Everyone loves animals and for many of us, going to a zoo or safari park is the only way we’ll get up close and personal with certain creatures, especially if the zoo offers walk-through exhibits or has feeding and petting sessions.
Although some people believe zoos to be cruel, these days many are centres for zoology research and provide breeding programmes for animals on the verge of extinction.
To celebrate Zoo Lovers Day we’ve collected some interesting facts about zoos.
- Animal-themed clothes are banned at Chessington World of Adventures because although the animals reacted positively to their own patterns, they were intimidated by those resembling their predators.
- At the Noah’s Ark Rescue Center in Georgia, a bear, tiger and lion have formed an unlikely bond. Rescued together when they were just three months old, the three animals all share the same enclosure and are great friends.
- The reptile house at the Sacramento Zoo is built in the shape of a snake.
- The 1997 film Fierce Creatures, which takes place at the fictional Marwood Zoo, was filmed at both Marwell Zoo and Jersey Zoo.
- The oldest zoo still in existence is the Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna. It was built in 1752 after a request by the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and became accessible to the public in 1765.