In 1911 the Bristol's city museum received two living Tuatara. They decided not to transfer the animals to the zoo but to keep them and display them in the museum. According to ZTL Bristol Zoo kept Tuatara but is this a mistake? Were they the same animals as those in the museum or did the zoo also receive Tuatara? you might have to scroll down a bit if you foll the link https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/stories/tales-from-natural-history-stores
Weirdly enough, for some reason (probably because of the "living fossil" and long lifespan thing) tuataras just seem to me to be more suited to live display (in a decent exhibit of course) in a natural history museum rather than a zoo.
Would have loved to have seen these here and would have been very convenient in terms of travel, but unfortunately London no longer keeps them. Are they not still kept at both Jersey and Chester zoos ?
Dont know who in the UK has or had them perhaps one of the UK guys could let you know. But seen quite a few in NZ in the past
I think the only one that I'm 100% sure that keeps the species is Chester zoo. I may just be associating Jersey with tuataras due to the ones that were historically kept at the zoo. I remember them mentioned and illustrated in one of the Durrell paperback books (cannot remember the name of it but could possibly be "Menagerie manor" ? ).
Thanks for that Brum! Shame they are not kept by more zoos or even natural history museums (would be amazing to see a live one at the NHM in London as opposed to a pickled one in a jar collected circa 1900). I think they would make for a really interesting species for these institutions to keep and especially given the "living fossil" status and their long lives. I assume that this probably has something to do with the legislative difficulties of importing them from New Zealand ? (and no doubt the typical unwillingness of most zoos to try something different)
