Koninklijk Zoölogisch-Botanisch Genootschap, the Zoological Garden in The Hague, 1863-1943, a Retrospect after Seventy Years from the Point of View of a Zoologist

Abstract

The zoological garden in The Hague, the de facto capital of the Netherlands, founded in 1863, was forced to close during the Second World War in 1943 by order of the German occupation forces. An attempt to reconstruct its history from the point of view of a zoologist shows that in eighty years about 180 species of mammals were kept; the garden acquired a certain fame because of its primate collection, e.g., having early success with Sumatran Orang-utan (Pongo abelii), and the discovery of the Black Mangabey (Cercocebus aterrimus) in 1890. Many unusual, nowadays rare, species [e.g., Ursine Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus ursinus), Sumatran Bamboo Rat (Rhizomys sumatranus), Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata), Malay Tapir (Tapirus indicus)] were present at times, occasionally also on deposit from animal dealers. The majority of the animals originated from the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) and were donated by colonial residents, such as Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) and Orang-utan. The colony of Surinam in South America was another supplier of zoo animals and until the 1880s animals were also derived from a few Dutch trading posts in West Africa. The bird collections were always rich and varied, initially specializing in local species. Later this collection became more comprehensive; attention is drawn to early success with birds of paradise and the presence of now extinct species such as the Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) and the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). Series of lower vertebrates [among them the Japanese Giant Salamander (Andrias japonicus)] and invertebrates were always on display in a modest aquarium. At the turn of the century the Netherlands only harboured three zoological gardens (Amsterdam – 1838; Rotterdam – 1857; The Hague – 1863). The one in The Hague, although subject to an almost permanent financial crisis, nevertheless succeeded in playing a modest role in this field of zoological science.