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167-450: Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo , amusement park , exhibition hall complex, and speedway stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester , England, that opened in 1836. The brainchild of John Jennison, the gardens were initially intended to be an entertainment for the genteel middle classes , with formal gardens and dancing on open-air platforms during the summer, but they soon became one of

334-643: A menagerie or "zoological forest". The abbreviation "zoo" first appeared in print in the United Kingdom around 1847, when it was used for the Clifton Zoo , but it was not until some 20 years later that the shortened form became popular in the rhyming song " Walking in the Zoo " by music-hall artist Alfred Vance . The term "zoological park" was used for more expansive facilities in Halifax, Nova Scotia , Washington, D.C. , and

501-609: A mortgage of £300 to pay off the £80 mortgage on the Strawberry Gardens and spent the remainder on a trial six-month lease of the Belle Vue property, in June 1836. In December Jennison signed a 99-year lease at a rent of £135 per annum. For an extra £100 a year he leased additional land to extend the western boundary to Redgate Lane, close to Stockport Road , where he made a second entrance. To finance further expansion Jennison re-mortgaged

668-422: A shilling for admission. It had an 80-foot (24 m) drop at a 45 degree angle, down which the cars travelled at 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). It was built by Harry Traver and designed by Fredrick Church, who had to develop a series of engineering innovations to make the ride possible. The Bobs' distinctive white-painted wooden superstructure became an imposing element of the Belle Vue skyline. During

835-521: A "saucer like arena" capable of seating 7,000 people. The name "Kings" was chosen in reference to the two kings who reigned during the six-week period of its construction: George V and Edward VII . The hall was designed to stage "Demonstrations, Exhibitions, Social Gatherings, etc", and was a popular concert venue until the 1970s, with appearances by artists such Jimi Hendrix , The Who , Nat King Cole , The Rolling Stones , Leonard Cohen , Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin . The Kings Hall became home to

1002-734: A 1,500-acre (6.1 km ) zoo called Ling-Yu, or the Garden of Intelligence. Other well-known collectors of animals included King Solomon of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah , Queen Semiramis and King Ashurbanipal of Assyria , and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia . By the 4th century BCE, zoos existed in most of the Greek city states; Alexander the Great is known to have sent animals that he found on his military expeditions back to Greece. The Roman emperors kept private collections of animals for study or for use in

1169-400: A Congolese pygmy , displayed in a cage with the chimpanzees, then with an orangutan named Dohong, and a parrot. The exhibit was intended as an example of the "missing link" between the orangutan and white man. It triggered protests from the city's clergymen, but the public reportedly flocked to see Benga. Humans were also displayed at various events, especially colonial expositions such as

1336-482: A consequence, various management tools are used to preserve the space for the genetically most important individuals and to reduce the risk of inbreeding . Management of animal populations is typically through international organizations such as AZA and EAZA . Zoos have several different ways of managing the animal populations, such as moves between zoos, contraception , sale of excess animals and euthanization (culling). Contraception can be an effective way to limit

1503-431: A crowd of 1,700. The hall had been sold 18 months earlier to a development company, Espley Tyas Development Group, and was by then scheduled for demolition to allow the site to be redeveloped. News of the sale had triggered the formation of local action groups, who organised a petition signed by 50,000 people in an unsuccessful effort to save the hall. The exhibition halls were sold to Mullet Ltd. in 1983, but competition from

1670-587: A difference in wildlife conservation and education. Humans were occasionally displayed in cages at zoos along with non-human animals, to illustrate the differences between people of European and non-European origin. In September 1906, William Hornaday , director of the Bronx Zoo in New York—;with the agreement of Madison Grant , head of the New York Zoological Society —had Ota Benga ,

1837-599: A discounted admission price until early November, a little beyond the official closing date, by which time most of the animals had been sold for an estimated £100,000. Under the Jennisons, the main priorities for Belle Vue were the zoological and botanical gardens; amusements were provided merely as a distraction. The Jennisons laid out formal gardens in various styles between 1836 and 1898, including mazes, grottoes, an Italian garden, "billiard-table lawns" and constructed Tropical Plant Houses. There were also exotic constructions like

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2004-573: A fountain, a wood-ornamented greenhouse, a forest area, and enclosures and buildings. The first zoological garden in Australia was Melbourne Zoo in 1860. In German states leading roles came Berlin (1841), Frankfurt (1856), and Hamburg (1863). In 1907, the entrepreneur Carl Hagenbeck founded the Tierpark Hagenbeck in Stellingen, now a quarter of Hamburg . His zoo was a radical departure from

2171-649: A gas station. The animals may be trained to perform tricks, and visitors are able to get closer to them than in larger zoos. Since they are sometimes less regulated, roadside zoos are often subject to accusations of neglect and cruelty . In June 2014 the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Iowa-based roadside Cricket Hollow Zoo for violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to provide proper care for its animals. Since filing

2338-441: A good publicist for the zoo, taking part in radio and television programmes such as Children's Hour . A new attraction was introduced in 1963, a chimps' tea party , which proved to be very popular. The zoo's last superintendent, Peter Grayson, took over in 1971, but by then the owners of Belle Vue had lost interest in the zoo, and closure seemed imminent. News that Belle Vue Zoological Gardens would close on 11 September 1977

2505-426: A high degree of dexterity, in a similar manner to a human using their hands. A study conducted with Australian parrots has demonstrated that they exhibit " handedness ", a distinct preference with regards to the foot used to pick up food, with adult parrots being almost exclusively "left-footed" or "right-footed", and with the prevalence of each preference within the population varying by species. Cockatoo species have

2672-545: A higher aggregate extinction risk ( IUCN Red List Index ) than any other comparable bird group. Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution with several species inhabiting temperate regions as well. The greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia . Parrots—along with ravens, crows, jays, and magpies —are among the most intelligent birds, and the ability of some species to imitate human speech enhances their popularity as pets . They form

2839-503: A lack of natural wild habitat in which to reintroduce animals. This highlights the importance of in situ conservation, or preservation of natural spaces, in addition to the utility of zoo captive breeding and reintroduction programs. In situ conservation and reintroduction programs are key elements to obtaining certification by reputable organisations such as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Efforts to clone endangered species in

3006-431: A large dog. The lower mandible is shorter, with a sharp, upward-facing cutting edge, which moves against the flat part of the upper mandible in an anvil-like fashion. Touch receptors occur along the inner edges of the keratinised bill, which are collectively known as the " bill tip organ ", allowing for highly dexterous manipulations. Seed-eating parrots have a strong tongue (containing similar touch receptors to those in

3173-455: A matter of public interest in the 1970s, a few zoos began to consider making conservation their central role, with Gerald Durrell of the Jersey Zoo , George Rabb of Brookfield Zoo , and William Conway of the Bronx Zoo ( Wildlife Conservation Society ) leading the discussion. From then on, zoo professionals became increasingly aware of the need to engage themselves in conservation programs, and

3340-462: A mobile crest of feathers on the top of their heads, which they can raise for display, and retract. No other parrots can do so, but the Pacific lorikeets in the genera Vini and Phigys can ruffle the feathers of the crown and nape, and the red-fan parrot (or hawk-headed parrot) has a prominent feather neck frill that it can raise and lower at will. The predominant colour of plumage in parrots

3507-448: A model of cooperation for conservation. Loaned animals usually remain the property of the original park, and any offspring yielded by loaned animals are usually divided between the lending and holding institutions. For decades the capture of wild animals or purchasing of animals has been broadly considered unethical and has not been practiced by reputable zoos. Especially in large animals, a limited number of spaces are available in zoos. As

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3674-529: A munitions factory complete with railway sidings was built. At the start of the Second World War the gardens were closed at noon following Neville Chamberlain's radio broadcast announcing that Britain was at war with Germany on Sunday, 3 September 1939, forcing the cancellation of an "open rehearsal" by the Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra. The nation's armed forces immediately sequestered

