1865: Arthur Reid: Born in Edinburgh Scotland.
1886: Emigrated to VDL at the age of 21. In VDL he reared English birds including pheasants.
1921: Mary Roberts passes away.
1922: Hobart City Council agreed to take over the animals from Beaumaris Zoo.
Arthur Reid was chosen to be the zoo’s curator. He chooses the site. He toured Australian zoos inspecting their cages and animals. The site was a former 1820s sandstone quarry which provided stone for numerous Hobart buildings and housed the first powder magazine. Arthur Reid said if the animals couldn’t be free, they could at least have the best view in Hobart. He decided to copy the enclosures of Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
1923: Beaumaris Zoo transferred to the Domain. The Zookeeper's Cottage was built as the residence for the curator of the Beaumaris Zoo. Zookeeper was Arthur Reid. Daughter was Alison Reid. Alison worked as a fulltime unpaid assistant.
As well as the native animals there were exotic animals. Such as elephants, bears, polar bears, lions, monkeys, tigers, zebras. There were tea rooms and concerts by bands on a Sunday. Many festivals and activities.
Several animals escaped including a pair of sun bears who were shot by the police.
Alison took Mike the leopard for walks on the Domain. They were emotionally very close.
Alison: ''My greatest chum in the zoo is a leopard … his name is Mike, and he is a great pal," she told a reporter at Beaumaris.
"'Mike's mother had twins, and — the nasty old thing — she actually ate one of them? So I just had to take charge of the other little fellow to save his life!"
1935: Arthur Reid dies at the age of 70. Alison was not appointed as the successor. She was told to evacuate her home.
1936: The last captive Tassie tiger died. The zoo advertised for another one.
1937: The zoo was closed for economic reasons. Hobart City Council owns the Zookeeper's Cottage and the Beaumaris Zoo site.
WW2: The site was converted into a naval fuel depot.
Today: Many of the cages and fences remain. A haunting reminder of the last of a species.
1886: Emigrated to VDL at the age of 21. In VDL he reared English birds including pheasants.
1921: Mary Roberts passes away.
1922: Hobart City Council agreed to take over the animals from Beaumaris Zoo.
Arthur Reid was chosen to be the zoo’s curator. He chooses the site. He toured Australian zoos inspecting their cages and animals. The site was a former 1820s sandstone quarry which provided stone for numerous Hobart buildings and housed the first powder magazine. Arthur Reid said if the animals couldn’t be free, they could at least have the best view in Hobart. He decided to copy the enclosures of Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
1923: Beaumaris Zoo transferred to the Domain. The Zookeeper's Cottage was built as the residence for the curator of the Beaumaris Zoo. Zookeeper was Arthur Reid. Daughter was Alison Reid. Alison worked as a fulltime unpaid assistant.
As well as the native animals there were exotic animals. Such as elephants, bears, polar bears, lions, monkeys, tigers, zebras. There were tea rooms and concerts by bands on a Sunday. Many festivals and activities.
Several animals escaped including a pair of sun bears who were shot by the police.
Alison took Mike the leopard for walks on the Domain. They were emotionally very close.
Alison: ''My greatest chum in the zoo is a leopard … his name is Mike, and he is a great pal," she told a reporter at Beaumaris.
"'Mike's mother had twins, and — the nasty old thing — she actually ate one of them? So I just had to take charge of the other little fellow to save his life!"
1935: Arthur Reid dies at the age of 70. Alison was not appointed as the successor. She was told to evacuate her home.
1936: The last captive Tassie tiger died. The zoo advertised for another one.
1937: The zoo was closed for economic reasons. Hobart City Council owns the Zookeeper's Cottage and the Beaumaris Zoo site.
WW2: The site was converted into a naval fuel depot.
Today: Many of the cages and fences remain. A haunting reminder of the last of a species.