visitor information (including a summary of key amenities and rules of admission) and detailed instructions on how to reach the collection by public or private transportation. Another, more detailed, fold-out map of the collection itself is located within the interior front page of the guidebook; this is best described as "functional", being fairly easy to reference and interpret, and clearly labelling the contents of the various pens, pools, and paddocks within the collection, whilst not being all that attractive to the eye.



Overall then, this is a well-designed and informative guidebook which doubtless served its primary purpose well at the time of publication, providing a remarkably large amount of information about the collection considering the brevity of the text alongside several attractive images depicting the species and exhibits located within; as a historical document, it is no less valuable. On a personal note, having never visited the collection myself - although the opportunity did arise on one occasion some years before it ultimately closed, I elected to visit the nearby Monkey Haven instead given the short amount of time available - I am rather pleased to own a primary source which provides some insight into what it was like, even if it was doubtless a very different place by the early 2010s!

Hopefully, this post may provoke recollections and feedback from those who did visit Flamingo Park (or indeed Seaview Wildlife Encounter) before it ultimately closed.

 

Day 74: Kilverstone Wildlife Park (1988) - Young Cotton-top Tamarin




Page count: 32 pages
Photographs: c.98 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: c.8 illustrations of species in collection
Layout: Brief introduction to collection, followed by summary account of species held and key exhibit areas, information on animal husbandry, and discussion of Falabella Miniature Horses, concluding with general visitor information.
Map: Collection plan located within inner front cover; map of East Anglia and the Home Counties showing location of Kilverstone within inner rear cover.

Yet another guidebook pertaining to a closed UK collection today; this time, we shall be discussing Kilverstone, a collection which is rather more well-known among the zoo-enthusiast community than Flamingo Park, more due to the rarities within its animal collection rather than the quality of the zoo or how well-visited it was by members of this community. Certainly there are many species which were displayed at Kilverstone which have never been seen in a European collection since the collection closed, or which have only recently returned to our shores; however, I suspect the number of active members of this forum who actually *visited* the collection is now rather low!



The guidebook opens with a general introduction to the collection; although things were somewhat otherwise when Kilverstone Wildlife Park first opened, by the time this guidebook was published the collection had long since established its reputation as one solely focusing on the wildlife of Latin America. The one exception - alluded to briefly within this introduction, but discussed at greater lengths elsewhere in the guidebook - is the fact that the collection also served as a breeding site for several breeds of miniature horses, most notably the Falabella breed from Argentina.




Beyond here, the main body of the guidebook comprises accounts of the various species held within the collection, with several discussed according to the exhibit area in which they were located, whilst others are discussed by taxonomic group. Due to the size and format of this guidebook, obtaining full scans of double-page spreads within has proven impossible; as such, the scans above and below are slightly truncated, but hopefully nonetheless convey a sense of the general layout and contents. As one can see from these example images, each species or animal group is discussed over the course of a paragraph or two; these are generally labelled with the scientific name, although in some cases this is provided for only a single taxon whilst the text itself refers to multiple species within an overall group. Some of these accounts also discuss the breeding record of the species at Kilverstone, or make specific reference to their rarity in captivity; as I have discussed in the past, this is the kind of content that I rather like to see in shorter guidebooks of this sort, given the fact that it conveys direct information about the collection in question rather than general information about the species held there. These accounts are also notable for how richly illustrated they are; each double-page spread contains around a half-dozen colour photographs of selected species, with scattered drawings and diagrams depicting further species or key anatomical features discussed within the text.

However, these accounts are not entirely free from reproach; along with the aforementioned issue relating to taxonomic names being given for a single species where multiple species are being discussed, there are also a number of glaring errors where the information conveyed and labelling of photographs is concerned. The most notable such example is the fact that a photograph of a Naked-tailed Armadillo is used to illustrate the account relating to Nine-banded Armadillo; both species *were* displayed in the collection at the time of publication, but it is still somewhat strange that the two were confused within this guidebook.

The main body of the guidebook also contains a segment discussing the wide variety of exotic animals born and hand-reared at Kilverstone by Lady Rosamund Fisher; this more-or-less comprises an extended promotion for her book "My Jungle Babies" (which relates the story of the founding of Kilverstone Wildlife Park by Lord and Lady Fisher, with a particular focus on those animals hand-reared at the zoo) but also contains four pages of photographs depicting these species, including several species now absent from European captive collections. This section, more than anything else within this guidebook, rather betrays the dilettante nature of the Fishers; for all that the introduction to the guide book discusses the importance of captive breeding reservoirs for threatened South American species and zoological collections in general, and claims that this was the motivation behind opening Kilverstone Wildlife Park, the text and photographs here make it rather clear that the animals within were often viewed as de-facto pets!