3841-418: A new strategy that sets out the aims and mission of zoological gardens of the 21st century. When studying behaviour of captive animals, several things should however be taken into account before drawing conclusions about wild populations. Including that captive populations are often smaller than wild ones and that the space available to each animal is often less than in the wild. Conservation programs all over

4008-434: A place of refuge . Today, many zoos are improving enclosures by including tactile and sensory features in the habitat that allow animals to encourage natural behaviors. These additions can prove to be effective in improving the lives of animals in captivity. The tactile and sensory features will vary depending on the species of animal. There are animals that are injured in the wild and are unable to survive on their own, but in

4175-481: A population's breeding. However it may also have health repercussions and can be difficult or even impossible to reverse in some animals. Additionally, some species may lose their reproductive capability entirely if prevented from breeding for a period (whether through contraceptives or isolation), but further study is needed on the subject. Sale of surplus animals from zoos was once common and in some cases animals have ended up in substandard facilities. In recent decades

4342-419: A pot of tea, bread and butter, green salad and fruit cake for a shilling. The more expensive restaurants tended to open during the evening. Alcohol was available in the many licensed premises in the gardens, including, until its closure in 1928, beer produced in Belle Vue's on-site brewery. Many public houses were also opened in the area immediately surrounding the gardens. Licensed hotels were built at each of

4509-439: A racecourse in 1847. The gardens were an immediate success, but the neighbouring St James's Church was offended that they were open on Sundays, and asked Jennison to close while services were being conducted; he "politely but firmly refused". Admission to the gardens, which were open until 9 pm during the summer, was by subscription ticket priced at 10  shillings for a family and 5 shillings for an individual, beyond

4676-562: A regular Christmas event held in the Kings Hall. One of the first arrivals from Blackpool was ringmaster George Lockhart , known as "the prince of ringmasters". Lockhart became synonymous with the Belle Vue Circus, and his face was used on many advertising posters. Zoo superintendent Gerald Iles included some of the zoo's animals in the circus, in a feature called Noah's Ark. For the 1967–68 season, to celebrate his 39th consecutive year,

4843-480: A scenic artist, George Danson, to design and create a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m) canvas backdrop. The displays took place on an island in the middle of the Firework Lake, which also housed a small natural history museum. In keeping with Jennison's desire for self-sufficiency, the fireworks were made on-site at Belle Vue. The first display took place on 2 May 1852, designed by "Signor Pietro". The theme for

5010-532: A small genus restricted to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The superfamily Strigopoidea contains three living species of aberrant parrots from New Zealand. The broad-tailed parrots, subfamily Platycercinae , are restricted to Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands as far eastwards as Fiji . The true parrot superfamily, Psittacoidea, includes a range of species from Australia and New Guinea to South Asia and Africa. The centre of cockatoo biodiversity

5177-686: A small number of zoos. To solve this organizations like EAZA and AZA have begun to develop husbandry manuals. Many modern zoos attempt to improve animal welfare by providing more space and behavioural enrichments . This often involves housing the animals in naturalistic enclosures that allow the animals to express more of their natural behaviours, such as roaming and foraging. Whilst many zoos have been working hard on this change, in some zoos, some enclosures still remain barren concrete enclosures or other minimally enriched cages. Parrot Parrots ( Psittaciformes ), also known as psittacines ( / ˈ s ɪ t ə s aɪ n z / ), are birds with

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5344-502: A strong curved beak , upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genera , found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The four families are the Psittaculidae (Old World parrots), Psittacidae (African and New World parrots), Cacatuoidea (cockatoos), and Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots). One-third of all parrot species are threatened by extinction , with

5511-547: A suitable alternative. Off-site conservation relies on zoos, national parks, or other care facilities to support the rehabilitation of the animals and their populations. Zoos benefit conservation by providing suitable habitats and care to endangered animals. When properly regulated, they present a safe, clean environment for the animals to increase populations sizes. A study on amphibian conservation and zoos addressed these problems by writing, Whilst addressing in situ threats, particularly habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation,

5678-541: A suitable environment for wild native animals such as herons to live in or visit. A colony of black-crowned night herons has regularly summered at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. for more than a century. Some zoos may provide information to visitors on wild animals visiting or living in the zoo, or encourage them by directing them to specific feeding or breeding platforms. In modern, well-regulated zoos, breeding

5845-402: A trumpet player for Barnum and Bailey's circus band, and led various Belle Vue circus bands for 40 years. Many of the acts featured animals, such as Eugene Weidmann's mixed group of tigers and bears, Thorson Kohrmann and his Farmyard Friends, Willi Mullen's Caucasian Cavalry & Ponies, Miss Wendy's Performing Pigeons and Harry Belli's Horse Riding Tiger. As well as the animal acts there

6012-433: A wide frontal binocular field for a bird, although this is nowhere near as large as primate binocular visual fields. Unlike humans, the vision of parrots is also sensitive to ultraviolet light. Parrots have strong zygodactyl feet (two toes facing forward and two back) with sharp, elongated claws, which are used for climbing and swinging. Most species are capable of using their feet to manipulate food and other objects with

6179-661: A wide spectrum of opinion, such as the Great Liberal Demonstration of 1924, at which Lloyd George addressed a crowd of 50,000, the first political meeting at which loudspeakers were used. The British Union of Fascists , popularly known as the Blackshirts , also held a meeting there, in September 1934. One contemporary commentator observed that "perhaps the Ku Klux Klan will be found in session there one day, for Belle Vue

6346-580: A year and have special programs for schools. They are organized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums . Japan's first modern zoo, Tokyo's Ueno Imperial Zoological Gardens , opened in 1882 based on European models. In World War II it was used to teach the Japanese people about the lands recently conquered by the Army. In 1943, fearing American bombing attacks, the government ordered the zoo to euthanize dangerous animals that might escape. When ecology emerged as

6513-938: Is "the advancement of Zoology and Animal Physiology and the introduction of new and curious subjects of the Animal Kingdom." It maintains two research institutes, the Nuffield Institute of Comparative Medicine and the Wellcome Institute of Comparative Physiology. In the United States, the Penrose Research Laboratory of the Philadelphia Zoo focuses on the study of comparative pathology . The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums produced its first conservation strategy in 1993, and in November 2004, it adopted

6680-728: Is Australia and New Guinea, although some species reach the Solomon Islands (and one formerly occurred in New Caledonia ), Wallacea and the Philippines. Several parrots inhabit the cool, temperate regions of South America and New Zealand . Three species—the thick-billed parrot , the green parakeet , and the now-extinct Carolina parakeet —have lived as far north as the southern United States. Many parrots, especially monk parakeets , have been introduced to areas with temperate climates, and have established stable populations in parts of

6847-414: Is controlled to maintain a self-sustaining, global captive population. This is not the case in some less well-regulated zoos, often based in poorer regions. Overall "stock turnover" of animals during a year in a select group of poor zoos was reported as 20%-25% with 75% of wild caught apes dying in captivity within the first 20 months. The authors of the report stated that before successful breeding programs,

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7014-405: Is green, though most species have some red or another colour in small quantities. Cockatoos, however, are predominately black or white with some red, pink, or yellow. Strong sexual dimorphism in plumage is not typical among parrots, with some notable exceptions, the most striking being the eclectus parrot . However, it has been shown that some parrot species exhibit sexually dimorphic plumage in

7181-619: Is not from a bird, but from a caenagnathid oviraptorosaur (a non-avian dinosaur with a birdlike beak), as several details of the fossil used to support its identity as a parrot are not actually exclusive to parrots, and it is dissimilar to the earliest-known unequivocal parrot fossils. It is generally assumed that the Psittaciformes were present during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event (K-Pg extinction), 66 mya. They were probably generalised arboreal birds, and did not have

