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Giant Panda Zoo History

 

• Discovery of the giant panda »

The french missionary Armand David introduced "the black and white bear from China" to the west in 1869.

 

• The first giant panda outside of China »

Su Lin arrived at the Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, U.S.A on Februari 8, 1937.

 

• Giant panda breeding »

Cubs were born in China, Mexico City, Madrid, Washington D.C. Tokyo, Nanki-Shirahama,

San Diego, Atlanta, Kobe, Vienna & Chiang Mai

 

 

 

Zoo Hannover

 

Hannover, Germany

 

Official website: www.zoo-hannover.de

 

 

Giant Panda Zoo 1939

 

 

 

Zoo Hannover

 

"People can only love what they know, and they will only protect what they love." The age-old wisdom of Baba Dioum is the motto of Erlebnis Zoo Hannover and is taking it forward on its unique path.

 

 

 

   

History of Giant Pandas in Hannover

 

Zoo Hannover had 1 giant panda: Happy

 

 

 

Happy On Tour

 

Happy (male) was born approximately in September 1935.

 

He has studbook number 5.

 

He was captured by Floyd Tangier Smith in the Chinese Sichuan Province. Together with 5 other pandas, he was shipped from Shanghai to the United Kingdom. They arrived in London on December 24, 1938.

 

One panda died from internal lesions on the transport, one died in the quarantine station of London Zoo and three were sold to London Zoo.

 

Happy was for sale at a price of 10000 dollars. But for the reason of the tense political situation in 1939, none of the European zoos neither had the courage nor the money to buy this panda.

 

Otto Fockelmann received Happy from his owner, Floyd Tangier Smith, in trust on January 26, 1939. He took him to Hannover and placed him at the disposal of animal dealer L. Ruhe for exhibition in Germany.

 

Ruhe & Fockelmann displayed him at Zoologischer Garten Berlin, Zoo Hannover, Münchner Tierpark Hellabrunn, Zoologischer Garten Leipzig & Kölner Zoo. He lived at Zoo Hannover from April 12 until April 17, 1939. After his German Tour, Happy was on display at the Zoo de Vincennes in Paris, France.

 

Happy was sold to the Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, USA.

He left Europe on an ocean liner at the port of Cherbourg on June 6, 1939.

 

Happy arrived in Saint Louis on June 24, 1939 and stayed there until his death on March 10, 1946.

 

 

 

 

 

The Present of Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover

 

Visit www.zoo-hannover.de

 

 

 

Image Source: Archive of Zoo Hannover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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