The Eighteenth Century

The exotic animal trade in the eighteenth century was a hugely fruitful market, especially for those in Britain, whether they be colonialists sending animals back to the empire or the upper-class Britons at home receiving them. Georgian Britain carved out a market for exotic animals to be used as commodities which was made possible through animal merchants in London. The East India Company imported animals from the Far East and were well versed in the acquisition of Indian birds such as parakeets, myna, and parrots. London was the epicentre of this exotic animal fascination and was home to many menageries for both entertainment and as statements of power. In particular it was the affluent West End where exotic animals were both sold and displayed. It must be noted that these animals were not only displayed alive but were also stuffed and sold as luxury ingredients for cosmetics and perfumes. However, to truly demonstrate their enlightened state of mind Britons tended to keep many of the exotic animals alive to show that they could acclimatise their environment to suit them.

The privileged nobility, gentry, and aristocracy would have menageries at their disposal for private showings. It was also the fashion to have exotic animals on display for ordinary, everyday Londoners. Joshua Brookes was an animal trader in the eighteenth century and had a menagerie at the end of Tottenham Court Road where exotic birds, lions, antelopes, porcupines and monkeys were on show. There was also the Gilbert Pidcock’s menagerie at the Exeter Exchange in London’s Strand where lions, tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses, and emus could be seen. Queen Charlotte was not one to be left out and had a collection of exotic animals at her residence Kew Palace, where in the Gardens there was a paddock of black swans, buffaloes, the now extinct quagga, and the first kangaroos to arrive in England. Exotic animals were the ultimate display of decadence in Georgian Britain, a theme that continued into the nineteenth century.

The Nineteenth Century

The Victorian era saw an even bigger boom in the exotic animal trade with it extending out of London and the evolution of zoological gardens. The major animal trader of the Victorian era was Charles Jamrach who had multiple establishments, with one being a shop in the East End of London on St George Street East which, most importantly for business, was near the docks. The menagerie was filled with zebras, camels, giraffes, ostriches, bears, leopards, lions, and tigers, all of which were on sale for up to three-hundred pounds. The exotic animal business was not without its blunders, for instance, in 1857 a shipment that docked for Jamrach led to a Bengal tiger escaping their crate, trapping a young boy in their jaws and ran away. Jamrach chased the tiger down and tripped the animal up, ultimately freeing the boy. The event is remembered today with a statue at the entrance to the Tobacco Docks.

The exotic animal trade migrated outside of London up to Headingly where in 1840 Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens, also known as Leeds Royal Gardens, were opened to the public. The new densely populated city of Leeds was in need of green spaces and parks for leisure. At the time, with social class issues, it was also deemed important for the working-classes to have somewhere to go to spend their disposable income. The Gardens became populated with a brown bear, alligator, racoon, guinea pigs, an owl, two parrots, and a peacock. The Gardens were by no means as popular as the ones in London, however, they did demonstrate a divergence from the norm of all the activity happening in the south of the country. Remains of the Gardens can still be seen today on Chapel Lane and Cardigan Lane, with the restoration of the Bear Pit being approved in 2023 and completed earlier this year.

What all of this shows is that the exotic animal trade had an instrumental effect on the British Empire, the remnants of which can still be seen today with surviving buildings and museum exhibitions. However, retrospectively, the question must also be asked as to whether the exotic animal trade did irrefutable damage to the British Empire’s reputation, not to mention, arguably most importantly, the rights of the animals themselves. In turn this drags up the question of zoos today and whether they are appropriate forms of entertainment.