THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, ROTTERDAM DIRECTOR, DR. BÜTTIKOFER
The idea of having a Zoological Garden in Rotterdam owes its origin to
three amateur zoologists. One of these enthusiasts, a station-master on
the Holland Railway, took a small plot of land on lease, and started
a collection of animals and birds. Some years after a number of
wealthy citizens subscribed 300,000 guilders, with which they bought
thirty-four acres of land, half of which they laid out as a garden,
where they built several houses for animals and birds. May 1, 1857, is
to be considered the date of the foundation of these Gardens.
In 1863 the remaining ground was laid out and added to the Gardens. The
director, Mr. P. H. Martin, originally a renowned lion-tamer, who had
been in office since the foundation of the Gardens, resigned, and Mr.
A. A. van Bemmelen succeeded him.
At frequent intervals additions were made to the number of buildings,
including a large plant house 170 feet long, costing 45,000 guilders.
In 1874 a 5 per cent. loan of 500,000 guilders was contracted, and
about twenty-five acres of land bought at a cost of 230,000 guilders.
A splendid casino was built on the newly acquired land, containing a
restaurant, reading-rooms and a museum, at a cost of 325,000 guilders.
In 1878 an officials’ dwelling-house and a house for succulent plants
were erected.
In 1882 the loan alluded to above was converted into a 4 per cent. one
of 600,000 guilders. Large aviaries were erected in 1883 and 1885, and
the ‘Victoria’ house for stove-plants in 1886. Other houses followed in
1889 and 1891. The year 1893 brought the conversion of the former loan
into a 3½ per cent. mortgage loan of 1,000,000 guilders, the issue
of new shares to the amount of 700,000 guilders, and the paying-off of
the old shares.
In 1895 a handsome new house for the carnivores was completed at a cost
of 82,000 guilders. This house measures about 200 feet in length. In
January, 1897, Mr. van Bemmelen died suddenly, after having been in
office thirty-four years; and in May of the same year Dr. J. Büttikofer
was appointed his successor. The fortieth anniversary of the founding
of the Gardens was celebrated by a grand fête.
During the following years many more new buildings were erected, and
the borders of some of the ponds were lined with an edging of concrete
reaching for some feet down into the water, which proved successful in
putting a stop to the devastations by rats.
The Gardens are planted chiefly with elms, but besides these trees
there are numerous poplars, chestnuts, planes, limes, ashes, maples,
oaks, willows, birches, alders, thorns, etc. Conifers are few in
number, as the soil does not suit them, but holly and box grow well
enough.
A good amount of bedding-out is done; for summer planting alone more
than 4,500 plants are used annually. The houses contain collections
of orchids, palms, tree and other ferns (the tallest _Balantium
antarcticum_ in Europe is said to be there), agaves, azaleas, and
various other stove and greenhouse plants. One house has been set apart
chiefly for tropical economic plants.
The collection of animals numbers actually 394 mammals of 127 species,
of which there are no less than 91 apes of 29 species, and 154
ungulates of 46 species.
There are 1,406 birds of 360 species, 94 reptiles of 24 species, and 39
amphibia of 3 species.
The management of the affairs of the Society is entrusted to a board
of twenty-five shareholders, with president, vice-president, hon.
secretary, and hon. treasurer included.
Out of these twenty-five members different committees are formed, who
have the supervision respectively of: (1) The collection of animals;
(2) the garden and plants; (3) the buildings; (4) the clubhouse,
concerts, etc.; (5) the library and the museum. All these gentlemen
render their services gratuitously.
Holders of original tickets have the right of free admission to the
Gardens. Members who are residents of Rotterdam pay thirty guilders a
year, with an entrance fee of ten guilders. They have free access with
their families to the Gardens. There are in all 5,837 members at the
present day. The admission for visitors is one-half guilder, children
half-price.
[Illustration: HERD OF WATERBUCK.]
[Illustration: JAPANESE DEER.]
[Illustration: KANGAROOS.]
[Illustration: BRINDLED GNU.]
During the summer season about thirty-five evening and thirteen
morning concerts are given. On the Queen’s birthday there is an
additional display of fireworks.
In 1901 the expenses amounted to 169,300 guilders 90 cents, and the
receipts were 170,847 guilders 94 cents, giving a surplus of 1,547
guilders 4 cents.
The concerts during the summer months take place every Tuesday and
Friday at 8 p.m., and on Sundays at 2.30 or 8 p.m. The lions are fed at
2.30.
These are fine Gardens, and contain a magnificent concert-hall. The
first house encountered contains, in separate pens, an oryx antelope,
a gnu, nylgai, yaks, zebus, Indian buffaloes and American bison. Near
a bear house, containing black, brown, European and grizzly bears, and
striped hyænas, is a very fine bird-of-prey aviary.
One of the prettiest sights in the Gardens was a family of
water-buck--two female, one male, and a baby. The wild-sheep grotto,
surmounted by a tower, was extremely picturesque, and up and down the
rockwork jumped guanacos, alpacas, llamas, wild goats, Barbary sheep,
moufflons, ibex and chamois. There was a pretty duck-pond and lake,
crossed by two wooden bridges. The airy lion house, with seventeen
dens, contained a jaguar, lions, leopards, cheetah, two black leopards
and pumas. Close by was a camel house, a monkey house with outdoor
summer cages, and a very good collection of pheasants.
Crowds of children proved a great nuisance whilst I was attempting to
take photographs. There was a large open-air cage, in which herons,
storks and gulls flew about at will. There was a pigeon house, with
a picturesque tower, two polar bears, a number of Indian muntjac,
and a fine lot of red deer and wapiti. In all there are no less than
fifty-four different animal enclosures, and the buildings also include
a large restaurant, with great hall, reading-room, ladies’-room,
dining-room, zoological museum (upstairs), ethnological museum,
director’s house, office, library, workshop and officials’ houses.