DID YOU KNOW? London Zoo

As the new series London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year begins (9pm, ITV, centre), we look at some things you might not know about the world’s oldest scientific zoo…

● The Zoological Society of ● In 1965, a golden eagle London opened London Zoo in named Goldie brought the

1828. It was built for scientific traffic around the zoo’s Regent’s research and, for the first 19 Park site to a standstill when years, only society fellows were he escaped his enclosure during admitted. It was opened to the cleaning. The canny bird public in 1847 to help with the evaded recapture for 12 days. society’s funding, and has become the second

● The gorilla statue at the entrance is a tribute most-visited zoo in the UK after Chester.

to one of the zoo’s most famous residents. In

● In 2019, the zoo housed 19,035 creatures 1947, a baby western lowland gorilla arrived on from nearly 600 species at its 36-acre site. Guy Fawkes Night, and the timing of his arrival

led to the name ‘Guy’. The primate became a

● Author A.A Milne got the inspiration for mini celebrity during his three decades at the zoo. Winnie the Pooh from one of the zoo’s residents. A black bear named Winnie lived ● Just £80 (£70 for children) buys you there from 1914 to 1934 and, unlike many bears, membership and unlimited visits to both ZSL was gentle, tame and loved being handled. London and Whipsnade Zoos for one year.