7348-633: Is nothing if not catholic ". In contrast to this, the centenary celebrations of the Trades Union Congress in 1968 also took place at Belle Vue. The Jennisons set out a small amusements area near the main entrance to the gardens in Hyde Road during the 1870s. comprising steam-driven attractions such as the Ocean Wave, installed in 1894, which simulated a storm at sea. John Henry Iles, who took over control of Belle Vue in 1925, believed that expansion of

7515-462: Is of primary importance; for many amphibian species in situ conservation alone will not be enough, especially in light of current un-mitigatable threats that can impact populations very rapidly such as chytridiomycosis [an infectious fungal disease]. Ex situ programmes can complement in situ activities in a number of ways including maintaining genetically and demographically viable populations while threats are either better understood or mitigated in

7682-570: Is the oldest zoo in Poland, opened in 1865 when the city was part of Prussia , and was home to about 10,500 animals representing about 1,132 species (in terms of the number of animal species, it is the third largest in the world ). In 2014 the Wrocław Zoo opened the Africarium , the only themed oceanarium devoted solely to exhibiting the fauna of Africa , comprehensively presenting selected ecosystems from

7849-531: The American Zoo Association soon said that conservation was its highest priority. In order to stress conservation issues, many large zoos stopped the practice of having animals perform tricks for visitors. The Detroit Zoo , for example, stopped its elephant show in 1969, and its chimpanzee show in 1983, acknowledging that the trainers had probably abused the animals to get them to perform. Mass destruction of wildlife habitat has yet to cease all over

8016-502: The Bronx in New York, which opened in 1846, 1891 and 1899 respectively. Relatively new terms for zoos in the late 20th century are " conservation park" or "bio park". Adopting a new name is a strategy used by some zoo professionals to distance their institutions from the stereotypical and nowadays criticized zoo concept of the 19th century. The term "bio park" was first coined and developed by

8183-565: The Early Miocene around 20 mya. The name 'Psittaciformes' comes from the ancient Greek for parrot, ψιττακός ( 'Psittacus' ), whose origin is unclear. Ctesias (5th century BCE) recorded the name Psittacus after the Indian name for a bird, most likely a parakeet (now placed in the genus Psittacula ). Pliny the Elder (23/24–79 CE) in his Natural History (book 10, chapter 58) noted that

8350-472: The Easter weekend. The zoo closed in September 1977 after its owners decided they could no longer afford its losses of £100,000 a year. The amusement park remained open on summer weekends until 1980. The land was sold in 1982, and the site was finally cleared in 1987. All that remains of Belle Vue today is a greyhound racing stadium and a snooker hall built in the stadium's car park. Belle Vue Zoological Gardens

8517-589: The Hallé Orchestra in 1942, when its previous base, the Free Trade Hall , was damaged by bombing during the Manchester Blitz ; the orchestra continued to perform concerts at Belle Vue for more than 30 years. From 1961 until 1966, bingo sessions were held in the hall. Able to accommodate up to 3,500 players, it was advertised as the "largest bingo club in the world". Many exhibitions were also held in

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8684-634: The Little Eastern and the Little Britain , each capable of accommodating 100 passengers, offered trips around the lake for 1d (equivalent to £0.53 in 2023). By 1905 Belle Vue consisted of 68 acres (28 ha) of walled gardens, with an additional 97 acres (39 ha) outside its walls. During the First World War the gardens were used by the Manchester Regiment for drilling, and

8851-529: The Longsight entrance to the gardens. A larger structure, the Music Hall, was built in 1856, underneath the firework viewing stand, capable of accommodating 10,000 people on its 27,000 square feet (2,500 m) of dance floor. A wooden open-air dancing platform was opened in 1852, and by 1855 had been extended to cover an area of 0.5 acres (0.20 ha). Throughout the summer, music was provided by bands such as

9018-529: The National Zoo in Washington D.C. in the late 1980s. In 1993, the New York Zoological Society changed its name to the Wildlife Conservation Society and re branded the zoos under its jurisdiction as "wildlife conservation parks". The predecessor of the zoological garden is the menagerie , which has a long history from the ancient world to modern times. The oldest known zoological collection

9185-535: The Philippines in the north to Australia and across the Pacific as far as French Polynesia , with the greatest diversity being found in and around New Guinea . The subfamily Arinae encompasses all the neotropical parrots, including the amazons, macaws, and conures, and ranges from northern Mexico and the Bahamas to Tierra del Fuego in the southern tip of South America. The pygmy parrots, tribe Micropsittini , form

9352-481: The United Kingdom , was focused on providing scientific study and later educational exhibits to the public for entertainment and inspiration. A growing fascination for natural history and zoology , coupled with the tremendous expansion in the urbanization of London, led to a heightened demand for a greater variety of public forms of entertainment to be made available. The need for public entertainment, as well as

9519-973: The Zoological Society of London in 1931 which today (2014) covers 600 acres (2.4 km ). Since the early 1970s, an 1,800 acre (7 km ) park in the San Pasqual Valley near San Diego has featured the San Diego Zoo Safari Park , run by the Zoological Society of San Diego. One of two state-supported zoo parks in North Carolina is the 2,000-acre (8.1 km ) North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. The 500-acre (2.0 km ) Werribee Open Range Zoo in Melbourne, Australia, displays animals living in an artificial savannah . The first public aquarium

9686-429: The buff-faced pygmy parrot , at under 10 g (0.4 oz) in weight and 8 cm (3.1 in) in length, to the hyacinth macaw , at 1 m (3.3 ft) in length, and the kākāpō , at 4.0 kg (8.8 lb) in weight. Among the superfamilies, the three extant Strigopoidea species are all large parrots, and the cockatoos tend to be large birds, as well. The Psittacoidea parrots are far more variable, ranging

9853-562: The miniature railway . In 1979 the amusement park was leased to the main concessionaire, Alf Wadbrooke, although by then it was only open at weekends during the summer season. The long-promised restoration of the Scenic Railway had not happened and the Water Chute had closed. In August 1980, Wadbrooke was given notice to close down the park by 26 October 1980 and to have all his equipment removed by February 1981. In 1853 Belle Vue staged

10020-612: The order may have evolved in Gondwana , centred in Australasia. The scarcity of parrots in the fossil record, however, presents difficulties in confirming the hypothesis. There is currently a higher number of fossil remains from the northern hemisphere in the early Cenozoic. Molecular studies suggest that parrots evolved approximately 59 million years ago (Mya) (range 66–51 Mya) in Gondwana. The Neotropical Parrots are monophyletic , and

10187-472: The pet trade , as well as hunting , habitat loss , and competition from invasive species , has diminished wild populations, with parrots being subjected to more exploitation than any other group of wild birds. As of 2021, about 50 million parrots (half of all parrots) live in captivity, with the vast majority of these living as pets in people's homes. Measures taken to conserve the habitats of some high-profile charismatic species have also protected many of

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10354-535: The "Father of the Zoo". Open-air cages installed in the Monkey House resulted in a dramatic improvement in the life expectancy of its residents, but the potential for expansion and improvement after the First World War was limited by the post-war economy. Rising labour costs and minimal profits resulted in the gardens' increasing dilapidation. The zoo began to be neglected after the sale of Belle Vue in 1925, but it

10521-642: The "fighting". Anticipating the outbreak of the Second World War, the theme for the 1933 display was "Air Raid on London". The last grand firework display took place in 1956, on the theme of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. The first Belle Vue Circus took place in 1922, but it was not considered a success. The next was staged in 1929, after the company negotiated a deal with the Blackpool Tower Company to provide acts and equipment for what subsequently became

10688-649: The "showground of the world". Popular rides included the 60 mph (97 km/h) Bobs roller coaster and the Scenic Railway. Other entertainments included grand firework displays from 1852 and an annual Christmas circus from 1922. Music and dancing were popular attractions in Belle Vue's various ballrooms. The Kings Hall, which opened in 1910, housed the Hallé Orchestra for several years and hosted concerts by artists such as Jimi Hendrix , The Who , Nat King Cole , The Rolling Stones , Leonard Cohen , Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin . Catering for visitors at Belle Vue

