Look at it any way you wish but at the end of the day London zoo is the National zoo of England did the Chinese give the pair of Giant Pandas in 1973 to Battersea park zoo? NO, they went to London zoo, did the Chinese give another pair of Pandas to any other zoo in the USA in the 1970s to any other than Washinton zoo DC, No, but believe what ever you wish, "Iam good with that"
You could but Edinburgh got Giant Pandas more because they were willing to pay for them rather than a diplomatic gift to a national zoo (those days are long gone).
When Edinburgh Zoo was founded it was known as the National Zoo of Scotland, but it later became The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. In the UK, at least, the word "National" may be considered a "sensitive" one when it is used as part of a company or business name which needs to be approved by the Secretary of State, and for charity names that need approval by the Charity Commission. So The National Zoological Society of Wales and The (Plymouth) National Aquarium are registered charity names. The use of National by the Birmingham Sea Life is as a trading name, and is not the company name. London Zoo has never been officially called the National zoo and could not be so unless it changed its charitable name from The Zoological Society of London.
Additionally, I believe I am right in saying that the Fellows rejected the offer of a royal charter, I think in the early 19th century.
I think the answer to the thread question "is London Zoo the national zoo of the UK" is No and Yes (in that order ). Some countries have an official National Zoo (e.g. the Smithsonian in the USA). The UK does not. So no, it isn't. But Regent's Park has - in the past, and to some eyes still - some status as the de facto National Zoo, both by being the usual recipient of diplomatic gifts and by general public opinion. Its location in London also lends it some gravitas, together with its long history. Whether it merits that view today is a different matter of course. To summarise, Regent's Park cannot be the National Zoo since that term doesn't exist in the UK. But, for the reasons outlined above, it has been viewed in those terms in the past, and is still viewed in those terms by some today.
I guess almost everyone would know that yes, my point was not the fact that London zoo had any pandas but the fact China gifted them to the UK and they were sent to London
I see your point of view. We have a zoo in Australia in the capital which is called the National zoo and Aquarium, It not the biggest or the best in the country but it is built in Canberra our nations capital
I only discovered Canberra actually had a zoo some years ago, whereas I'd been aware of Melbourne and Sydney zoos for decades!
Of course you are correct. I think they DID reject the idea of renaming themselves as the Royal Zoological Society, though.
The Giant Panda pair weren't given to London Zoo by China. They were given to the Prime Minister as the political leader of the country. He could - at least in theory - have put them in any zoo but London Zoo was the only realistic candidate, especially given that London Zoo was the only one in the country with any experience with Giant Pandas. And their previous Giant Pandas were bought by the zoo. It has nothing to do with it being a "national zoo".
