London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was supposed to be used to study animals. In 1847 it was opened to the public so everyone could enter. You can find over 750 species of animals, and approximately 16,800 animals in total, making it one of the largest Zoos in the United Kingdom.
The Zoo is located at the northern edge of Regent’s Park, on the boundary line between City of Westminster and Camden (the Regent’s Canal runs through it). As well as being the first scientific zoo, ZSL London Zoo also opened the first Reptile house (1849), first public Aquarium (1853),first insect house (1881) and the first children’s zoo (1938).
Thursday, I had my first experience in a London zoo. I’ve only been to a zoo once in my own country, but I was excited because I didn’t know what animals were in this zoo.
I saw a lot of animals that I hadn’t seen before, like giraffes, hippos and hyenas (hound dogs!) I also saw an animal called armadillo. I like the Okapi, because it’s a strange animal and when I was young I read a magazine called Okapi. But my favourite animal in the zoo and in the world is the bat. I love bats, they are really cute because they can fly but they aren’t birds, they are mammals. I generally liked the Zoo, but I think the cages are too small.
Carlos Leon Bethencourt, Spain
I went to the London Zoo with my class. The weather was lovely, we were so lucky. I saw a lot of different kinds of animals, for example; camels, lions, monkeys and snakes. I also saw penguins, I had never seen so many penguins before in one pool. Penguins are my favourite animal, so when I saw a lot of them I was very excited and took a lot of pictures. The butterfly is my second favourite, they are so beautiful. In the butterfly house you could see many kinds of butterflies on the blooming flowers. Sometimes, they would fly to me and rest on my head. I also saw gorilla’s sleeping in the garden, they looked just like humans, it was very funny. I felt very relaxed and really enjoyed the London Zoo. It’s a place filled with energy and people having a good time. I love the London Zoo!
Emily
