CITY PARK MONKEYS

ONE OF THE CITY PARK MONKEYS

Monkeys were around in Launceston for most of the city's existence, and have been in City Park since the 1800s. Interestingly, there seems to have always been controversy about whether or not it is appropriate to keep the animals as exhibits. As early as the 1890s letters were written to the editor of the Examiner expressing concern for their welfare.

Monkeys were kept as a part of the zoo which existed within City Park, the collection having begun in 1850 with the exhibition of two of the last remaining Tasmanian emus from Circular Head, donated by James Gibson. It seems to have grown into an odd assortment of animals which also included an eagle, hens, deer, dingoes, kangaroos and wallabies. At that stage the gardens belonged to the Horticultural Society, the original aim being to collect representations of both the plants and animals of Australia. Just how or why monkeys were introduced into the mix is still unclear to me

(See http://www.naturalworlds.org/thylacine/captivity/zoos/zoos_7.htm for additional information including the location of the zoo within the park)

The “People's Park” passed into the hands of the City of Launceston in 1863, and by 1895, it was becoming clear that considerable resources were needed to successfully maintain its animals . The council decided to persist with the zoo, the verdict being “if it is to be abolished what will the children say?” A shift in emphasis from scientific curiosity that prevailed when the collections began to its value as an amusement seems to have occurred.

Monkeys remained in City Park in the twentieth century. In 1903 a large African monkey escaped and attacked a tourist from Queensland! By 1913, the council had decided to let the animals of City Park “die out” and a letter to the paper in 1924 confirmed that only one monkey remained, alone and caged, a sad fate for a social animal. The population must however have been replenished at some stage afterwards, as a baby rhesus monkey was born in City Park in 1931. He was named Augustus, and he became a “star” of postcards before he had to be relocated to the mainland because he “became ferocious”.

The Examiner gave the original number of monkeys as five, but by 1954, a single male, known as Joe, remained. The council was hoping to swap him for a couple of “younger and more playful” monkeys from Adelaide!! I don't know the outcome to that particular ambition.

The monkeys in the park today live in a much lovelier enclosure than that endured by those that preceded them. The current residents are Japanese macaques. The original modern population arrived in 1980, swapped for a similar number of wallabies.

Monkeys were always considered a source of entertainment, as well as “specimens” of natural history. Wombwell's Australian Menagerie, for instance arrived in town In 1858. Four lions, a Bengal tiger, a jackal and several monkeys were “on view” on the corner of Brisbane and George Streets! The “American Circus” visited in the 1880s with a “clever” mandrill. Fillis's Circus in 1893 featured pony-riding monkeys, whilst in 1899 Fitzgerald's Circus included a monkey who rode a goat.

Monkeys were also considered suitable pets in the nineteenth century. In 1846 there was an article about a monkey kept in the stableyard of an unnamed Launceston hotel who found money in an old discarded glove – the discovery of the money seemingly more amazing that the existence of the monkey, so one could surmise that whilst not common, they were not unknown in town, Launceston being a major port of call for ships from many corners of the world in the early years.

In 1855, several monkeys were brought to Launceston from Timor and sold for thirty shillings each. I was surprised to read this as it had never occurred to me that Timor was home to a monkey population. A quick consultation with Wikipedia, however, confirmed that macaques do indeed live there.

An 1896 letter to the children's section of the Examiner reads as follows “I must....tell you about my pet monkey. I bought him in Melbourne before Christmas. He was then very thin and miserable looking, but now he is so different and looks so contented and happy. I keep him in a large cage about six feet square, but take him out and nurse him sometimes. I bought a belt and chain for him, but he objects to it just yet. He is very fond of children and has such games with them. It is very amusing to see him with a hand mirror. He feels behind it for the other monkey and feeds it on the glass. His name is Jacko.”

..........and so on.........

This post leads to so many other potential interesting little stories about circuses and exhibitions, about the nineteenth century interest in natural history, about.....well, I could go on and on, but i already have and its time to stop!