10855-507: The 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition , with the practice continuing in Belgium at least to as late as 1958 in a "Congolese village" display at Expo '58 in Brussels. These displays, while sometimes called "human zoos", usually did not take place in zoos or use cages. Zoo animals live in enclosures that often attempt to replicate their natural habitats or behavioral patterns, for the benefit of both

11022-411: The 1960s and 1970s "Professor" Len Tomlinson operated one of the UK's last flea circuses in a small booth on the amusement park. The attraction consisted of harnessed human fleas racing chariots at the rate of an inch every few seconds, pulling a garden roller, riding a tricycle and "fencing fleas" scrabbling at pins stuck in pieces of cork in a semblance of a sword fight. The flea circus closed down in

11189-414: The 19th century, usually using London and Paris as models. The transition was made from princely menageries designed to entertain high society with strange novelties into public zoological gardens. The new goal was to educate the entire population with information along modern scientific lines. Zoos were supported by local commercial or scientific societies. The modern zoo that emerged in the 19th century in

11356-414: The Aztec revolt against the Spanish rule, and during the subsequent battle for the city, Cortés reluctantly ordered the zoo to be destroyed. The oldest zoo in the world still in existence is the Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna , Austria. It was constructed by Adrian van Stekhoven in 1752 at the order of Emperor Francis I , to serve as an imperial menagerie as part of Schönbrunn Palace . The menagerie

11523-462: The Belle Vue Military, the Belle Vue Quadrille and the Cheetham Hill Brass Band. Open-air dancing continued until the 1940s, but by then the attraction had lost its appeal, and the platform was converted to a roller skating rink. It was destroyed by fire in 1958. The same fire destroyed the Coronation Ballroom, which was replaced by a "huge ballroom complex" known as the New Elizabethan Ballroom in 1959. With room for 4,000 dancers on its two floors,it

11690-406: The Coronation Ballroom. Although the zoo was spared, the fire almost reached the lion house, distressing one of the older lionesses so much that she had to be shot. Vandalism and theft also became serious and recurring problems; intruders killed 38 of the zoo's birds, including 9 penguins, in 1960. Belle Vue was the first privately financed zoo in England, and grew to become the third-largest in

11857-424: The Exhibition Hall, the restaurants and most of the top floor of the administrative offices. They also took over the sports ground to use as a barrage balloon base, and dug several air-raid shelters . The gardens were allowed to re-open on 15 September 1939, and remained open throughout the rest of war, although parts of the site were requisitioned by Manchester Corporation and converted into allotments . Although

12024-475: The Firework Lake. An island was created in the middle of the lake, which housed a natural history museum. In 1858 another 8 acres (3.2 ha) were leased, in the triangle between Kirkmanshulme Lane and Hyde Road, from which clay was extracted to make bricks for the gardens' buildings. The result of the excavations was a large hole that Jennison filled with water, creating the Great Lake in 1858. Two paddle steamers,

12191-402: The Indian temple and grotto, designed by George Danson, Belle Vue's scenic artist. Built to resemble a ruined temple, it housed snakes and crocodiles as well as flowers. At the end of the 19th century, "the resort relied almost entirely for its attraction on its delightful gardens" , but by 1931 the formalism had entirely disappeared. The gardens were also used to stage large political rallies for

12358-630: The Indians called the bird "siptaces"; however, no matching Indian name has been traced. Popinjay is an older term for parrots, first used in English in the 1500s. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that Psittaciformes form a monophyletic clade that is sister to the Passeriformes : The time calibrated phylogeny indicates that the Australaves diverged around 65  Ma (million years ago) and

12525-451: The Jennisons had added kangaroos , rhinos , lions , bears and gazelles . In 1871 the zoo acquired four giraffes ; the following year an elephant, Maharajah, was bought for £680 from Wombwell's Menagerie No.1 in Edinburgh . The plan to transport Maharajah from Edinburgh to Manchester by train was abandoned after the elephant destroyed the railway compartment in which he was to travel. It

12692-428: The Jennisons immediately obtained a replacement, Consul II, who played a violin while riding a tricycle around the gardens, later graduating to a bicycle. Food for the animals became difficult to obtain during the First World War, but for the most part the gardens carried on as usual. Following the declaration of peace, several monkeys originally destined for government experiments with poison gas were acquired, as

12859-473: The Nova Scotia public in 1847. It was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. By the early 1860s, the zoo grounds covered 40 hectares with many fine flowers and ornamental trees, picnic areas, statues, walking paths, The Glass House (which contained a greenhouse with an aviary, aquarium, and museum of stuffed animals and birds), a pond, a bridge over a waterfall, an artificial lake with

13026-509: The Psittaciformes diverged from the Passeriformes around 62 Ma. Cariamiformes – seriemas Falconiformes – falcons Passeriformes – songbirds Psittaciformes – parrots Most taxonomists now divide Psittaciformes into four families: Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots), Cacatuidae (Cockatoos), Psittacidae (African and New World parrots) and Psittaculidae (Old World parrots). In 2012 Leo Joseph and collaborators proposed that

13193-643: The Psittacoidea, but the former is now placed at the base of the parrot tree next to the remaining members of the Psittacoidea, as well as all members of the Cacatuoidea. The Cacatuoidea are quite distinct, having a movable head crest, a different arrangement of the carotid arteries, a gall bladder , differences in the skull bones, and lack the Dyck texture feathers that—in the Psittacidae—scatter light to produce

13360-425: The Second World War forced the cancellation of many events, and made it difficult to feed all the zoo's animals, it was nevertheless very lucrative for the gardens. Profits steadily increased, and the company made several compensation claims for the requisitioning of its facilities. It was granted £4,000 in 1941 (equivalent to £250,000 in 2023) and £7,242 in 1942 (equivalent to £426,000 in 2023); in gratitude for

13527-524: The Strawberry Gardens property, competition from the recently opened Manchester Zoological Gardens , and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway track cutting through the land Jennison had leased in December 1836, restricting access to the gardens. Jennison twice tried unsuccessfully to sell Belle Vue, after which his creditors allowed him time to make a success of the gardens; by the end of the 1843 season Jennison

13694-895: The U.S. and Canada by Species Survival Plans; in Australasia, by the Australasian Species Management Program; in Europe, by the European Endangered Species Program; and in Japan, South Asia, and South East Asia, by the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation , and the South East Asian Zoo Association. Besides conservation of captive species, large zoos may form

13861-535: The UK. Jennison's original idea was that the gardens should be primarily a botanical excursion, but it became clear that the public was interested in the animals as an attraction in their own right. The initial collection had consisted of domestic birds and a few exotic parrots, but Jennison probably also acquired those animals that could not be sold after the Manchester Zoological Gardens closed in 1842. By 1856,

14028-544: The United States, Europe, and Asia are frequently embedded in zoos and zoological parks. The position of most modern zoos in Australasia , Asia , Europe , and North America , particularly those with scientific societies, is that they display wild animals primarily for the conservation of endangered species , as well as for research purposes and education, and secondarily for the entertainment of visitors. The Zoological Society of London states in its charter that its aim

14195-737: The animals and visitors. Nocturnal animals are often housed in buildings with a reversed light-dark cycle, i.e. only dim white or red lights are on during the day so the animals are active during visitor hours, and brighter lights on at night when the animals sleep. Special climate conditions may be created for animals living in extreme environments, such as penguins. Special enclosures for birds , mammals , insects , reptiles , fish , and other aquatic life forms have also been developed. Some zoos have walk-through exhibits where visitors enter enclosures of non-aggressive species, such as lemurs , marmosets , birds, lizards , and turtles . Visitors are asked to keep to paths and avoid showing or eating foods that

