The Tower menagerie: comprising the natural history of the animals contained in that establishment; with anecdotes of their characters and history

The origin of menageries dates back to ancient times. Their existence can be traced even in the dark traditions of fairy tales, when the competition of the leader of the barbarians with his brethren was facilitated by exploits in hunting, hardly less risky, and when the tamer of monsters was valued on a par with the leader-warrior. This story of the menagerie was written by Edward Turner Bennett, a British physician, zoologist and writer, and vice secretary of the Zoological Society of London, shortly before the removal of the animals to Regent's Park. In 1235, Henry III founded a menagerie in the Tower of London, which housed three "leopards" from Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1252, a polar bear, donated by Haakon IV of Norway, joined the menagerie, and then, in 1255, an elephant from Louis IX of France. Over the next six centuries, the menagerie continued to grow, but by the early 19th century, concerns about animal welfare and the cost of keeping them in the Tower contributed to calls for its closure. Subsequently, in 1831, the animals were transferred to the menagerie of the Zoological Society of London (now the London Zoo), arranged in Regent's Park, and four years later the Tower menagerie was closed.