London is one of the most popular cities in the world. Every year, millions of tourists come here to see the best creations of mankind, as well as enjoy the atmosphere of the streets where the best world films have been shot and are being shot in modern times.
London Zoo: tourist area and vacation spot
A great option for spending free time in the city can be a visit to the London Zoo. Located in the urban area of the West End, it is one of the largest in the world. The sights of London, including the zoo, are almost always open for tourists, but do not leave indifferent local residents.
Today, the museum’s exposition of living creatures numbers thousands of species, including mammals, large birds, tropical birds, an aquarium, insectarium and terrarium. It is here that you will see the rarest wombats and marsupial devils not found in any other British zoo. The breeding program for one hundred and thirty species of rare animals is also working at the moment, so pink pigeons, unique tropical butterflies, and even rare inhabitants of the deep sea will delight you during your visit.
A bit of history
True, this interesting place was not always open to any visitors. The first 20 years after the start of work, which took place in 1828, only researchers had access to the animals and the park itself. The fact is that the London Zoological Society was responsible for maintaining the menagerie, and it was it that administratively controlled everything that happened in the park.
In 1847, the London Zoo opened the door to the general public, and over time, new interesting pavilions appeared in the public. A serpentarium was opened in 1849, a pavilion with inhabitants of the deep sea - in 1853, insects began to appear from 1881.
London's architectural sights also take place at the zoo. Any visitor will be able to see with their own eyes the Clock Tower built in 1828 or the Giraffe House, erected in 1837 by the architect Burton.
Who lives in the zoo?
You can learn about what animals in the London zoo can please visitors with their presence today, not only from this article, but also by visiting its official website. The rarity of each creature presented today can be judged by the trend: the first hippopotamus was brought here in all of Europe, and once it was in the London zoo that the only quagga that remained in the whole world (exterminated artiodactyl, zebra subspecies) lived. Today in the north of Regent's Park, where the attraction is located, there are more than sixteen thousand individuals, seven hundred and fifty-five species.
Of course, given such a large number of inhabitants and a long history, many decide to visit this zoo, if not in the first place, then precisely along with other famous places of the city. Most tourists, as a rule, wonder how old the London Zoo is, knowing that it has been open for a very long time, and only wanting to supplement the knowledge with something new. This year, the famous place of life of thousands and thousands of rare living creatures is fulfilled no less, but one hundred and ninety years!
What is so special?
The London Zoo also has one interesting feature that today is quite rare. Despite the fact that the museum itself and its inhabitants are the property of the city, the financing of the project has not been subsidized since its inception in the nineteenth century. The zoo receives all the funds required for subsistence from numerous sponsors and ticket proceeds. If you pay attention to the size and rarity of the collection of animals living in it, you can understand why in the late 80s the house of thousands of rare animals almost fell to the brink of closure.
The situation was saved by numerous PR actions and the help of volunteers working on a voluntary basis. One of the most successful advertising tricks that brought the zoo thousands of interested visitors was the participation of one of the pavilions in the filming of the second part of the Harry Potter series of films. Yes, yes, one of the episodes of the movie "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was filmed here - what is not another reason to look into an interesting place in London?
How to get there?
And you can visit thousands of rare species of animals by answering the question: “Where is the London Zoo located?” First, you need to be in the area of one of the two metro stations: Camden Town and Regent's Park. From these two stations, you can walk directly to the zoo in fifteen minutes.
Thirty minutes to London attractions can be reached by bus number 274, you need to go from the station "Baker Street". And given that the zoo is located next to the marina, an additional option on how to get there will be a water bus. A stop at the zoo will await you between the Camden Lock and Little Vinis stations.
Zoo in history
An interesting fact, which by the way will be found out before you go to the area of Camden and Regent's Park. Do you know that the concept of “aquarium” was introduced into common use by specialists of the London Zoo? This is exactly so, the concept of "water vivarium", which was previously called a collection of fish for study and demonstration, was replaced in the London Museum of Wildlife with a "aquarium", which then went into general use.
Conclusion
At the end of the article, I would like to wish you a great trip and a wonderful time spent next to wildlife and rare creatures. We hope that the information was useful to you, you have learned everything that is needed.