14362-487: The animals might snatch. Some zoos keep animals in larger, outdoor enclosures, confining them with moats and fences, rather than in cages. Safari parks , also known as zoo parks and lion farms, allow visitors to drive through them and come in close proximity to the animals. Sometimes, visitors are able to feed animals through the car windows. The first safari park was Whipsnade Park in Bedfordshire, England, opened by

14529-434: The animals' needs, but constraints such as size and expense can complicate this. The type of enclosure and the husbandry are of great importance in determining the welfare of animals. Substandard enclosures can lead to decreased lifespans, caused by factors as human diseases, unsafe materials in the cages and possible escape attempts (Bendow 382). However, when zoos take time to think about the animal's welfare, zoos can become

14696-448: The arena, the latter faring notoriously poorly. The 19th-century historian W. E. H. Lecky wrote of the Roman games , first held in 366 BCE: At one time, a bear and a bull , chained together, rolled in fierce combat across the sand ... Four hundred bears were killed in a single day under Caligula ... Under Nero , four hundred tigers fought with bulls and elephants. In a single day, at

14863-423: The bill tip organ), which helps to manipulate seeds or position nuts in the bill so that the mandibles can apply an appropriate cracking force. The head is large, with eyes positioned high and laterally in the skull, so the visual field of parrots is unlike any other birds. Without turning its head, a parrot can see from just below its bill tip, all above its head, and quite far behind its head. Parrots also have quite

15030-442: The board of directors which was reported to be a "very happy board with few meetings and an entire absence of quarrels". On 27 November 1924 the Jennisons agreed to sell Belle Vue for £250,000 (equivalent to £18,000,000 in 2023) to Harry George Skipp, but he was acting as an intermediary, and on 6 March 1925 a further contract was signed by the Jennisons, Skipp and a new company called Belle Vue (Manchester) Ltd. The agreement

15197-432: The circus was temporarily renamed the "George Lockhart Celebration Circus". Lockhart was the ringmaster for 43 years, until his retirement in 1970 at the age of 90. His replacement, Danish-born Nelly Jane, held the job for two years before being replaced by Norman Barrett , the last ringmaster. Another of the circus stalwarts was resident band leader and Belle Vue's musical director Fred Bonelli, who started his career as

15364-633: The classical zoo, such as stage shows, roller coasters, and mythical creatures. Some examples are Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida , both Disney's Animal Kingdom and Gatorland in Orlando, Florida , Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire, England , and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California . By 2000 most animals being displayed in zoos were the offspring of other zoo animals. This trend, however

15531-537: The conservation and observation of animals was expressed in connection with the political construction of republican citizenship. The Kazan Zoo , the first zoo in Russia was founded in 1806 by the Professor of Kazan State University Karl Fuchs . Until the early 19th century, the function of the zoo was often to symbolize royal power, like King Louis XIV 's menagerie at Versailles . Major cities in Europe set up zoos in

15698-709: The construction, renovation, and expansion of zoos when the Great Depression severely reduced local budgets. It was "a new deal for animals." The Atlanta Zoo , founded in 1886, suffered neglect. By 1984 it was ranked among the ten worst zoos in the United States. Systematic reform by 2000 put it on the list of the ten best. By 2020, the United States featured 230 accredited zoos and aquariums across 45 states, accommodating 800,000 animals, and 6,000 species out of which about 1,000 are endangered. The zoos provide 208,000 jobs, and with an annual budget of $ 230 million for wildlife conservation . They attract over 200 million visits

15865-736: The continent of Africa . Housing over 10 thousand animals, the facility's breadth extends from housing insects such cockroaches to large mammals like elephants on an area of over 33 hectares . In the United States, the Philadelphia Zoo , opened on July 1, 1874, earning its motto "America's First Zoo." The Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens in Chicago and the Cincinnati Zoo opened in 1875. In the 1930s, federal relief programs provided financial aid to most local zoos. The Works Progress Administration and similar New Deal government agencies helped greatly in

16032-525: The culling proceeded. Although zoos in some countries have been open about culling, the controversy of the subject and pressure from the public has resulted in others being closed. This stands in contrast to most zoos publicly announcing animal births. Furthermore, while many zoos are willing to cull smaller and/or low-profile animals, fewer are willing to do it with larger high-profile species. Many animals breed readily in captivity. Zoos frequently are forced to intentionally limit captive breeding because of

16199-563: The deaths of all the zoo's tropical fish and several other animals, including a lioness called Pearl and her litter of cubs. Although Manchester was heavily bombed during the Blitz , the gardens sustained only minor damage. The Scenic Railway was hit by an incendiary bomb and the Reptile House was damaged by shell splinters from ack-ack guns , which also caused the death of a bull bison . Iles remained as superintendent until 1957, and proved to be

16366-695: The dedication of the Colosseum by Titus , five thousand animals perished. Under Trajan ... lions , tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses , hippopotami, giraffes, bulls, stags, even crocodiles and serpents were employed to give novelty to the spectacle. Charlemagne had an elephant named Abul-Abbas that was given to him by the Abbasid caliph. King Henry I of England kept a collection of animals at his palace in Woodstock which reportedly included lions, leopards, and camels. The most prominent collection in medieval England

16533-558: The early displays was "battle enactment", which proved to be popular with the paying public and resulted in Belle Vue becoming an all-day entertainment venue. The firework displays incorporated real people and real weapons, some of which, 1866-vintage Snyder rifles, were issued to members of the local Home Guard during the Second World War. The first display, a re-enactment of the Bombardment of Algiers involving 25 men, 300 rockets, 25 "large shells", and 50  Roman candles ,

16700-460: The elephant to the Netherlands. Ellie May refused to budge however, and overnight developed pneumonia and heart failure . Grayson and veterinary surgeon, David Taylor , felt that she would not recover, and decided to call in a marksman to euthanise her. Public reaction to the zoo's closure was one of "relative indifference", with only a few minor protests. The doors remained open to visitors at

16867-499: The end of the decade that figure had dropped to about 30,000, as the competition from rival amusement parks increased. Sir Leslie Joseph and Charles Forte bought Belle Vue in 1956, but by 1963 Forte was in sole control. Although he made some improvements to the zoo, Forte's interests lay in developing the gardens' dining and exhibition facilities. Fire became an "ever present hazard" during Belle Vue's later years. The most devastating occurred in 1958 and destroyed many buildings, including

17034-401: The first British open brass band championships . Attended by a crowd of more than 16,000, it was the first of what became an annual event until 1981. A revival occurred in the popularity of brass band contests during the 1970s; competitions between local bands could attract crowds of up to 5,000. Belle Vue contained several ballrooms, the first of which was constructed in 1851, above a hotel at

17201-458: The food is supplied by the zoo, either from vending machines or a kiosk nearby. An animal theme park is a combination of an amusement park and a zoo, mainly for entertaining and commercial purposes. Marine mammal parks such as Sea World and Marineland are more elaborate dolphinariums keeping whales , and containing additional entertainment attractions. Another kind of animal theme park contains more entertainment and amusement elements than

17368-452: The full spectrum of sizes shown by the family. The most obvious physical characteristic is the strong, curved, broad bill. The upper mandible is prominent, curves downward, and comes to a point. It is not fused to the skull, which allows it to move independently, and contributes to the tremendous biting pressure the birds are able to exert. A large macaw, for example, has a bite force of 35 kg/cm (500 lb/sq in), close to that of

17535-462: The gardens and their attractions, and by 1848 complaints began to appear in the press that "roughs" in coarse attire were embarrassing middle-class ladies on the dancing platform by attempting to dance with them. There were also complaints about working-class men dancing together, and increasing resentment from working-class patrons about Belle Vue's "forbidding dress requirements, its restricted opening hours, [and] its unwelcoming admission price". In

17702-422: The gardens were bombed. A night shift was introduced to watch over the animals 24 hours a day. A list of dangerous animals that was drawn up included 13 lions, 6 tigers, 2 leopards, 1 cheetah, 2  tigons , 3 other small cats and several bears. Although the zoo's administrators succeeded in convincing the local authorities that any danger from the animals was minimal, primarily because

