Today there are fewer opportunities to see animals in the wild let alone on a stage.
The 20th century was a period of both growth and decline in animal exhibition. The first 60 years saw the number and variety of ‘performing’ animals increase as well as a continual expansion of zoos. However, as the century wore on the public began to realise that the undoubted suffering of the animals and the depredation of the animal trade outweighed the entertainment provided by these displays. By the end of the century animal exhibition had largely died out and natural history programmes on the television satisfied the public’s interest.
A postcard showing the Blackpool Tower Menagerie around 1920.
Menageries found new homes in and around the amusement parks and seaside resorts which had grown up in the late 19th and early 20th century.
In 1954 at a London Fair, animals were still on display. Tom Allen’s Chimpanzee Nursery was one of the last travelling animal shows.
Bostock and Wombwells menagerie travelled in Britian for many years. Here it is seen in 1913 on the road between London and Newcastle. The larger and more tractable beasts were used either to pull the wagons or were made to walk. The sight of them made for good publicity for the showmen