A Brief History of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa Prepared for the Pro Elephant Network
THE FOUNDING OF THE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS ALSO KNOWN AS THE PRETORIA ZOO
The Transvaal National Museum of Natural History, now known as the Ditsong Museum, was founded on the 1st December 1892.
Dr J.W.B. Gunning was appointed as the director in 1897.
The Museum holds large collections of mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates the Museum is located in central Pretoria, the capital of South Africa.
A comprehensive series of educational programmes is offered to schools and students in a various South African languages.
Elephant exhibits at Ditsong Museum of Natural History, Pretoria IMAGE CREDIT Getty Images
Gunning acted as the keeper of mammalian and ornithological collections.
A collection of live animals acquired by Gunning were kept in the garden at the back of the Museum, these live animals formed the nucleus of the Transvaal Zoological Gardens which then developed into Pretoria’s National Zoological Gardens.