17869-569: The hall, which with its 100,000 square feet (9,300 m) of floor space was one of the largest venues outside London. It was split into three separate halls in 1956, to allow three exhibitions to be run simultaneously. The last piece of live music played in the hall, on 14 February 1982, was a performance by the Glossop School Band, who were taking part in the North West Amateur Brass Band Championship in front of

18036-410: The high mortality rate was the reason for the "massive scale of importations." One 2-year study indicated that of 19,361 mammals that left accredited zoos in the U.S. between 1992 and 1998, 7,420 (38%) went to dealers, auctions, hunting ranches, unaccredited zoos and individuals, and game farms. The welfare of zoo animals varies widely. Many zoos work to improve their animal enclosures and make it fit

18203-423: The hot-water rooms, each of which could accommodate up to 3,000 diners, providing hot water for drinks and crockery for visitors who brought their own picnics. The price was 2d per person, according to the 1892 guide book, and cakes and jams made in the gardens' bakery and on-site kitchens were also available, at extra cost. "One shilling tea rooms" , close to the hot water rooms, offered lunchtime deals such as

18370-424: The importance of animal conservation, often through letting visitors witness the animals firsthand. Some critics, and the majority of animal rights activists, say that zoos, no matter their intentions, or how noble these intentions, are immoral and serve as nothing but to fulfill human leisure at the expense of the animals (an opinion that has spread over the years). However, zoo advocates argue that their efforts make

18537-462: The late 1970s as improvements in domestic living conditions made human fleas more difficult to obtain. When the zoo closed in 1977, it was announced that the gardens and amusement park would be expanded with "new active leisure pursuits". By 1978 the site had been renamed Belle Vue Leisure Park, and the Tropical River House had been converted to a skateboard arena in an attempt to cash in on

18704-789: The latter, the company presented the Civil Defence Service with a new mobile canteen. The Jennisons had been considering setting up a limited company to administer the gardens since 1895. Most were in agreement except for Richard, John Jennison Snr's youngest son. After his death in 1919, the remaining family members created John Jennison & Co Ltd with a capital of £253,000 (equivalent to £14,700,000 in 2023), comprising investments and loans totalling £63,000 (equivalent to £3,700,000 in 2023). George Jennison became chairman, secretary, treasurer and joint managing director with John Jennison Jnr, John Jennison Snr's great-grandson. John, William, Angelo and Richard Jennison Jnr were appointed to

18871-508: The lawsuit, ALDF has obtained records from investigations conducted by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services; these records show that the zoo is also violating the Animal Welfare Act. A petting zoo, also called petting farms or children's zoos, features a combination of domestic animals and wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. To ensure the animals' health,

19038-404: The layout of the zoo that had been established in 1828. It was the first zoo to use open enclosures surrounded by moats, rather than barred cages, to better approximate animals' natural environments. He also set up mixed-species exhibits and based the layout on the different organizing principle of geography, as opposed to taxonomy. The Wrocław Zoo ( Polish : Ogród Zoologiczny we Wrocławiu )

19205-488: The less charismatic species living in the same ecosystems . Parrots are the only creatures that display true tripedalism , using their necks and beaks as limbs with propulsive forces equal to or greater than those forces generated by the forelimbs of primates when climbing vertical surfaces. They can travel with cyclical tripedal gaits when climbing. Psittaciform diversity in South America and Australasia suggests that

19372-609: The main entrance, originally known as Belle Vue House, was renamed the Palm Court Restaurant in 1942, and then Caesar's Palace in 1969. It housed a cabaret bar and a restaurant, which was converted to an amusement arcade in 1976 when it was once again renamed, to Jennison's Ale House. The building was closed after a partial collapse in 1980. After a trip to London to visit The Great Exhibition of 1851, Jennison's ideas for Belle Vue became more ambitious. He decided to implement large, scheduled "fantastic" firework displays employing

19539-463: The means of most workers. Concerts of "genteel music" were staged, and there was dancing to various bands on a large open-air wooden platform. Initially, the only public transport to Belle Vue was by horse-drawn omnibus from what is now Piccadilly , in central Manchester, but the last departure time of 6:00 pm coincided with the end of most workers' shifts. The first railway station was opened near Belle Vue in 1842, allowing workers easier access to

19706-459: The most popular attractions in Northern England . Before moving to Belle Vue, Jennison, a part-time gardener, had run a small aviary at his home, the beginnings of the zoo that over the years grew to become the third-largest in the United Kingdom. Jennison set out a small amusements area in Belle Vue during the 1870s, which was expanded in the early 20th century to become what was advertised as

19873-617: The most variably sized bird order in terms of length; many are vividly coloured and some, multi-coloured. Most parrots exhibit little or no sexual dimorphism in the visual spectrum. The most important components of most parrots' diets are seeds, nuts, fruit, buds, and other plant material. A few species sometimes eat animals and carrion , while the lories and lorikeets are specialised for feeding on floral nectar and soft fruits. Almost all parrots nest in tree hollows (or nest boxes in captivity), and lay white eggs from which hatch altricial (helpless) young. Trapping wild parrots for

20040-585: The museum was decommissioned in 1941, the skeleton, along with other exhibits, was transferred to the Manchester Museum . In 1893 a chimpanzee was purchased from another of Wombwell's Travelling Menageries in London. The four-year-old chimpanzee, Consul, was dressed in a smoking jacket and cap and puffed on a cob pipe ; he frequently accompanied James Jennison to business meetings. Consul proved to be exceptionally popular, and after his death on 24 November 1894,

20207-535: The new craze from America. The arena turned out to be poor investment however, as there was virtually no demand after the first few months. The 1977 closure of the London Festival Gardens in Battersea , London, allowed Belle Vue the opportunity to buy their Jetstream ride, which opened the following year. Other attractions that closed at about the same time as the zoo included the boating on Firework Lake, and

20374-527: The newly opened G-Mex exhibition and conference centre in central Manchester led directly to their closure. The site was sold to the British Car Auction Group in 1987, and the buildings demolished to make way for a large car auction centre. The gates were opened to visitors between 10:00 am and 10:30 pm. Kiosks around the gardens sold snacks and ice cream, made in Belle Vue's own ice cream factory. Families were catered for at lunchtimes by

20541-476: The parrots should be divided into six families. The New Zealand parrots in the genus Nestor were placed in a separate family Nestoridae and the two basal genera in the family Psittaculidae ( Psittrichas and Coracopsis ) were placed in a separate family Psittrichasidae. The two additional families have not been recognised by taxonomists involved in curating lists of world birds and instead only four families are recognised. The following cladogram shows

20708-430: The perimeter walls were so high, the keepers were replaced in their sharp-shooting role by soldiers who patrolled the grounds armed with tommy guns . Stocks were increased by animals transferred from other zoos that had been forced to close. Initially the zoo was given favourable food rationing quotas, but certain foods became unavailable and the price of others increased dramatically. Bananas were impossible to obtain and

20875-776: The phylogenetic relationships between the four families. The species numbers are taken from the list maintained by Frank Gill , Pamela Rasmussen and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), now the International Ornithologists' Union . Strigopidae – New Zealand parrots (4 species) Cacatuidae – Cockatoos (22 species) Psittacidae – African and New World parrots (179 species) Psittaculidae – Old World parrots (203 species) The Psittaciformes comprise three main lineages: Strigopoidea , Psittacoidea and Cacatuoidea . The Strigopoidea were considered part of

21042-496: The practice of selling animals from certified zoos has declined. A large number of animals are culled each year in zoos, but this is controversial. A highly publicized culling as part of population management was that of a healthy giraffe at Copenhagen Zoo in 2014. The zoo argued that his genes already were well-represented in captivity, making the giraffe unsuitable for future breeding. There were offers to adopt him and an online petition to save him had many thousand signatories, but

