So intrigued was I by the photo from the State Library of Victoria that accompanied my Trove Tuesday post this week, Leopard on the Loose, I just had to find out more about the photo.

LEOPARD AT HOBART ZOO. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H37687/17 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/56312

It wasn’t too hard really.  Another search at Trove for “Leopard Hobart Zoo” uncovered the following article.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AT THE HOBART ZOO. (1930, May 17). The Register News-Pictorial, p. 7.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54241041

You can read the full article on this link – Beauty and the Beast – but in short, the leopard was two-year-old “Mike” hand-reared by the Hobart Zoo’s curator’s daughter Alison Reid had rescued the cub after his mother, an exhibit at the zoo, ate Mike’s brother, and she could not let him suffer the same fate.

So what happened to Mike after his photo with Alison? While I couldn’t find anything specific about his life after 1930, the history of the Hobart Zoo, also known as the Beaumaris Zoo, gives some clues. Beaumaris Zoo was originally a private zoo owned by Mrs Mary Grant Roberts. After her death, the Hobart City Council took over the zoo and, in 1923, it opened to the public. During the 1920s the zoo expanded, bringing in animals from other Australian zoos and overseas, but when the Depression hit, the zoo struggled throughout the 1930s until the Council closed it in 1937. During those troubled times, the last thylacine in captivity died at the zoo in 1936.

Reports during the 1930s didn’t give Mike much hope. In 1932, a leopard and lion were destroyed to save money, although the newspaper report suggested they were older animals. Other animals were also sold off to the circus, including Leopards. So where Mike ended up is not clear.

ZOO UNPROFITABLE AT HOBART. (1935, July 9). Advocate (Burnie, Tas), p. 2  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86569164

While reading the 1930s articles, I found that my research had gone full circle. One article, from 1934, mentioned none other than radio stars Elsie Day and my 2nd cousin, 3 x removed, Rupert Alexander Hazell. Rupert and Elsie had visited the zoo on an earlier trip to Tasmania, and Elsie and Mike had their photo taken together. The photo proved a hit back in England, bringing publicity to the zoo and Tasmania.

NORTHERN NOTES. (1934, March 7). The Mercury (Hobart, Tas), p. 5.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24916596

After reading this article, I added it to my “Rupert Hazell” list at Trove. As I scrolled up, I realised I already had, 18 months ago, when I was originally researching Rupert for the post, Everybody Happy. When I originally found the photo of the leopard for the Trove Tuesday post, I didn’t think this was where I would end up. If only I could find the photo of Elsie and Mike. I have tried the British Newspaper Archive with no success.

I found an interesting blog with posts about Beaumaris Zoo if you would like to read more about the zoo’s history:

Australasian Zoo & Circus Animals Historical Journal – Beaumaris Zoo (Hobart) Zoo Part 1 – The Legacy of Beaumaris