Founded in 1859 by the ornithologist Niels Kjærbølling, Copenhagen Zoo it is one of the oldest zoos in Europe.
The animals that the visitors could contemplate at the opening were eagles, chickens, ducks, owls, rabbits, a fox, a seal in a bathtub and a turtle in a bucket. In the early years the zoo focused on showing as many different types of animals as possible, but as animal welfare later became an issue, the number of different species has dropped in favour of more space to each animal. In 1901 the zoo had a human display with 25 Indians- men, women and children- in an exhibition where the “brown exotic” people went about their daily lives in palm tree leaf huts constructed in the middle of the zoo. One of the most notable animals kept there was a male slow worm that lived there from 1892 to 1946 (for 54 years, which is a record among lizards).
The zoo’s restaurant in 1897
Two bears looking outside curiously
A giant elephant seal from behind
The rare elephant seal was the zoo’s treasure
A zoo keeper taking care of the seals
Two baby polar bears with their mother in 1859
Fish was the favorite meal of this huge seal
Three sea lions lined up for dinner
Two boys watching zebras
Camel was one of the rare animals in this zoo
Drink time
A bear became new member of the zoo in 1930s
A chimpanzee waving at tourists next to a board with her details
Animals here were treated like human and even had their own toys
A baby hippo taking a bath
Training animals
A suited man squats down and strokes a seal that has been transported in a net carrier
A chimpanzee drink milk just like human
A girl watching a sea lion’s performance
A elephant seemed to be enjoying cleaning