ELEPHANT HOUSE, BERLIN.
In 1893-94 the drainage was renewed; in 1895 the new wing of the well-arranged aviary was built; in 1896 a new deer house and a goat and sheep house were built; in 1896-97 the beautiful stork and crane house; in 1897 the camel house; in 1898 more deer houses, moufflon rocks, and two restaurants were erected, and other improvements made. This period, from the death of Dr. Bodinus in 1884 to the death of General Duncker in 1897, forms the second division in the history of the Berlin Garden.
The year 1897 marks a new period in its history. The eclat of the Garden as a place of amusement, the increased number of specimens, and the favourable position of the site in the west of Berlin led to the new organization of an institution which was so promising.
In 1898 1,000 new preference shares were issued, and a second increase in capital brought the total capital of the Company up to £113,500. By this means numerous alterations and improvements were undertaken. A new official residence was erected, and Japanese and Chinese pavilions, coffee-houses, bridges, halls for children to play in, lavatories, machine houses, a pump house, three new pig houses, improvements in the antelope house, new llama rockery, and refrigerators for dead fish were made. A view-tower, pheasantries, and many other minor improvements in walls, banks, bridges, and ponds were added. Herr Begas presented one of his celebrated centaur statues, and Uechtritz a nymph with swan. All these things have made the Garden more attractive, and all Berlin comes to see them. The Garden and restaurant are visited by 60,000 people on a fine Sunday in the summer.
We will now walk round one of the finest Zoological Gardens in Europe, and, indeed, in the world, as it is at the present moment well ahead of our London Garden, both in the value of its animals and also in the magnificence of its buildings. Some of the latter are truly remarkable structures, being finely painted and decorated, and fitted inside with the very best up-to-date arrangements for the health and comfort of the animals.
After I had paid one mark at the entrance, my camera was immediately pounced upon; I hope it may not be thought to be ‘sour grapes’ if I add that it poured with rain the whole day when I visited the Garden, and that most of the animals were housed indoors.
Turning to the left round a very large café, with seats outside capable of accommodating several thousand people, we come to a very large and lofty bird-of-prey aviary. Close to a children’s playground will be found some stables, containing common domestic asses, Somali wild ass, Burchell’s and mountain zebra—a cross between a donkey and a zebra—and the inevitable Shetland pony, with which they always seem so pleased in Continental Gardens.
The lion house, constructed on the very best principles, is one of the finest in Europe, and contains German East African and Somali lions, tigers, leopards, black leopards, jaguars, and a very curious light-coloured variety of the jaguar, the only one known in captivity.
There were some cleverly constructed duck-ponds with pleasing rockwork, trees, and waterfalls, and opposite to them was a large crane house. Several of the houses are built in exact imitation of Chinese and Indian temples and pagodas, which give the Gardens a very Eastern appearance.