When wild beasts
roamed the UK
The Victorian period witnessed a huge surge in the number of
exotic beasts in the towns and cities of England - as creatures were imported
from the far reaches of the British Empire. But Victorians' enthusiasms for
wild and dangerous animals had some very unpleasant consequences, says Prof
John Simons. If you were born in rural England in 1837 and never travelled more
than a few miles from your home, you would have been surprisingly likely to see
a hippopotamus before you died.
The reign of Queen Victoria saw a surge in the construction
of all manner of places where exotic animals could be viewed. And as well as
formal, educational settings - private and public zoos, natural history museums
- the period brought animals for entertainment to the masses. Travelling
menageries would tour towns and cities, featuring performers and their animals.
People could walk into a shop and purchase anything, from an
elephant to a bear to a kangaroo.
Read rest here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20166624
So exotic big cats may
have been around longer than thought.
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