From a transit compound for animals to the birth of our zoo By Royston Ellis View(s): View(s):One of the most popular places in Sri Lanka with local as well as foreign tourists is the National Zoological Gardens at Dehiwala, known more simply as Colombo Zoo. It happened because of the bankruptcy of the private company that created and owned a depot in Dehiwala where wild animals from Sri Lanka, and in transit from India and East Asia to Europe, were caged. He did so enthusiastically sending an early shipment of wild animals that included 67 Ceylon elephants. Following the success of this, other countries wanted animals and John Hagenbeck obliged, finding a plentiful supply in this country where wild animals were considered an annoying impediment to the progress of colonisation. By his own account, he had dozens of cages of such a variety of animals, that the compound became an informal Zoo.

Source: Sunday Times March 04, 2017 21:45 UTC