His mother wanted him to be a dentist but thankfully Oliver Graham-Jones, with his interest and passion for caring for animals and wildlife at a young age, chose a career as a vet that would end up changing the face of veterinary techniques at zoos. After owning and running his own veterinary clinic, landed a job…
The black and white panda logo conjures up conservation, endangered species and of course World Wildlife Fund. Most of us know about or have heard of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment. World Wildlife Fund now has more than 1300 WWF conservation…
It’s been close to 20 long years since giant pandas have been at the Toronto Zoo. The last time these beautiful and iconic animals were at the zoo it was only for a three-month period during the summer, but this time these two giant pandas will be at home at the Toronto Zoo for 5…
“My childhood in Corfu shaped my life. If I had the craft of Merlin, I would give every child the gift of my childhood.” ~ excerpt from ‘My Family and Other Animals’ by Gerald Durrell Before he became the famous conservationist Gerald Durrell was a young boy who collected ‘pets’, little did he know then…
In the Beginning Zoo: an institution in which living animals are exhibited in captivity. How did we get to today’s modern zoo? It all began thousands of years ago. Ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and China all obtained collections of wild animals. Egypt’s first zoo was established in Thebes around 1490BC by Queen Hatshepsut. Medieval Europe…
To me the best and most effective exhibits are ones that both totally immerse you in the exhibit/landscape, making you feel like you’re in the animal’s native habitat, and exhibits that expand your senses and enrich your understanding of what the particular species is all about. For instance an exhibit for a snow leopard that resembles…
Walking down the boardwalk along the Mediterranean you approach the steps leading up to the largest aquarium in Europe, the Barcelona Aquarium. This oceanarium is the only one of its kind in Europe and houses 35 different aquariums depicting different marine habitats, with 11,000 animals of 450 different species and all in 5 million litres…
Lady of the Zoos 