Exotic animals were coveted commodities in nineteenth-century Britain. Spectators flocked to zoos and menageries to see female lion tamers and hungry hippos. Helen Cowie examines zoos and travelling menageries in the period 1800-1880, using animal exhibitions to examine issues of class, gender, imperial culture and animal welfare.
Introduction 1. The Lions of London 2. Zoo, Community and Civic Pride 3. Elephants in the High Street 4. Animals Wholesale and Retail 5. Seeing the Elephant 6. Cruelty and Compassion 7. Dangerous Frolicking 8. In the Lions' Den Conclusion
