Hobart Zoo

Hobart Zoo
(also "Beaumaris Zoo")

The gates to the old Beaumaris Zoo site. Some of the remains of the original zoo can be seen in the background on the right.
Date opened	1895 (as Beaumaris Zoo)[1] 1923 (at the quarry site)[1]
Date closed	1937
Location	Hobart, Tasmania, AUS
Land area	2 ha (4.9 acres)
Coordinates	42°52′03″S 147°20′00″E / 42.8675°S 147.3334°E / -42.8675; 147.3334Coordinates: 42°52′03″S 147°20′00″E / 42.8675°S 147.3334°E / -42.8675; 147.3334

The Hobart Zoo (also known as Beaumaris Zoo) was an old-fashioned Zoological Gardens located on the Queens Domain in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The Zoo site is very close to the site of the Tasmanian Governor's House, and the Botanical Gardens. Although its location is now primarily the site of a Hobart City Council depot, some remnants, and archaeological remains of the original Zoo can still be seen.

The Zoo was set in the surrounds of sweeping gardens, and had commanding views across the Derwent River.

Thylacines

A pair of Thylacines in Hobart Zoo prior to 1921 (Note that the male in the background is larger than the female)

The Hobart Zoo is most famous for being the location where footage of the last known living Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine, was taken in 1936. It died in captivity in Hobart Zoo on 7 September 1936.^[1] National Threatened Species Day has been held annually since 1996 on 7 September in Australia, to commemorate the death of the last officially recorded thylacine.^[2]

The ruins of the polar bear enclosure at Beaumaris Zoo.

History

The zoo was originally called Beaumaris Zoo, and was opened in 1895 at the private residence (named "Beaumaris") of Hobart socialite Mary Roberts. Mrs. Roberts owned and operated the zoo from 1895 until her death in 1921.^[1] This zoo, which included a breeding program for Tasmanian Devils, rehabilitated the image of native animals and attracted scientific interest in them.^[3] In 1923 the Hobart City Council acquired the Zoo and moved it to a rehabilitated quarry site in the park called Queen's Domain.^[1][4]

The renewed Zoo was home to a wide variety of Australian, Tasmanian and other exotic species, and also housed bird aviaries. The collection included lions, monkeys, polar bears and elephants. The animals were not kept in natural enclosures as is the norm in modern zoos, but rather kept in bare concrete cages behind bars, the common practice during the period of the zoo's operation.

The gate that currently secures the site was installed on 9 September 2000 (World Threatened Species Day). It was designed to communicate the history of the site to the passing public, and secure the site, and won an award in 2001 for landscape design from the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.^[5]

Closure

The Zoo was closed in 1937 due to severe financial problems. The site was acquired by the Royal Australian Navy and converted into a fuel storage depot for the nearby HMAS Huon shore base. The Navy used the site from 1943 until 1991,^[6] when it reverted to the Hobart City Council and was used as a storage depot.

Current site use

The Hobart City Council currently runs tours of the site with "tiger tales" (about 1 hour).^[7]

The future

A conservation plan was published in 1967 as The Beaumaris zoo site conservation plan.^[8] One proposal for future use of the site is as a sculpture park for Tasmanian artists.^[5] Another is as a wildlife rehabilitation centre.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• Media related to Beaumaris Zoo at Wikimedia Commons