A History of London and its Exotic Animals: Virtual Tour

About this virtual tour
Imagine escaped tigers causing panic on the streets of the east end. A polar bear on his daily swim for fish in the Thames. Cheetahs racing greyhounds at the dog tracks. A pet lion exercising in Chelsea just by the Kings Road. These are just a few of the incidents in London’s 800 year old fascinating relationship with exotic wild animals.
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Then there's the 60 year old woman lion tamer who danced burlesque in a cage of big cats, Jumbo the elephant, the (female) bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh and not forgetting, the famous Trafalgar Square lions ... find out why the original designs for them were rejected and why today’s ones aren’t quite right.
And just why are there three lions on the England football shirt?
Hear about the Royal menagerie at the Tower of London and how it grew. And the world’s first scientific zoo, London Zoo.
But there's serious lesson here, because often our relationship with wild animals has been an uncomfortable one of mistreating, misfeeding, money-making and baiting. A theme of history that still resonates till today.
Virtual Tour details:
Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Via Zoom
N B: Tour may be cancelled if low volume of sign ups. You will be given a full refund.
How to join the virtual tour:
Book your tickets here.
We’ll email you full details of the Zoom meeting link, password and Meeting ID on the morning of the tour.
Please check your spam folder for the email or get in touch with me if you haven't received it by lunch time.
Log in via the Zoom app and then sit back and enjoy the tour.
For more of our tours please visit our website Let's Discover London.