CHAPTER XIII
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, COLOGNE: PRESENT DIRECTOR, DR. WÜNDERLICH
In 1857 Dr. Garthe conceived the idea of forming a Zoological Garden, and gave expression to this idea in the Cologne newspaper of August 13 in that year. People of every class appreciated his idea, and took shares in a company which was formed three years afterwards. This was the last work of this great savant. A bust of him by Werres is now placed at the end of the main walk in the Garden.
The first Director of the Garden, Dr. H. Bodinus aus Greifswald, was appointed on April 24, 1859.
On September 17, 1859, plans of the Garden were submitted by Director Strauss, and the work progressed so rapidly that the Garden was opened to the public on July 22, 1860. Different houses and ponds were added from time to time, until, in 1882, the Garden reached its present extent.
The institution quickly won friends and sympathizers in all parts of the world. In 1869 Dr. Bodinus, the Director, left in order to undertake the direction of the Berlin Zoological Garden, and he was succeeded by Nicholas Funk, who had been Director of the Brussels Zoological Garden. During his sixteen years’ term of office he did much for the pictorial beauty of the Garden.
Heck in 1886 thoroughly replenished the stock of animals before leaving for Berlin. In 1888 he was replaced by Dr. Wünderlich, who is the Director of the Garden to-day.
Of late years the approaches to the Garden and the Garden itself have improved enormously. The old-fashioned and ugly buildings were all removed by a big fire, and a splendid new aviary and a new ostrich house have taken their places. The ostrich house is built in the shape of a mosque with numerous minarets. The birds are now to be seen all the year round, which was not possible in the old house. There is plenty of light and ventilation through a glass roof, whilst two stoves supply heat. Within this house, besides ostriches, are to be found rheas, emus, pouch-bearing animals, rodents and parrots, and the rarest bird in it is the Australian wingless kiwi. This tiresome bird goes to sleep all day, and is never to be seen when wanted; but when the gates are shut and the visitors have all departed, out comes the kiwi.
The old ostrich pens have disappeared, and in their place is a children’s playground, which is quite deserted and useless, as all the children naturally go to see their cousins in the monkey house.