Conversely, one rather gets the impression from the section devoted to the subject towards the end of this guidebook that the interest which the Fishers had in miniature horses was less superficial, and based in a somewhat deeper level of understanding; certainly, once the collection ultimately closed due to severe financial issues it was the miniature horse stud which the couple retained rather than any of the genetically-important breeding groups of callitrichids and South American rodents! As with the rest of the guidebook, this section is copiously illustrated by several photographs both of the miniature horses and of Lord and Lady Fisher.

The guidebook closes with a segment relating a handful of key items of visitor information - including opening and closing times, rules of admission, available amenities and emergency information - and a map of Norfolk and adjacent areas of southeast England showing the general location of the collection; the latter is accompanied by promotion of the aforementioned "Jungle Babies" book and requests for donations to the Kilverstone Wildlife Charitable Trust.



It should be noted here that a map of the collection is located within the inner front page of the guidebook; unlike the colourful and detailed imagery elsewhere in the guidebook, it is remarkably plain and somewhat difficult to use as a reference tool given the scanty labelling, cluttered layout and simplistic imagery used throughout. Given the map quality present within many significantly-simpler guidebooks published during this time span, and the generally high quality of the text and imagery elsewhere, it must be admitted that this is something of a disappointment.



Overall then, this is a rather interesting look at a collection which has long-since been left in the past; although the text is interesting and informative, the main value of this guidebook as a record of zoological history most certainly lies in the vast number of photographs within depicting the unusual rarities which were found at Kilverstone at the time of publication, many of which will doubtless never be seen within European collections again. As ever, I am very happy to provide any further information about the exhibits or species discussed within this guidebook, and would very much appreciate any comments or feedback - especially from anyone who actually visited Kilverstone Wildlife Park!

 

Indeed - other major oddities represented with photographs in the guidebook include:

Black Agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa) - last held in a European collection in 1997 at Dortmund, which received their stock from Kilverstone.
Black-faced Spider Monkey (Ateles chamek) - only a single (possibly impure) group remain in Europe, at Avintes Park Zoo; there is also a probable individual at Five Sisters which came from Southport when it closed, but was born at Kilverstone.
Dusky Titi (Plecturocebus moloch) - last held in a European collection when Kilverstone closed in 1992; one of several species which was dispersed to places unknown.
Greater Grison (Galictis vittata) - this one has had a bit of a renaissance in recent years, but the population which has spread out from Hamerton represents a different subspecies to that held at Kilverstone.
Hooded Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi grisescens) - last held in a European collection when Kilverstone closed in 1992; one of several species which was dispersed to places unknown.
Illiger's Tamarin (Leontocebus illigeri) - last held in a European collection in 2014 when a long-lived singleton at Marwell died; the breeding population at Kilverstone again was dispersed to places unknown.
Geoffroy's Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi) - last held in a European collection in the mid-1990s when the last individuals at Bristol died.
Silver Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix poeppigii) - last held in a European collection in 2017 when the final pure individual at Apenheul died (also the final pure Woolly Monkey of any form in Europe).
Weddell's Tamarin (Leontocebus weddelli) - a few elderly individuals remain at Zoo Koln.
White-fronted Capuchin (Cebus albifrons) - one or two elderly individuals may still remain at Sewerby Zoo.
Southern Naked-tailed Armadillo (Cabassous unicinctus) - last held in a European collection when Kilverstone closed in 1992; one of several species which was dispersed to places unknown.

Glad you are enjoying them - feel free to remark on any past ones, too (and this goes for everyone else) as I definitely don't mind older topics being resurrected! The index at the start of this thread links to all previous guidebook posts.

 

With a little luck I may be visiting this weekend, so I will hopefully soon be able to a) answer the question and b) pick up the lifetick!

