Hobart Zoo
The gates to the old Beaumaris Zoo site. Some of the remains of the original zoo can be seen in the background on the right.
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| Date opened | 1895 (as Beaumaris Zoo) 1923 (at the quarry site) |
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| Date closed | 1937 |
| Location | Hobart, Tasmania, AUS |
| Coordinates | 42°52′03″S 147°20′00″E / 42.8675°S 147.3334°ECoordinates: 42°52′03″S 147°20′00″E / 42.8675°S 147.3334°E |
| Land area | 2 ha (4.9 acres) |
The Hobart Zoo (also known as Beaumaris Zoo) was an old-fashioned zoological gardens located on the Queens Domain in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The Zoo site is very close to the site of the Tasmanian Governor's House, and the Botanical Gardens. Although its location is now primarily the site of a Hobart City Council depot, some remnants, and archaeological remains of the original Zoo can still be seen.
The Zoo was set in the surrounds of sweeping gardens, and had commanding views across the River Derwent.
The Hobart Zoo is most famous for being the location where footage of the last known living Tasmanian tiger or thylacine, was taken in 1936. It died in captivity in Hobart Zoo on 7 September 1936. National Threatened Species Day has been held annually since 1996 on 7 September in Australia, to commemorate the death of the last officially recorded thylacine.
The zoo was originally called Beaumaris Zoo, and was opened in 1895 at the private residence (named "Beaumaris") of Hobart socialite Mary Grant Roberts. Mrs. Roberts owned and operated the zoo from 1895 until her death in 1921. This zoo, which included a breeding program for Tasmanian devils, rehabilitated the image of native animals and attracted scientific interest in them.
After Mrs Robert's death, the family offered the Beaumaris zoological collection to the Hobart City Council, which accepted the offer in January 1922 on condition that the Tasmanian State Government gave a subsidy towards the zoo. A subsidy of £250 per annum was approved on 10 February 1922, by the Tasmanian State Government and appropriated for the new zoo.
In March 1922 the Hobart City Council advertised for a curator to take care of the Beaumaris zoological collection that were still housed on the Roberts property. On the evening of 27 March the Hobart City Council Reserves Committee held a meeting to consider the applicants for the curator's position. Arthur Reid was appointed as curator of the future municipal zoological gardens not yet constructed at the time.
Arthur Reid, the new curator had been born in Edinburgh, Scotland had emigrated to Tasmania at aged 21 years, and had been an avid naturalist since boyhood. When he had come to Tasmania, Reid had taken a special interest in the rearing of pheasants and English birds. Reid died at aged 70 years on 13 December 1935.
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Wikipedia