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and Exhibits of living animals, zoos, safari parks
Chester
Zoo Chester Zoo - the United Kingdom's biggest zoo.
Writing way back in 1930, H.V. Morton , [1]
tells of a visit to Dublin Zoo:
There is in Ireland a science unknown to us in England called
codology. Nearly every true Irishman is either a graduate or a
professor. The American for codology is " bunk ", or
perhaps " bla "; the English is " leg-puling
". There is nothing your true Irishman likes better than putting
over a tall story on an Englishman.
When I received an invitation to breakfast at the Dublin Zoo
I thought that I could detect the hand of the chief codologist,
but it took me only a few minutes to discover that a summons
to a Zoo breakfast in Dublin is not only a compliment, but also
a solemn and historic social event. In the cold morning, with
a wind blowing from the Wicklow Hills, I took one of Dublin's
most decayed taxicabs and drove to Phoenix Park. I was met at
the Zoo gates and conducted to a room decorated with dead animals
in which a table was set for breakfast.
A dozen grave professional men were standing about eating porridge
in little bowls. It is a tradition with the zoologists of Dublin
that porridge is never consumed from a sitting position. My
hosts were the Council of the Royal Zoological Society of
Ireland , and they have breakfasted at the Zoo once a week
for over ninety years. When breakfast is over they hold a council
meeting:
" How did it begin? "
I asked.
" With the liver brigade who used to ride
every morning in Phoenix Park, "
said Dr. Farrer, the superintendent.
" In those days the council's method of
inspecting the gardens was not satisfactory, so it was established
in 1837 that members should take breakfast here once a week,
and at the end of the year the three worst attenders should
be struck off the council. So you see these breakfasts keep
us up to the mark.
When breakfast was over an elephant's foot was handed to me
for inspection. It is the most tragic relic preserved in the
council-room, and bears the inscription:
SITA
who killed her keeper
and was shot,
June 11, 1903.
After the toast and marmalade the council prepared for business.
I bade them good-bye and retired.
