ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, HAMBURG: DIRECTOR, DR. BOLAU
On January 28, 1860, Baron Ernst von Merck, Herr H. Meyer, Consul
Schiller, General Consul de Craecket, and others met together and
formed a provisional company for the founding of a Zoological
Society, the main end and aim of which should be to settle the site
of a Zoological Garden in Hamburg. Baron Ernst von Merck was elected
President and Herr H. Meyer Vice-president, whilst Consul Schiller was
made Treasurer.
On July 10, 1860, the first general meeting of the shareholders took
place to consider the construction of the society and the making of
regulations. The directors approached the Municipal Council with a view
to obtaining a suitable site for a Zoological Garden, and the Council
gave a plot of land to the society free of ground-rent for fifty years.
The buildings were at once taken in hand by Herr Meuron and Herr
Haller, and the landscape-gardening by Herr Jürgens. The capital was
taken up by 800 shareholders.
The preparing of the land, which consisted of a large sand-desert,
occasioned endless trouble and waste of time and money, especially at
the beginning. The Directors, however, were not discouraged, as they
were helped not only by large presents of animals, but also of building
materials, etc. An otter basin was paid for by Baron von Merck, who,
with other gentlemen, gave an important contribution to the bear pit.
The main entrance-gate, the wapiti house, the seal enclosure, the tapir
house, the antelope house, and the drainage system of the grounds were
all given by various individuals. The ladies of Hamburg and Altona
opened a subscription, which resulted in the building of an ostrich
house.
In November, 1862, the greater part of the buildings were finished.
The Directors, however, were obliged to issue more shares in order
to enable them to make other buildings, and especially an aquarium.
This new issue of capital was authorized on November 20, and within
twenty-four hours the new shares were all taken up.
On May 26, 1863, the company presented the Garden, brightly decorated
for the occasion, to the shareholders, and on the following day it
was opened to the public. On July 6, 1863, the Garden suffered an
irreparable loss in the sudden death of its President, Baron von Merck,
who was greatly regretted by the whole of Hamburg. A bust was placed in
the concert-hall to commemorate him.
In 1864 the Direction was authorized to build a Winter Garden and a
large restaurant. The aquarium, a rectangular building 26 by 11 metres
in size, was opened April 26, 1864. The floor is laid deep under the
surface of the earth to insure an even temperature all the year round.
Spring and autumn are the best times to transport fish to the aquarium,
as in the extreme heat of summer many die.
Presents flowed in from all parts of the world every year. Herr Meyer
presented the Garden with the owl tower. A second small-cats’ house was
presented by General Consul Gustav Mutzenbecher.
In the spring of 1885 the society had to bewail the loss of another
President, Dr. Schwartze, who had acted as chairman of the society for
many years. Dr. Heinrich Bolau is now Director of the Garden.
In December, 1899, there were 468 animals, 1,749 birds, and 187
reptiles in the Garden; 46 animals and 162 birds were bred in it.
In 1900 the income was £16,109 16s., exceeding that of the year before
by £651.
* * * * *
Not only does the Liverpool of Germany possess one of the largest
Zoological Gardens, but also the fifth most valuable collection of
animals in Europe.
[Illustration: THE MONKEY HOUSE, HAMBURG.]
On paying one mark entrance fee, one is confronted first by two large
deer enclosures with thatched shelter-houses in the centre. Close by
is a lofty bird-of-prey aviary. Beyond an Australian wombat and some
pens of kangaroos is a pretty pen of doves, wading birds, and ducks,
in which are planted some little Christmas-trees. We next come to the
monkey house, which, however, is small in comparison with ours in
London. In the centre of the Garden is a huge duck lake, with a very
large concert-hall and café opposite. Keeping to the left of the lake,
a four-horned sheep from Morocco is to be seen. This animal greatly
resembles the four-horned sheep found in the Outer Hebrides off the
coast of Scotland. At the bottom of an imitation ruined tower are some
bear pits and owl pens. It is a stiff climb to the top of the tower,
but from it one gets a good view of the Garden and the surrounding
city. We next come to three very large cages containing bears of three
species, and then we pass through what appears to be an overflow house,
which contains leopards, jaguars, and a host of guinea-pigs. Rather
tantalizing it must be for the leopards to smell the luscious porkers
and not be able to get at them; but perhaps, by-the-by, the guinea-pigs
were given to the panthers as food.
[Illustration: STORK AND CRANE ENCLOSURES, HAMBURG.]
Close by the ostrich and rhea pens is a charming Egyptian house, with
a pond in front of it, in which waded several storks, cranes, and
sacred ibises. This was followed by a second duck-pond, backed by a
large rockery. We now come to a very realistic scene in the shape of a
rockery and pond containing seals and cormorants. This is followed by
yet another duck lake. Passing on, we come to the elephant house. This
house, built in 1880, contains elephants, a hippopotamus, buffaloes,
and wild asses. There is an Indian elephant here which possesses the
longest pair of tusks I have ever seen in a captive animal. (The
largest African elephant, however, is in the Jardin des Plantes,
Paris.) He is a remarkably fine-looking creature. In the centre of
the hall is exhibited a pair of tusks which are very even, but not
nearly so fine. The hippopotamus was roaring in fine style, turning
back somersaults, and plunging about in a manner quite unusual in a
captive specimen. In the same house were a smaller Indian elephant and
quite a young African elephant. Next in order was a small-birds’ house
containing German birds, with the eggs of each displayed in glass cases.
In the antelope house were a pair of the Southern form of giraffe,
Arabian gazelle, black buck, zebus, West African inyala, with four
young ones born October 21, 1901, some nylgai, a young roan antelope,
an _Oryx leucoryx_, and a pair of water-buck.
In an outdoor shed and paddock was a magnificent American bison,
shedding its winter coat. The lion house, built in a crescent shape,
with indoor and outdoor cages, contains some remarkably fine animals.
There are a number of lions and tigers in a cage together, a Cape
hunting-dog, leopards, and hyænas. One lioness had the most brilliant
yellow coat I have ever seen. Opposite the inside cages are glass
cases containing some large crocodiles, lizards, tortoises, snakes,
and salamanders. Close by is an extremely well-built and well-kept
small-rodents’ house, full of rare little mammals. There are red
river-hogs and the capybara, or great tailless rat of South America, as
big as a small pig.
During my rambles I lost a part of my camera, and spent a long time in
looking for it. But, luckily, one of the keepers picked it up and very
kindly found and gave it me, much to my relief. It was a most miserable
day when I visited this Garden, and, of course, it did not look its
best; still, it could not, I feel convinced, compare in beauty with
many other smaller Gardens, though it is undoubtedly very wealthy in
animals.