 

Day 75: Brighton Aquarium (c.1923) - Photograph of old entrance building



One of the biggest oddities within my guidebook collection has come up for discussion today; an undated guidebook to Brighton Aquarium which (until I discovered my copy on eBay in January 2021) was apparently unknown to the wider zoo-enthusiast community, and was not present on the master list of UK guidebooks maintained by the Bartlett Society. The guidebook appears to have originally comprised two folded and stapled sheets of paper, forming six interior pages, but the middle sheet was unfortunately missing when I purchased it, leaving only the outer/cover sheet.

Due to its incomplete state, this post will follow a somewhat different format to usual, containing a reasonable amount of supposition and deduction about the age and contents of the guidebook, alongside discussion of the information which *has* survived within my copy; however, I feel it is nonetheless well-worth discussing given the historical significance of the guidebook, the possibility that some reading this post may own an intact copy, and the hope that those reading this thread may find the account of how I deduced the approximate age of this guidebook interesting.

The immediate thing which caught my attention on spotting this guidebook for sale on eBay (at the "Buy It Now" price of £10) was the fact that although the guidebook was undated and did not match any mentioned on the Bartlett Society master list, it *looked* old and further context clues (including the name of the manager cited on the front, George W Weller) appeared to pin the date of publication down to the early 20th Century. I was also very much interested by the apparent interior contents, a comprehensive tank-by-tank account of the species displayed within the Aquarium at the time of publication; as such, I thought it well-worth purchasing the guidebook despite the fact that it appeared to comprise only a single sheet. Once the guidebook arrived, and I was able to reach the interior pages more carefully, I realised that this *had* in fact been a "true" guidebook comprising multiple stapled pages; minute staple holes were visible in the spine, and the extant interior pages were referred to as pages two and seven within the text.



Furthermore, out-of-place references to the contents of certain tanks in larger font than the surrounding text tended to suggest that the missing third and six pages, at the very least, contained photographs (or perhaps illustrations) to which these captions pertained. In the hope that other zoo-enthusiasts online may have encountered this guidebook in the past, or even own intact copies, I took my investigations to Facebook communities revolving around the discussion of zoo guidebooks and other printed paraphernalia. My main objectives in doing so were twofold; firstly, and most importantly, I hoped to piece together when the guidebook was originally published; secondly, I hoped to learn what the missing pages of the guidebook had originally contained.

On doing so, a few key items of evidence were pointed out to me:

• The main entrance building depicted on the front cover had been demolished in 1927, implying an upper bound for the publication of this guidebook.
• The Southdown Motor Services bus company advertised on the rear cover of the guidebook (seen below) did not start operating services to Southampton until 1922, implying a lower bound for the publication of this guidebook.

As such, it was immediately apparent that the guidebook was likely to have been published between 1922-1927. Another key item of evidence which I had already noticed, but which was of little assistance to those participating in the FB discussion, was a mention of an American Alligator by the name of "Archie" - presumably, the name would be illuminating to anyone with a deeper knowledge of the historical captive holdings of the species in the United Kingdom!



On further consideration of the evidence - and researching the 1920s history of the Southdown Motor Services company - I realised that the advertisement on the rear cover of the guidebook made no mention of any services to London, something which one would have expected to be present were these available; as the first express service from Brighton to London started in 1924, this strongly implies that the guidebook was published between 1922-1924. As such, the relevant entry in my personal guidebook master-list (and hence the title of this post) lists the publication of this guidebook as having taken place in c.1923 barring any further discoveries.

Unfortunately, no one within the group reported having encountered the guidebook in the past - let alone owning it themselves - and therefore I remain entirely in the dark with regards to the contents of the central pages, barring those deductions I mention above. Of course, there is always the chance that I shall strike lucky, and that someone reading this thread can fill in the missing gaps in my knowledge! However, as noted previously there is still much value to be found within the tank-by-tank summary located within the extant pages, indicating as it does something of the focus and scale of the captive collection within Brighton Aquarium at the time of publication. Although it is interesting to note the mention of porpoises having been occasionally and temporarily located within the collection, and the heavy focus on the native marine fauna of the British Isles (implying that at the time of publication this collection was very much of a kind to the previously-discussed Brixham Aquarium) the most interesting point made within the text is most certainly the claim that the collection contained the "largest aquarium tank in the world" at 11,000 gallons; it would be very interesting to learn whether or not this information is accurate at all!

Overall, then, a very interesting guidebook which raises many questions due to the incomplete nature of my copy, but nonetheless a very important primary resource in terms of zoo history and the history of aquarium collections within Europe as a whole; certainly I have zero regrets about purchasing my copy, despite the fact it is missing much of the original content.

