The London Zoo

Part I

London has a very fine old Zoo, which many children with their parents and friends visit every day. The Zoo is in a large park, which is not far from the center of London. Many old trees grow in the park, and in spring, summer, and autumn there are many beautiful flowers there too.

The Zoo is open every day from 9 o’clock in the morning to 7 o’clock in the evening. People who want to go there can go by bus or by the underground and bus. A lot of buses go to the different sides of the park. Many kinds of animals live there: elephants, giraffes, sea-lions and polar bears, brown bears and foxes, and big and little monkeys. There are many different kinds of birds there too. Some of them have very beautiful bright colors.

Part II

A good time to visit the animals is when they take their food. Then you can see how the sea-lions catch their fish. The man who looks after the animals sometimes throws a fish into the water. Then the sea-lions jump into the water and catch the fish there. It is also interesting to watch how the big birds eat their meat, and how the monkeys eat fruit.

In the large monkey house you can see different kinds of monkeys. They jump, run, and play with each other. In the park there are camels. Children love to sit on a camel’s back. Then it walks in the square and they sit high up on its back. They also like to watch the elephant when he washes himself in the morning. He puts water on his back and men with long brushes make him very clean.

In the Children’s Zoo children can watch, talk to, and touch young animals. Of course, the people who look after the young animals watch the children too.

If people want to see the fishes they must go to another house and pay a second time. The fishes are in a great glass box. There are many different kinds of beautiful fishes there. It is very interesting.

Part III

Many years ago the London Zoo had a young elephant from Africa. The elephant was very small. His name was Jumbo. A man looked after him. His name was Scott. The elephant grew very quickly. Soon he learned to carry people on his back. Children liked to sit on the little benches that he carried on his back. The people of London knew Jumbo and liked him.

One day a rich American saw Jumbo. He wanted to buy him and take him to America to show Jumbo in the circus there and to make a lot of money.

He paid the London Zoo two thousand dollars for Jumbo. When the people of London heard about it, they wrote letters and articles to newspapers and organized meetings of protest. They did not want Jumbo to go to America. But nothing helped. Scott began to prepare to go to America with Jumbo to look after him there.

When the elephant came out of the Zoo, he lay down in the street and did not want to get up. Many times Scott told him to get up. When at last he got up, they began to walk to the Port of London. Many people stood in the streets and watched. There were meetings of protest in the streets, squares, and at the Port. The people wanted Jumbo to stay in the London Zoo.

But Jumbo and Scott went to America on a ship. In America Jumbo was a circus elephant. He learned to carry things from one place to another and he danced. The Americans also liked Jumbo.