A HAVEN for endangered and exotic animals, a venue for musical concerts, or a pleasant park for a family picnic, the Johannesburg Zoo has served the residents of the city for 100 years.

And on 10 July the zoo will hold a centenary birthday party.

The Johannesburg Zoo has come a long way since it first opened in 1904, when 200 acres of land was officially accepted by the town council of the day and signed over to the people of Johannesburg as a recreational venue.

Elephant rides

The animals housed at the zoo in the early days were: one male lion, one male baboon, one female leopard, a pair of Indian apes, two male Sable antelopes, one Golden eagle, one African wild cat, a pair of porcupines, and one female giraffe.

Today, the zoo has a population of more than 10 000 animals and occupies some 81-hectares of land. Since opening its gates, the Johannesburg Zoo has managed to secure more land for its animal enclosures and introduce successful breeding programmes for several endangered bird species, such as the Wattled Crane and Ground Hornbill. It also uses the latest research to inform the way enclosures are built and the animals are looked after.

And as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure its place as a world-class zoo, the Johannesburg Zoo is expanding its programmes to encourage visitors: running bird watching days; taking visitors behind the scenes; holding set times for people to watch the animals feed; and taking people on moonlight tours to see the nocturnal animals.

Education is the link between the zoo and Joburg's residents, says education officer Mary Geddes. "It is very difficult for anyone, especially urban children, to love wildlife if they don't understand it." The zoo's programmes "help children to enjoy and appreciate nature".

Geddes, who joined the Johannesburg Zoo in 1986, is responsible for organising tours and exhibitions. The zoo has one of the largest education centres in the country, with four classrooms and a display area, and will be starting new exhibitions in April.

CEO Jenny Gray recalls visiting the zoo as a child. "My grandmother lived in Killarney and she used to bring us to the zoo. It's weird coming back and seeing the same place, but looking so different. There's a tunnel under Jan Smuts Avenue that we used to go through, instead of crossing the street. The zoo also had a huge statue of a lion and a buffalo that we used to climb on. The statue is still there but now it looks so small."

Gray adds that the zoo, then and now, is a great place for parents and children to share experiences and their love of wildlife.

The zoo originally allowed members of the public to view only the lions and leopards, with the first enclosure being built by the town council to house two young lions.

Development continued, with bridges being built over watercourses, pathways being laid out, and ornamental trees and gardens planted. Houses were built to provide shelter for the ever-growing animal population, with many of the donations of wild animals being organised by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, writer of Jock of the Bushveld.

AH Stirrat, the town's superintendent of parks, was the first official in charge of the zoo. He was instrumental in creating areas in the zoo where children could play.

In 1910, a bandstand was erected for the then popular live brass band music. The tramway from the town centre was extended to the zoo gates, resulting in an increase in visitors. Facilities for picnicking also turned the zoo into one of the most popular places to spend weekends.

Old zoo keepers

The development of the Johannesburg Zoo followed closely the European trends of the day and between 1913 and 1915 a stone elephant and rhino house was erected. A few years later, a hippo house and pool were added alongside the Elephant House. Unfortunately for the elephants, their pool was only built in 1937.

In the 1920s an Asian elephant and a Bactrian camel were bought and put into service, taking visitors on rides around the zoo. By the late 1960s visitors could also choose to ride on a donkey or pony cart, or on the back of a llama or a zebra.

However, the animal rides were stopped at the end of the 1960s - except for the donkey rides - when an elephant carrying a group of schoolchildren rushed back to its enclosure.

In 1921 a moat was built around the lion enclosure. According to Geddes, this was a new development in keeping animals in zoos - creating large and open camps. This was the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

By 1949 the zoo was in crisis, with its animal collection in decline and the following year a 10-year plan was put into place to turn this around. This plan included redesigning the zoo, moving away from small, barred cages in rows to building large organic enclosures, and putting into place modern practises for looking after animals.

Nowadays it costs R24 for adults, R16 for children and R16 for pensioners to get in - or people can buy an annual membership card (R120 for adults and R80 for children), which allows visitors unlimited access to the zoo, advance notice of special events and free parking.

Much has changed at the zoo over the years, with emphasis now being placed on creating a financially viable entity. 

Old elephant house now used as a conference venue

In the early 1980s the zoo introduced the "Adopt an Animal" programme, the brainchild of the then curator Willie Labuschagne and zoologist Roy Wilkinson. They also introduced the nocturnal tours and the fund-raising Polar Bear Trust (which became the Friends of Johannesburg Zoo Trust).

In the early 1990s the zoo added business management to its existing portfolios of recreation, conservation, education and research. Now the zoo can boast an increased number of visitors, a fully functional restaurant, and the South African Research Centre.

In an innovative first, the lion enclosure - sponsored by AngloGold at a cost of R7-million - has islands and water moats separating the different packs, including the rare white lions. Visitors are able to watch the animals in an open environment that closely mimics nature.

There are other interesting programmes on offer: a school holiday programme run four times a year, which provides a combination of fun with education; job shadowing, where schoolchildren discover what zoo keeping is all about; and various tours, with guides answering any questions. A new, tea-and-tour sightseeing trip has recently been introduced to cater for senior citizens.

The zoo also runs the Biofacts Museum, which hires out live, small animals like lizards or spiders to teachers and students. "This is unique," says Geddes, "in that very few museums allow people to take away animals in this way." By 2001, over 700 animals were available to the public.

Volunteers are also welcome to assist with tours and at the Biofacts Museum, with training being given at the zoo.

The modern polar bear enclosure

Max the Gorilla, who has been at the zoo since the 1970s when he was obtained from the Frankfort Zoo in Germany, celebrated his 30th birthday on 6 March. "He is now staying with his mate, Lisa, who is on loan from the Moscow Zoo," says Geddes. The trend nowadays is to loan animals from other zoos for breeding purposes. "Zoos don't easily make a profit and it's therefore difficult to buy animals," she adds. 

The old polar bear enclosure

Reflecting on its past, Geddes says the zoo has learnt many valuable lessons which will determine developments for the future - and immediate plans are to extend the Great Ape facilities.

The Johannesburg Zoo is situated at the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and Upper Park Drive in Parkview. For more information, contact 011 646 2000 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it