 

Day 76: Weltvogelpark Walsrode (2019) - Curl-crested Aracari



Page count: 174 pages (including several pages of advertisements scattered throughout opening segments)
Photographs: c.315 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: c.50 illustrations of species in collection and informational diagrams
Layout: Introduction to collection, including historical discussions, botanical walkthrough and information on visitor amenities and events, along with educational discussion relating to diversity of form and function within birds, followed by around 120 pages discussing the various bird species held in the collection variously classified by family or order.
Map: Located on fold-out inside rear cover.

Whilst the last few items discussed within this thread have been fairly brief and lightweight, the guidebook which has been randomly selected today represents quite the reverse; as I have previously discussed at various points within this thread, one of the collections which has continued a long tradition of regularly publishing lengthy and in-depth guidebooks into the present day is Weltvogelpark Walsrode. This particular edition is one of the most recent, having been published in 2019, but has already been replaced with a new edition and as such is no longer available from Walsrode itself; as I shall relate anon, it is nigh-certain that it would still be missing from my guidebook collection were it not for the extreme generosity and kindness of another guidebook collector.

In late 2020, after I posted a photograph depicting the current status of my Walsrode collection to one of the various FB groups revolving around zoo guidebooks and literature of which I have spoken, bemoaning the fact that the ongoing pandemic meant it was unlikely I would be able to revisit Walsrode in order to purchase their latest edition within the foreseeable future, our very own @snowleopard reached out to me; he extended the very kind offer to send me his personal copy (purchased when he visited the collection in August 2019) along with a large number of North American zoo maps and brochures, in exchange for any spare maps and guidebooks in my possession. Needless to say, I gratefully accepted; as a direct result, I am now in a position to discuss this guidebook here, and hopefully demonstrate why it is one of the highest-quality zoological publications of recent years.



After a short foreword written by the newly-appointed managing director of the collection, Javier Gimeno, the guidebook opens with a selection of rather excellent discussions on a wide range of subjects; these can be roughly divided into two categories, those relating to the collection itself in some fashion, and those discussing the wide variety of form, function and habitat within birds using species held at Walsrode as examples. The former category includes the following:

• A double-page spread discussing the early years of the collection, copiously illustrated with a variety of photographs taken over the course of the early 1960s, along with a partial image of a newspaper clipping relating to the successful breeding of Black-necked Swan dating to April 1964; this section also shows the amended logo for Weltvogelpark Walsrode issued at the time of the collection's 50th anniversary.
• A double-page spread (visible above) highlighting the wide variety of architectural styles visible throughout the houses and supplementary buildings located at Walsrode; colour photographs are provided depicting several of the most notable examples.
• A double-page spread discussing the various playgrounds, cafes and restaurants located within the collection.
• Several pages providing a detailed account of the various botanical highlights located throughout the grounds of Weltvogelpark Walsrode; along with a walkthrough account of some of the most notable trees in the gardens and walkthrough houses, particular attention is paid to the rhododendron and rose displays.
• A double-page segment discussing the flight show, feeding times, bookable experiences and other "edutainment" events throughout the collection.
• A single-page discussion of the various conservational and zoological organisations which Walsrode is involved with, such as EAZA , IUCN and WAZA, along with the scientific and research work which is undertaken behind the scenes at the collection.

All of these discussions - as is the case for the entirety of the guidebook - are lushly-illustrated with large numbers of colour photographs, and contain a vast amount of information.



Those discussions falling into the aforementioned second "category" within these introductory segments of the guidebook represent content of equally-high quality; the bulk of these form a series of educational accounts, all of which use attractive diagrams pertaining to the same six species within the animal collection at Walsrode (Shoebill, Harpy Eagle, Red-billed Curassow, Waldrapp, White-naped Pheasant-pigeon and Red-fronted Macaw) to highlight the wide diversity present within birds as follows:

• A discussion of social behaviour in the six example species, ranging from the extremely solitary behaviour of the Shoebill to the massive social congregations visible in the Red-fronted Macaw.
• A discussion of the varying eyesight of different bird groups, and how factors such as eye shape and colour can have a bearing on this matter.
• A discussion of the wide variety of beak shape and size found within the six example species and the reason for said variety, paying particular attention to diet and behaviour.
• A pair of linked discussions relating to the variety in feather colour, shape and function across the six example species, discussing sexual dimorphism in plumage where appropriate.
• A discussion of the various habitats within which the six example species are located in their wild ranges, from the papyrus wetlands which form the primary habitat of the Shoebill, through the exposed cliffs and mountainsides which form the habitat of the Waldrapp, to the clay-rich river banks within which Red-fronted Macaw colonies are located.
• A discussion of the typical clutch size and breeding behaviour of the six example species.

These accounts are accompanied by shorter, more stand-alone discussions providing a range of facts and statistics relating to some of the bird species present within the animal collection at Walsrode - for instance, highlighting the fact that the kiwi has the largest egg in relation to total body size of any bird, and that the male Kori Bustard is the heaviest bird capable of flight - along with a double-page discussion of the breeding behaviour, and notable breeding successes, which can be observed at Walsrode.



Even taken in isolation, these fifty pages or so would comprise an excellent-quality guidebook for the collection in question, providing as they do a wide range of detailed nformation both about Walsrode itself and the rich diversity and variation present within the bird species displayed there; however, they provide a mere prelude to the main body of the text. As has been the case for the previous Walsrode guidebooks which we have discussed within this thread, the bulk of this edition is devoted to a comprehensive species-by-species and family-by-family account of the various bird taxa which were displayed within the collection at the time of publication. These accounts are preceded by a highly-attractive double-page title image, as can be seen above, declaring - and not without cause - that they pertain to the "colourful world of birds".




These accounts are very much akin to those I have discussed in previous posts relating to the guidebooks published by Walsrode in general layout and presentation, comprehensively discussing the vast array of avian diversity, with detailed and lavishly-illustrated accounts for more or less every single avian family or group present within the collection at the time of publication. I have, of course, previously discussed the fact that I believe the detailed information, production quality and bright, attractive imagery within these accounts are some of the key factors which allow Walsrode to reach the very highest tier of zoological literature produced by a European collection. However, I would argue that this is actually an area where (counter to the usual trend of modern zoo guidebooks being more commercialised and "dumbed-down") Walsrode has improved even beyond the heights I have discussed before; whilst previously the balance between text and imagery was somewhat skewed towards the latter, mostly due to the copious use of full-page or half-page photographs, here a significantly-expanded level of text is supplemented by smaller (but more diverse and numerous) photographs.

Rather than discuss the individual accounts one-by-one, I have elected to provide four sample images - present above and below - which not only give a very good impression of the general style, format and aesthetic appeal present throughout this section of the guidebook, but also highlight some of the most attractive oddities present within the collection at the time of publication. Naturally, given how speciose the animal collection at Walsrode is, and the wide array of unusual and rare species which are correspondingly depicted within the guidebook, there is no satisfactory way to select images for this post without omitting the vast majority of worthy candidates.... but then, the same could easily be said for the choices which led to the selection of photographs and species meriting inclusion within the guidebook itself!




As is usual for the guidebooks published by Weltvogelpark Walsrode, the interior rear cover contains a detailed and aesthetically-pleasing map of the collection, containing a variety of text labels, images of key species present within given areas, and symbols marking the location of key visitor amenities such as toilets, restaurants, food kiosks and first-aid points. As always, the map is highly-attractive and serves the purpose at hand very well, although it must be admitted that compared to some previous editions it *does* feel slightly cluttered and chaotic!



Once again, it must be emphasised that the fact that - in an era where many zoological collections are either ceasing to publish guidebooks entirely, or produce heavily-simplified documents which feel more like promotional tools aimed at the lowest denominator rather than actual guidebooks for the collections to which they pertain - the continued publication of guidebooks at Walsrode, and at a consistently high level of quality, is very much something to be lauded. One rather gets the impression that the collection has realised there is more demand for such publications than is often argued, given the fact that this guidebook had already been superseded by a new (and, as I may discuss at some point, significantly edited and updated) edition only two years later

I rather suspect that there is a wide scope for discussion and questions to be posed about this item fire away, folks!

 

Day 77: Belfast Zoo (1935) - Bellevue Zoological Gardens Belfast



Page count: 28 pages
Photographs: 15 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief introductory segment providing admission information, and a comprehensive enclosure-by-enclosure walkthrough account of the zoo following a suggested route around the collection.
Map: Located on fold-out inside front cover.

