Lisbon Zoo

Lisbon Zoo
Estrada de Benfica 158-160
1549-004 Lisboa
Portugal

Open minimum 10am-6pm

Entrance fee

• Adult 29,- Euro
• Child 18,- Euro

There are several daily feeding shows, for the time please ask at the till station. 


History:

The idea for the creation of a zoo in Lisbon dates back to the year 1882 according to rumors that circulated in the Lisbon press in August of that year. At the time, there was no zoo in the Iberian Peninsula with the responsibility of displaying the exotic flora and fauna of the world, although both Spain and Portugal had hosted menageries before. The idea for the zoo was solidified by Dr. Van Der Laan, Dr. Sousa Martins, and May Figueira, owner of the largest aviary in the Portugal at the time. Together they decided to form a zoo similar to those already present in France and the Netherlands. Lisbon's prime geographical position helped to facilitate this plan. At the end of that year, the group traveled throughout Europe, visiting zoos in various European capitals, and collecting the information needed to facilitate the creation of a zoo in Lisbon. After their trips it became clear that it would be necessary to search for men to finance the creation of the planned zoo. They recruited the help of civil engineer Lino Bento de Sousa, 2nd Baron of Kessler Frederico Luís Hermano, and even D. Fernando II, along with several others. On 5 September 1883, after much preparation and financing a deed was prepared for the zoo. After which construction began on the required facilities to operate the zoo. On 28 May 1884, the Lisbon Zoo was opened to the public. It housed a collection of 1127 animals available for viewing. Some of which were donated by the Portuguese royal family and other dignitaries. 

The public was enamored with the newly founded zoo. Garnering 170,000 visitors in its inaugural year. In 1892, a severe winter season caused damage to multiple areas of the zoo. In the same year two owners of the park, Dr. João António Pinto and D. Maria das Dores Pinto, died. As such the heirs were unable to continue operating the facility at this location. 

In 1894, the zoo moved to the lands of Palhavã. This new property stood in stark contrast to the beautiful land on which the old zoo had rested, that of which the public had become so accustomed to. On May 13, 1894, the park reopened. During this period, the zoo began selling and exporting animals, of which it had in excess, in order to balance the park's finances. This process was facilitated by the National Navigation Company which provided free transportation for the animals, and who also helped to bring new species to the zoo. In 1902, a new tram line was introduced that stopped at the zoo. This addition helped to furthermore increase the number of visitors to the zoo. The lease for the land the zoo was situated on ended in 1905. During the preceding months the equipment from the zoo was moved to its new location at Quinta Das Laranjeiras.

On May 28, 1905, the new park was inaugurated at Quinta das Laranjeiras. These plots were already quite wooded, and the area offered more space for the animals' facilities (about 94,000 m²). In August of that year, a leopard escaped while it was being transferred. The animal had to be shot by a member of the National Guard, causing no injuries or material damage, but the press gave enormous prominence to the event, even exaggerating some illustrations. It was only in 1907 that the deeds were signed with the clauses for the definitive establishment of the Zoo in Parque das Laranjeiras. King Manuel II was invited to be honorary president of the institution, to succeed Carlos I, his father. At this time, the Zoo faced some problems related to health care with some species that were slowly becoming extinct in the park, namely chimpanzees. On the other hand, others showed great liveliness and longevity, with bears, griffon vultures, eagles and monkeys dating back to the São Sebastião da Pedreira facilities and others that showed a high capacity for reproduction, namely felines, bears, deer, wolves and primates. The Zoo continued to receive a wide variety of African fauna donated by the members of their governments and so, in 1911, the first animal exchanges with other zoos in the world began.

In 1912 the Lisbon Zoo asked for the collaboration of the architect Raul Lino to design new facilities for the animals, starting with the kangaroos. Later that year, on 12 March, the Assembly of the Republic decreed a law declaring the "Zoo and Acclimation Garden of Portugal" as an institution of Public Utility, with the decree dated March 1913. Also in that year, the "Group of Friends of the Zoo" was founded, with the then President of the Republic, Dr. Manuel Arriaga, as founder and first partner. The year was also marked by the receipt, as a donation, of his first hippopotamus. The institution took advantage of this large animal to carry out a large advertising campaign, with numerous posters on the streets of the city, thus registering an increase in visits. In August 1926 the Garden received another important donation of animals, including its first African elephant, offered by the King of Italy along with two dromedaries. Raul Lino continued his work of rehabilitation and construction of new facilities for the animals, with emphasis on the monkey village, inspired by the Rome Zoo, which would become one of the most well-known landmarks of the Zoo and would attract a significant number of visitors after its inauguration in May 1927. He was the author of other important projects at the zoo such as the "Chimpanzee Palace, the Madail Aviary, the Hippo installation, the Bear Island, the Elephant Cerrado, the Giraffe House and the Crows Tower".  The year 1928 was marked by the receipt of a large batch of birds from Brazil, offered by the Portuguese consul in Manaus, Mr. Anuplio de Lemos. On May 22, 1931, the "Solar dos Leões" (lion enclosure) was inaugurated, with the presence of the President of the Republic, Óscar Carmona, and other authorities. The Manor House provided an innovative view of these animals, since it did not have iron bars in front, something that pleased visitors a lot. In 1937, among others, about 440 animals arrived from the colony of Portuguese Guinea alone. Its facilities were improved with the execution of new works in 1946 and 1947, highlighting the "giraffe house", the "crows tower", and even a rustic park where the inhabitants of Lisbon could enjoy a little of rural life. Later, in 1952, the city's gold medal was awarded, with the Lisbon City Council awarding the institution that year, leaving the Garden with the two most prestigious recognition awards: the "Institution of Public Utility" and the "Lisbon Gold Medal". In 1955 the zoo received, as a gift from the Diamond Company of Angola, a male okapi and received a white rhinoceros calf, a species that had not been seen in the country since the reign of King Manuel. The "Solar dos Leões" was also requalified and expanded. In the following year (1952) the institution continued to receive more rare specimens, namely birds from Brazil, polar bears, flamingos, kangaroos, another rhinoceros and, of great prominence, a gorilla. These new attractions increased the number of visitors (half a million in 1956 alone). It was already said at the time that the Lisbon Zoo was one of the most beautiful in Europe. In the following years, new shipments of animals continued, including a couple of tigers, crocodiles, chimpanzees, gibbons, a Greenland seal, and a sea turtle. In 1961, the year in which the zoo exceeded half a million visitors, the new and majestic entrance to Sete Rios was inaugurated in October. In addition to this, the inauguration of the "Zoo of the Little Ones", a space dedicated to children, was also highlighted. That year also stood out for more than 1000 births, of the most varied species, and for the acquisition of a couple of orangutans. A skating rink, elephant rides and the return of boat trips on the lake were also inaugurated. From 1965 onwards there continued to be numerous births, especially that of a gorilla in 1969, an endangered species. In 1972 a litter of Siberian tigers was born. 

