(Image: Junkyardsparkle. Abandoned zoos and wildlife parks)
The world is littered with abandoned zoos and decaying wildlife parks. Haunting shadows of the past, reasons for their decline are varied with some having run out of funding and others forced to close for safety reasons. To call these abandoned monuments to nature tourism creepy is something of an understatement. Many of the world’s disused zoos were established and operated in a time when animal rights were not a high priority. Old cages covered in rust, strange, crumbling structures and surreal recreations of natural environments await you in the spooky world of abandoned zoos and wildlife parks. Here’s a selection of the most eerie examples from across the globe.
Belle Isle Children’s Zoo, Detroit, USA
(Images: Jen Proctor, cc-nc-sa-4.0)
Dilapidated and dishevelled, this zoo has been left to decay since 2002 when it was controversially closed down by Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The facility was originally established in 1895 on the 982 acre island of Belle Isle on the Detroit River. Attempts to revive the abandoned zoo have failed with the last moderately successful campaign securing funds only to have them squandered, amid rumours of financial mismanagement in the local government. The former tourist destination has now been vacant for 11 years with a small, inbred herd of deer the sole survivors roaming the ruins. The structures have begun to decay and crumble, and the plants of the island taking over what little remains of this former nature park.
Rhodes Zoo, Cape Town, South Africa
(Images: mallix, cc-nc-nd-4.0)
An archaic example of the past barbaric treatment of animals, the Rhodes Zoo was constructed in 1890 with very little regard for animal welfare. The stately masonry and Victorian structures were designed purely for the comfort of the zoo’s visitors and the animals were often kept in cramped and completely unsuitable cages with very little natural light. Rhodes closed in the 1970s and has been left to slowly crumble and fall into ruin. Overgrown by a tangle of trees and grass, the flora is once again taking over and, in a somewhat poetic sense, nature has reclaimed the area. Set against the spectacular backdrop of Cape Town, most of its oppressive cages have been enveloped by plant life and the abandoned zoo has passed into a more serene afterlife.
Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
(Images: Ekmall (top, bottom), cc-sa-3.0)
Unlike the more modern and elaborate constructions still in operation at the Franklin Zoo, there lies just beyond the official barriers a decaying remnant of a time when animal welfare wasn’t paramount among wildlife park operators. This forgotten corner of the zoo was built in 1912 and was one of the attraction’s first exhibits. The Bear Den, as it was known, was a courtyard surrounded by iron cages. It featured a magnificent grand staircase with an enormous crest crafted from stone, which can still be found in ruins of the site to this day.
Griffith Park Zoo, Los Angeles, USA
(Images: Junkyardsparkle (top, bottom); cc-sa-3.0; public domain)
The Los Angeles zoo was originally known as Griffith Park Zoo when it was established in the 1930s. However, the former site is almost two miles from where the current zoo stands today and much of the original infrastructure that was not relocated to the new facility was simply left where it lay. The ruins of the old Griffith Park Zoo are now overgrown and covered in graffiti, with cages and concrete enclosures rusting and crumbling at a rapid rate. Though neglected, the discarded infrastructure left behind after the move was deemed usable by Hollywood filmmakers who used the abandoned zoo as a set for movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Check out the YouTube video below by newmikeo.
Glasgow Zoo Park, Scotland
(Images: Myvideosarchives, screenshots via YouTube)
Glasgow Zoo Park has been closed for over a decade now and is being rapidly transformed into what looks like a post-apocalyptic, dystopian nightmare. The Scottish weather has done little to preserve this abandoned zoo with chain link fences rusting away, concrete pillars gradually crumbling and other fixtures simply left amid the broken ruins around the property. The zoo has become a magnet for vandalism and graffiti with widespread damage, street art and tagging throughout the property. The grounds are littered with broken boards and discarded rubbish. Perhaps most haunting of all are the broken bars and smashed laminated glass of the animal enclosures, which are sure to send a chill down your spine.
Riber Castle Wildlife Park, Derbyshire, UK
(Images: Andrew Waite, cc-nc-sa-4.0)
This stately, medieval-style Victorian Gothic home was converted into a private boy’s school in the 1900s before falling into abandonment when the effects of the Great Depression hit the UK economy. It was later used as a storage depot during World War Two, after which it again fell into decay. After 20 years a new lease of life was injected into Riber Castle when it was reopened in 1963 as a wildlife park. But the attraction came under constant scrutiny for alleged mistreatment of their animals, leading to protests and even the dramatic release of several lynx or bobcats into the local area. This misguided act of animal activism led to the tales of a ‘Beast of Lumsdale’ which supposedly roamed the surrounding countryside. Riber Castle has been closed-up for the past 14 years. The Victorian mansion and its grounds stand eerily quiet, though plans are now in the works to transform the building into apartments.
Stanley Park Zoo, Vancouver, Canada
(Images: colink, cc-sa-4.0; hundrednorth, cc-nc-nd-4.0)
When the old Stanley Park Zoo originally opened, its first exhibit was a black bear cub which was chained to a tree stump. The zoo gradually grew to house approximately 50 species of animal, boasting a wide variety of wildlife from penguins and kangaroos to wolves. But by 1994 when the attraction was in need of revitalisation, a Vancouver referendum into its future found that public opinion fell in favour of the zoo’s closure. Following the vote, polar bear Tuk and several other animals lived out the rest of their lives at the Stanley Park Zoo. When Tuk, the facility’s last surviving animal, died in 1997, the zoo was officially declared closed.
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