The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 19, No. 545, May 5, 1832

Step into the bustling world of Regent’s Park Zoo as it was captured in an 1832 journal, complete with the first printed sketches of its most curious residents. The illustrated tour walks you past the emu enclosure, where the flight‑less birds from Kingston Hill parade their shaggy plumage, and the pelican house, a rocky haven echoing with the splash of a deep‑water tank. A modest aviary for British songbirds and crows follows, its bamboo trimmings a modest contrast to the grandeur of the surrounding gardens.

Among the exotic collection, the article’s centerpiece is “Happy Jerry,” a mandrill baboon rescued from a captured slave ship and trained to sip tea, smoke a pipe and even join royal banquets. Listeners will hear how Jerry delighted crowds at the King’s Mews, earned a personal invitation from George IV, and later settled into the Surrey Zoological Gardens, where his health began to wane. The portrait offers a vivid glimpse into Victorian fascination with the animal world, blending humor, natural history, and a touch of melancholy.