21209-503: The price of admission was three half-pence, or the supply of a cat or dog for feeding to the lions. The animals were moved to the London Zoo when it opened. Aztec emperor Moctezuma had in his capital city of Tenochtitlan a "house of animals" with a large collection of birds, mammals and reptiles in a garden tended by more than 600 employees. The garden was described by several Spanish conquerors, including Hernán Cortés in 1520. After

21376-412: The railway station to collect the first-class passengers, but he also abandoned the idea of subscription tickets, settling instead on a general admission price of 4d, rising to 6d in 1851. Although the gardens thrived in their early years, by 1842 Jennison was in financial difficulties, and on 13 December bankruptcy proceedings were initiated. Jennison's problems were caused by his failure to sell

21543-591: The requirements of scholarly research, came together in the founding of the first modern zoos. Whipsnade Park Zoo in Bedfordshire , England, opened in 1931. It allowed visitors to drive through the enclosures and come into close proximity with the animals. The Zoological Society of London was founded in 1826 by Stamford Raffles and established the London Zoo in Regent's Park two years later in 1828. At its founding, it

21710-615: The rides and the fun aspect of the park was the way forward, and added attractions such as dodgems , the Caterpillar, the Ghost Train , Jack & Jill, and the Flying Sea Planes. The Scenic Railway, purchased in 1925 but not fully operational until two years later, proved to be one of Belle Vue's most popular rides, and remained in use until 1975. The Bobs rollercoaster was arguably the most popular ride of all, so named because it cost

21877-544: The site for £800. Except for their belongings, which fitted on a handcart, all the Jennisons took with them to Belle Vue was two or three birdcages containing parrots and other assorted birds. At its opening in 1836, Belle Vue contained an Italian Garden, lakes, mazes and hothouses, as well as the aviary. The family decided that their zoological collection had to be expanded as a matter of priority, and by 1839 elephants, lions, and other exotic African animals had been added. Many other attractions were subsequently added, including

22044-495: The specialised crushing bills of modern species. Genomic analysis provides strong evidence that parrots are the sister group of passerines , forming the clade Psittacopasserae , which is the sister group of the falcons . The first uncontroversial parrot fossils date to tropical Eocene Europe around 50 mya. Initially, a neoavian named Mopsitta tanta , uncovered in Denmark's Early Eocene Fur Formation and dated to 54 mya,

22211-401: The supply of fish was problematic. As a result, the keepers were forced to experiment. The sealions became casualties of the food shortage when their keepers attempted to feed them strips of beef soaked in cod liver oil . Although they seemed to thrive on this diet, their digestive systems were unable to cope with the unusual food, and they eventually died of stomach ulcers. The lions' new diet

22378-445: The three entrances to the gardens. The Longsight Hotel, built in 1851 and demolished in 1985, was a part of the entrance. The Lake Hotel, built in 1876, had facilities for the free stabling of horses belonging to Belle Vue's visitors. It was extended in 1929 and then again in 1960, when a concert room was added, offering late-night entertainment. After its closure in the 1980s, the hotel was demolished. The Hyde Road Hotel and Restaurant at

22545-638: The three major clades originated about 50 Mya (range 57–41 Mya). A single 15 mm (0.6 in) fragment from a large lower bill ( UCMP 143274), found in deposits from the Lance Creek Formation in Niobrara County, Wyoming , had been thought to be the oldest parrot fossil and is presumed to have originated from the Late Cretaceous period, which makes it about 70 million years old. However, other studies suggest that this fossil

22712-664: The tribe Cyclopsittini ) and budgerigar (tribe Melopsittacini). Strigopidae   Cacatuidae Neotropical parrots Psittacinae Psittrichadinae Coracopseinae Psittaculinae Broad-tailed parrots Fig parrots Budgerigar Lories and Lorikeets Bolbopsittacus Hanging parrots Lovebirds Psittacella The order Psittaciformes consists of four families containing roughly 410 species belonging to 101 genera. Superfamily Strigopoidea : New Zealand parrots Superfamily Cacatuoidea : cockatoos Superfamily Psittacoidea : true parrots Living species range in size from

22879-459: The ultraviolet spectrum, normally invisible to humans. Parrots are found on all tropical and subtropical continents and regions including Australia and Oceania , South Asia , Southeast Asia , Central America , South America , and Africa . Some Caribbean and Pacific islands are home to endemic species . By far the greatest number of parrot species come from Australasia and South America. The lories and lorikeets range from Sulawesi and

23046-443: The vibrant colours of so many parrots. Colourful feathers with high levels of psittacofulvin resist the feather-degrading bacterium Bacillus licheniformis better than white ones. Lorikeets were previously regarded as a third family, Loriidae, but are now considered a tribe ( Loriini ) within the subfamily Loriinae , family Psittaculidae. The two other tribes in the subfamily are the closely related fig parrots (two genera in

23213-501: The wild The breeding of endangered species is coordinated by cooperative breeding programmes containing international studbooks and coordinators, who evaluate the roles of individual animals and institutions from a global or regional perspective, and there are regional programmes all over the world for the conservation of endangered species . In Africa, conservation is handled by the African Preservation Program (APP); in

23380-477: The words of historian David Mayer, Jennison was facing a crisis: "either keep Belle Vue Gardens an exclusive, class-specific, genteel preserve for the gentry and the middle class – who would arrive and depart in their own carriages through the Hyde Road gate – or open the gardens to a popular crowd who would arrive by train at the Stockport Road ( Longsight ) gate". For a time, Jennison sent carriages to

23547-403: The world and many species such as elephants , big cats, penguins , tropical birds, primates, rhinos , exotic reptiles, and many others are in danger of dying out. Many of today's zoos hope to stop or slow the decline of many endangered species and see their primary purpose as breeding endangered species in captivity and reintroducing them into the wild. Modern zoos also aim to help teach visitors

23714-516: The world fight to protect species from going extinct , but many conservation programs are underfunded and under-represented. Conservation programs can struggle to fight bigger issues like habitat loss and illness. It often takes significant funding and long time periods to rebuild degraded habitats, both of which are scarce in conservation efforts. The current state of conservation programs cannot rely solely in situ (on-site conservation) plans alone, ex situ (off-site conservation) may therefore provide

23881-485: The zoo, Forte's interests lay in developing the gardens' dining and exhibition facilities. The Kings Hall was then the largest exhibition space outside London, but competition from the G-Mex exhibition and conference centre in central Manchester led directly to its closure in 1987. At its peak Belle Vue occupied 165 acres (0.67 km) and attracted more than two million visitors a year, up to 250,000 of whom visited over

24048-432: The zoos they can live out the rest of their lives healthy and happy (McGaffin). In recent years, some zoos have chosen to move out some larger animals because they do not have the space available to provide an adequate enclosure for them (Lemonic, McDowell, and Bjerklie 50). An issue with animal welfare in zoos is that best animal husbandry practices are often not completely known, especially for species that are only kept in

24215-404: Was a hippo , a dromedary and a zebra . In 1921 and 1922 the zoo obtained two animals who became great favourites. Lil, an Indian elephant , arrived in 1921 accompanied by her British Malayan handler, Phil Fernandez. Phil and Lil provided entertainment, advertising, and elephant rides for 35 years. Frank, a brown bear , arrived in 1922. By the time of his death, 40 years later, he was known as

24382-447: Was a captured thrush . Jennison turned his home into a public house , the Adam and Eve, which he and his wife ran together. In 1835 Jennison was approached by businessman George Gill, who suggested that he lease Belle Vue – a public house in 35.75 acres (14.47 ha) of open land between Kirkmanshulme Lane and Hyde Road  – as a more suitable site for his aviary. Jennison took out

24549-432: Was able to repay his debts. The railway that had been a thorn in his side eventually proved to be an asset when Longsight railway station was re-sited closer to Belle Vue in 1842, making it easier for visitors to reach the gardens. An additional 13 acres (5.3 ha) of farmland at the western end of the site was incorporated into the gardens in 1843. One of the ponds was enlarged to form a boating lake, which later became

