Dublin Zoo: 1960-1961

There, on the far end of town, out by the old Jameson Distillery lies the massive and equally impressive Phoenix Park. Residing inside that park is the magical place known as Dublin Zoo. For over 180 years, this zoo has been known to house a vast array of wildlife ranging from lions and zebras from Africa, to beavers from Canada, and even snakes from The United States. In its early years, the zoo was home to 46 mammals and 72 birds all donated by the London Zoo. Dublin Zoo has been transformed over the years to what it is today: Ireland’s largest family attraction. The images from the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection, housed at Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse Street, show these treasured animals thriving and coexisting with each other between the spring of 1960 and the summer of 1961.

Dublin Zoo has been one of the biggest tourist attractions of the city since its inception on September 1, 1831. It opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1840 for one penny!  As seen above, the young girl happily feeds and interacts with the elephant, and the lions rest in the long grass gazing off into the distance. During the years of 1960 and 1961, the addition of new animals was constant. This stemmed from the fact that Dublin Zoo received a donation of £14,000 in 1960, enabling them to make major changes to its facility and allowing them to acquire new species. One of the acquisitions was a giraffe named Hoppy. He was purchased after the passing of another giraffe some years earlier. Hoppy came by sea and on his transport over he caused quite the traffic commotion from people trying to hug the nearly 9 foot tall giraffe around the neck and feed him. In May of 1960, there were articles in the local papers talking about “The Most Impressive Giraffe”.

In late 1960, the Superintendent of Dublin Zoo and some of his colleagues took an African safari and brought back loads of animals including cheetahs, Colombes monkeys, bush babies, and a six month old rhinoceros named Congo; the first rhinoceros in the zoo since 1864. The most intriguing exhibit by far was the elephant exhibit. Adults and children alike could sit side by side with these massive creatures and feed them or even take rides on their backs on saddles. The images below are from the summer of 1961 and show the up close and personal interaction visitors could have with the wildlife back in the day.

The first pair of lions were brought to the zoo in 1855 and bred for the first time in 1857. During the Easter Rising in 1916 there was a shortage of meat and the zoo had to resort to killing other animals in order to feed the tigers and lions. There were many years of economic struggle that followed and the zoo was almost shut down by the government. Luckily, more land and money was granted to Dublin Zoo, allowing them a chance to recover and prosper.

Beginning in 1961, Dublin Zoo had a number of new additions from outside of Ireland but also had a great amount of additions coming from inside the zoo itself. The lion exhibit alone had bred up to 556 lion cubs by that point in time. Along with the lions are the tigers (oh my)! Dublin Zoo has Amur and Sumatran Tigers. They are both listed as critically endangered and there are only about 400 Sumatran Tigers in zoos around the world used in a breeding programme. In 1960 and 1961 we captured some amazing photos of the Sumatran Tigers playing and being extremely photogenic.

Although Dublin Zoo has over 400 animals living there at the current time, one noticeable omission are the pair of Polar Bears. Photographed below is the male and female pair of Polar Bears in their habitat at the zoo. In 2003, it was decided that they were to be moved to a zoo in Hungary. It seems that the female Polar Bear was becoming stressed out and had terrible mood swings that were being caused by the male Polar Bear. The pair now reside in the Sosto Zoo in Hungary where the female has her own section of the exhibit to escape the male if she feels inclined to do so.

The African Plains exhibit at the zoo is currently home to ostriches, white rhinoceros, giraffes, common zebras, as well as the hippopotamus. Here in 1960 we see the crowds watching to hippo go for a quick dip in his pool to cool off from the hot summer sun.

Dublin Zoo is such a great attraction and tourist destination because of its wide appeal to children and adults alike. There is something for everyone at the zoo. If you are not fond of the Reptile House you can check out the Roberts House which is a free-flying aviary, or the African Plains exhibit to see the home of the lions and gorillas. Take a trip to the Fringes of the Arctic to see penguins and sea lions. Explore the Asian Forests with the Sumatran Tigers. Hop on over to the world of Primates, or for a more family friendly feel take a stroll through the family farm to see some traditional Irish farm animals such as pygmy goats, call ducks, and Simmental cows. From 1959 to 1960 the yearly attendance grew from 300,450 people to over 326,000 people. In 2015, nearly 1,000,000 people visit Dublin Zoo in the Phoenix Park every year. This wonderful wildlife exhibit just goes to prove that you are never too old … for a day at the zoo.

About our Guest Blogger

This article was written by Laura Helton, an intern from Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane, Washington. Laura came to Ireland as part of the STINT Ireland program and she assisted with the digitization and organization of photos from the Fáilte Ireland Collection at Dublin City Library and Archive.

View the Dublin Zoo: 1960-1961 Image Gallery.

DRI - Digital Repository of Ireland is a national digital repository for Ireland’s humanities, social sciences, and cultural heritage data. Here you will find select digital collections of Dublin City Library and Archive. Highlights of the collection include the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection, the Jacobs Biscuit Factory Photographic Archive, and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive.