The Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
The Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park is a tiny zoo on the outskirts of Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham, England, that was formerly called the Birmingham Nature Centre and previously the Birmingham Zoo. It’s run and maintained by Birmingham City Council.
The zoo works with visitors and locals in addition to conducting scientific research, including EEP breeding programs for captives that include endangered species. It also participates in awareness and education campaigns to raise environmental awareness.
The zoo is a member of both the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) as well as the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
The Birmingham Zoo was officially opened on May 1, 1964, when the Dudley Zoological Society took control of Cannon Hill Park. The park’s current location was formerly a 16th-century fulling mill known as Pebble Mill.
The Dudley Zoological Gardens was designed to showcase mostly juvenile animals, yet it also included a number of monkeys from the collection at Dudley Zoo as well as two dromedaries for passengers to ride.
The zoo was closed in 1973 owing to unknown reasons. On April 24, 1974, Birmingham City Council reopened the zoo as the Birmingham Nature Centre. The center and its entrance were originally part of Birmingham Natural History Museum (BHM). In 2014, the park became Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park after being remodeled by BWC.
Earlier zoos
Birmingham has seen a variety of zoos in the past. First was Birmingham and Midlands Zoological Gardens located in Balsall Heath, opened in 1873. The second one was Aston Lower Grounds Menagerie in Aston which first opened in 1880. The last one was Birmingham Zoo, which opened in 1910 and shut down in 1930. It was also thought to be a traveling menagerie that was called J. E. James’s Menagerie.
Aston Lower Grounds Menagerie
The zoo was situated on the corner of Highgate Road and Lee Bank Road in an Aston Lower Grounds public park. It was owned by a customer called J. E. James, who loved animals and opened it as his endeavor to show them off to people for free at first and then charged admission fees.
Aston Lower Grounds Menagerie was best known for its collection of big cats including lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars. It also had a chimpanzee that performed tricks.
The zoo closed down in November 1880 when it became too expensive to upkeep after 20 years of operation. Birmingham Zoo (a travelling menagerie)
Birmingham Zoo was an animal menagerie that toured around the Midlands. It contained various animals including chimpanzees, crocodiles, lions, camels and even polar bears. The menagerie started touring in 1875-76 at Balsall Heath’s People’s Park where it became a major attraction for people of all ages. However, it was not free. Visitors had to pay one penny for every 20 minutes they spent inside the park.
Some of the animals were housed in large cages while others were tethered on short chains which led some animal rights activists of the time to criticize this form of treatment. The zoo was shut down after three years due to its owner. Check out star city page