A fairly rare and interesting item today; this guidebook was the very first to be released by Belfast Zoo when it originally opened in the 1930s, and as such pertains to the original Bellevue site on Antrim Road, rather than the current location of the collection immediately uphill. This is, therefore, not only a valuable historical record of the earliest days of Belfast Zoo but also (for all intents and purposes) a guidebook for a zoological collection which has now completely disappeared. I was fortunate enough to stumble across this item on AbeBooks several years ago whilst performing one of my occasional searches for material pertaining to the *other* closed zoological collection known by this name, and needless to say purchased it immediately; more recent guidebooks to Belfast Zoo are reasonably scarce on the secondary market, but items relating to the Bellevue site are vanishingly rare!

The guidebook opens with a very brief segment located on the interior front cover, discussing the opening hours of the collection, admission prices, and the various public transport services available for the collection at the time of publication; this is accompanied by a large fold-out map of the collection which, as I shall discuss anon, is copiously labelled and numbered to indicate all major exhibits and houses.




Beyond here, the main body of the guidebook more or less solely comprises a comprehensive walkthrough account of the collection at the time of publication - and therefore, more or less, at the time that it first opened to the public in 1934. As noted in the title page of the guidebook, the text was written by Richard H Hunter, the first animal manager and curator of the collection; as we have discussed previously within this thread, it is always rather interesting and enlightening when the precise author of a guidebook is made clear to the reader, given the conclusions one can often make as a result regarding the accuracy of the presented information, the aims and objectives of the guidebook, and the biases involved.

One of the key factors which renders this item so valuable - and fascinating - as a primary record of the collection at the time that it first opened is that it truly *does* represent a guidebook to the collection; whilst some items we have previously discussed within this thread follow a rough "walkthrough" style, relating the various animals and exhibits present throughout the collection in question, this guidebook comprises a step-by-step description of a suggested route throughout the zoo. Each major exhibit or animal house is presented in a very specific order - with each numbered section corresponding directly to the numbers located on the collection map and accompanying key - and bold annotations are scattered throughout the text, providing further clarification on the route the visitor should take at particular points. Furthermore, at selected points throughout the text a number of black-and-white photographic plates depicting some of the species under discussion are provided.

The quality of these accounts is reasonably high; the information presented is both interesting and detailed for the most part, discussing the wild range, behaviour and diet of the species held within the collection and providing specific information on the individual animals present at the zoo where appropriate, and the vast majority of taxa cited within the text are listed both under their common names and their taxonomic names. Interestingly, in those cases where the map includes numbered exhibits which were still empty or under construction at the time of publication, the guidebook does not omit or skip these numbers when they are reached within the walkthrough account, making a specific note that the exhibits these numbers pertain to were still under construction. This is a fairly simple touch, but one I rather like given the fact that it maintains consistency between the map and guidebook.

As can be seen below, the guidebook concludes with a brief note intended to provide clarification on how the visitor to the collection could amend the route-plan presented were they to have entered the zoo through the secondary entrance, and furthermore provides advice regarding the best time to view certain taxa; again, this is a minor touch but one I like a lot given the fact that it strengthens the quality and utility of the guidebook for the intended purpose.




As noted previously, the guidebook opens with a large and rather attractive map to the collection; given the somewhat unwieldy format of this map for the purposes of scanning, I have elected to present it across two images, rather than take a lower quality photograph from afar showing the entire map. Hopefully, this does not too much of an impediment in appreciating and interpreting the map for those reading this thread; certainly I feel that it is incredibly easy to cross-reference details and information between the main body of the text and the map itself, and follow the walkthrough account of Belfast Zoo within my own mind.




In conclusion, although this guidebook is relatively short - being limited solely to a walkthrough account of Belfast Zoo at the time of publication - it presents a well-presented, interesting and very informative look at the very earliest days of the collection; as such, it is not only an excellent zoological guidebook, but also a valuable historical document in its own right.

As always, I welcome any-and-all questions, feedback, or other remarks which anyone may have relating to this guidebook; furthermore, I would be more than happy to provide further specifics about the content presented within if anyone so desires!

 

There was indeed; I've previously discussed a 1960's guidebook from said collection within this thread. It closed in 1977, whilst the Bellevue site of Belfast Zoo remained open until 1989; as such the two collections were open simultaneously for a total of 43 years.

I imagine that confusion was minimal, both because of the distance between the locations concerned, and the fact that I suspect "Belfast Zoo" was always the most commonly-used name for said collection.