24716-560: Was and still is somewhat species-specific. When animals are transferred between zoos, they usually spend time in quarantine, and are given time to acclimatize to their new enclosures which are often designed to mimic their natural environment. For example, some species of penguins may require refrigerated enclosures. Guidelines on necessary care for such animals is published in the International Zoo Yearbook . Animal exchanges between facilities are usually made voluntarily, based on

24883-400: Was announced on BBC Radio at 10:00 am on 4 August 1977. The 24 keepers were informed an hour before the news report went on air. The reason given was that the company could no longer afford to cover losses of about £100,000 per year. Shortly before the closure, a number of non-poisonous reptiles were stolen from the Reptile House, only one of which, a 10-foot (3.0 m) python ,

25050-793: Was assigned to the Psittaciformes. However, the rather nondescript bone is not unequivocally psittaciform, and it may rather belong to the ibis genus Rhynchaeites , whose fossil legs were found in the same deposits. Several fairly complete skeletons of parrot-like birds have been found in England and Germany. These are probably not transitional fossils between ancestral and modern parrots, but rather lineages that evolved parallel to true parrots and cockatoos: The earliest records of modern parrots date to around 23–20 mya. The fossil record—mainly from Europe—consists of bones clearly recognisable as belonging to anatomically modern parrots. The Southern Hemisphere contains no known parrot-like remains earlier than

25217-552: Was described as being "unsurpassed in Great Britain for size, comfort and elegance". Many well-known bands of the time regularly played for the dancers, including Geraldo and his Orchestra and the Joe Loss Orchestra . During the 1960s and 1970s the ballroom also hosted discothèques, such as Jimmy Savile 's Top Ten Club. Opened in 1910 the Kings Hall was a converted teahouse or tea room , enlarged in 1928 and reconstructed as

25384-449: Was designed to cater for the large London population. The London zoo was widely copied as the archetype of the public city zoo. In 1853, the Zoo opened the world's first public aquarium . Dublin Zoo was opened in 1831 by members of the medical profession interested in studying animals while they were alive and more particularly getting hold of them when they were dead. Downs' Zoological Gardens created by Andrew Downs and opened to

25551-626: Was first used of the London Zoological Gardens , which was opened for scientific study in 1828, and to the public in 1847. The first modern zoo was the Tierpark Hagenbeck by Carl Hagenbeck in Germany . In the United States alone, zoos are visited by over 181 million people annually. The London Zoo , which was opened in 1828, was initially known as the "Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society of London", and it described itself as

25718-447: Was for the new company to take over from 1 January 1925, but the transfer did not take place until 28 March. Under the new managing director, John Henry Iles , the gardens expanded to include what became a world-famous amusement park . Belle Vue enjoyed a brief post-war boom between the end of the Second World War and the early 1950s. During the early 1960s, it could still attract 150,000 visitors on Easter Monday , but by

25885-408: Was green-coloured horsemeat, and the monkeys were fed on boiled potatoes. The birds-of-paradise (lack of millet ), and the penguins (lack of fish), were unable to adapt to their make-do diet and also succumbed. Vegetables were not in short supply however, as the garden staff grew lettuce, cabbage and carrots in the kitchen gardens. Wartime interruptions in the supply of gas for heating resulted in

26052-603: Was in the Tower of London , created as early as 1204 by King John I . Henry III received a wedding gift in 1235 of three leopards from Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor , and in 1264, the animals were moved to the Bulwark, renamed the Lion Tower, near the main western entrance of the Tower. It was opened to the public during the reign of Elizabeth I in the 16th century. During the 18th century,

26219-554: Was initially reserved for the viewing pleasure of the imperial family and the court, but was made accessible to the public in 1765. In 1775, a zoo was founded in Madrid, and in 1795, the zoo inside the Jardin des Plantes in Paris was founded by Jacques-Henri Bernardin , with animals from the royal menagerie at Versailles, primarily for scientific research and education. The planning about a space for

26386-400: Was on an industrial scale, ranging from the late 19th century hot water rooms, which accommodated up to 3,000 diners each, providing crockery and hot water for those who brought their own picnics, to more upmarket themed restaurants. Belle Vue became a part of the caterer and hotelier Charles Forte 's business empire towards the end of its life in the 1960s. Although he made some improvements to

26553-601: Was opened at the London Zoo in 1853. This was followed by the opening of public aquaria in continental Europe (e.g. Paris in 1859, Hamburg in 1864, Berlin in 1869, and Brighton in 1872) and the United States (e.g. Boston in 1859, Washington in 1873, San Francisco Woodward's Garden in 1873, and the New York Aquarium at Battery Park in 1896). Roadside zoos are found throughout North America , particularly in remote locations. They are often small, for-profit zoos, often intended to attract visitors to some other facility, such as

26720-496: Was recovered. A 15-year-old elephant, Ellie May, had acquired an undeserved reputation for being dangerous, which made her extremely difficult to sell. Her food costs became difficult to justify, but Grayson refused to have her put down. Although he left the zoo in January 1978, Grayson returned frequently to care for Ellie May, the last animal left at the zoo. Eventually Rotterdam Zoo agreed to take her, and plans were made to transport

26887-442: Was rejuvenated by the appointment of Gerald Iles as zoo superintendent in 1933. A new Gibbon Cage and Monkey Mountain were created and the Reptile House was extended. In 1925, a display at the zoo was entitled "Cannibals" and featured black Africans depicted wearing alleged "native" dress. On the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the animal keepers were issued with rifles to deal with any dangerous animals who might escape if

27054-561: Was revealed during excavations at Hierakonpolis , Egypt in 2009, of a c.  3500 BCE menagerie. The exotic animals included hippopotami , hartebeest , elephants , baboons and wildcats . King Ashur-bel-kala of the Middle Assyrian Empire created zoological and botanical gardens in the 11th century BCE. In the 2nd century BCE, the Chinese Empress Tanki had a "house of deer" built, and King Wen of Zhou kept

27221-650: Was the brainchild of entrepreneur and part-time gardener John Jennison. He opened the grounds around his home in Adswood , Stockport to the public in 1826, from where he and his wife Maria sold fruit and vegetables. He called his establishment Strawberry Gardens, later Jennison's Gardens. Manchester's increasing urban population encouraged the development of a thriving leisure industry, and public parks were popular. In 1828 or '29 Jennison purchased an adjacent 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) of land on which he and his wife built an aviary , to which they charged admission; its first occupant

27388-514: Was the usual collection of acrobats, strongmen and clowns, two of whom, Jacko the Clown and his partner "Little Billy" Merchant , performed at Belle Vue for thirty years. Zoo The term zoological garden refers to zoology , the study of animals. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek ζῷον , zōion , 'animal', and the suffix -λογία , -logia , 'study of'. The abbreviation zoo

27555-424: Was the world's first scientific zoo. Originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study , it was opened to the public in 1847. The Zoo was located in Regent's Park —then undergoing development at the hands of the architect John Nash . What set the London zoo apart from its predecessors was its focus on society at large. The zoo was established in the middle of a city for the public, and its layout

27722-438: Was therefore decided that Maharajah and his trainer, Lorenzo Lawrence, should walk to Manchester, a journey they completed in 10 days with little incident. Lorenzo became the zoo's head elephant keeper, and stayed at Belle Vue for more than 40 years. Maharajah provided elephant rides to the public for ten years, until his death from pneumonia in 1882. His skeleton was preserved and added to the gardens' natural history museum. When

27889-615: Was watched by 18,000 spectators. The displays continued throughout the First World War, except that the use of rockets was prohibited under the Defence of the Realm Act . Reflecting contemporary events, the theme for the 1915 display was "The Battle of the Marne"; in 1916 it was "The War in Flanders", during which one spectator got so caught up in the action that he waded across the lake to join in with

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