The Carnation Revolution and the independence of the former Portuguese colonies plunged the Zoo into a situation of crisis due to lack of funds, even lacking money for animal feed and the delivery of salaries. At the time, it no longer received official subsidies and the funds that came from the governments of Angola and Mozambique, along with its shipments of animals. In the early 1980s, steps were taken to address the problems the zoo was facing. With the death of Prof. Viegas da Costa, a new administration was appointed in 1983 which, thanks to publicity, the participation of several companies and entities, and the creation of bingo, made it possible to revitalize the institution. 

In 1990, the President of the Félix Naharro Pires Zoo adopted a management policy with the objective of modernizing the existing facilities and services, promoting naturalistic characteristics in the space. [6] The Zoo has also adopted animal sponsorship campaigns as means of acquiring funds, aimed at any entity, public or private. The first to be interested in this campaign was the multinational Lacoste, which sponsored the maintenance of the crocodiles. Vigorous publicity campaigns increased the influx of the public and that enabled the Garden to start the decade with great success. The 1990s were also marked by a significant acquisition of specimens that enriched the collection. After the visit of the director of the San Diego Zoo in 1990, he offered his counterpart in Lisbon three species of great zoo value: a pair of red pandas provided by the Chinese government, koalas and bongs. The first two benefited from new, modern enclosures, which paid more attention to the welfare of the animals and not just to their display to the public. In 1991, the zoo received thirty-two animals, ranging from elephants to wildebeest and zebras, in what became known as "Operation Noah's Ark," thanks to negotiations with South Africa's National Parks Board. In 1992, with the intensification of international relations, the zoo became part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) and participated in the "International Species Information System" (ISIS), whose information program consisted of a database of all captive animals in the world. At the time, the facilities of the small primates were remodeled, replacing bars or nets with glass or pits with water, and a couple of seals and a colony of Cape Penguins were offered, which also had their habitat remodeled, within the new philosophy of the institution, which consisted of modernity and environmental enrichment for the animals' facilities. That year, once again thanks to good relations with the National Parks Board, Lisbon received a new contingent of animals, the "Noah's Ark II". In 1993, guided tours began to be offered to schools and the 109th anniversary of the institution was commemorated with a reenactment of the time when it was inaugurated. The creation of the "Center for the Reproduction and Treatment of Birds" allowed the zoo to contribute to the conservation of several endangered species. With this, the institution became part of the European Programs for the Reproduction of Endangered Species (EEPs), having registered several species such as giraffes, rhinos, tigers, birds, bongs, red pandas. In the pedagogical service, free time activities were started for the occupation of young people up to 15 years of age during the school holidays. With the works started in 1994, on May 18, 1995 the dolphinarium was inaugurated, nicknamed "Dolphin Bay", which became one of the favorite attractions of visitors. 1997 the zoo received a couple of Indian rhinos, an endangered species, and had the facilities of the lemurs remodeled, a species also endangered and that can easily reproduce in the zoo. Also in that year, the presentation shows with macaws and reptiles began. On January 1st, 2004, the first successful elephant was born at the zoo, announced only a few months later it was acclaimed by the country with immense joy and was baptized "Trombinhas", being a male. In May 2005, a pair of okapi arrived at the Zoo, animals that the Zoo took advantage of to create an advertising campaign throughout the city of Lisbon and its surroundings that aroused great curiosity in the population for the mythical animal. Also this year, another African elephant is born again at the Zoo, nicknamed "Spring" because it is a female. The Veterinary Hospital, opened in 2008, was considered the best in Europe, by EAZA. In July 2015, the Lisbon Zoo built a new "house" for the Persian leopards.