P.T. Barnum's American Museum

In 1861, Barnum had two white whales captured for him at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, and conveyed them alive to his museum at New York, where they were exhibited in large tanks constructed for the purpose. Other tanks were shortly afterwards constructed by him, in which sharks, porpoises, "angel" fish &c., were shown. These animals were kept alive by a stream of salt water from high tide. This was the first rude attempt at aquaria in America.

What happened to it?
P.T. Barnum had in fact been keeping marine life in the basement of his American Museum since 1856 (after he went to London and was inspired by the Regent's Park Aquarium), and this might be considered to be the first public aquarium in the United States. It was part of the great showman's collection of curiosities and freaks.
Conditions were not good in the basement. Ventilation was poor and saltwater was made artificially by adding salt to freshwater. In 1861 more tanks were constructed on the second floor, and real sea water was pumped in by a steam engine. Barnum bought the Boston Aquarial Garden (founded 1859), and transferred most of its exhibits to New York for his new tanks.
The white (beluga) whales were brought from Canada to New York with much publicity. Thousands of people came to see them, but they died within a week. Two more were caught and housed in a new larger tank, but again they died, and then two more. Barnum soon came up with a new occupant for the whale tank - the first hippopotamus ever seen in America, which was again heavily publicized and highly popular.

Aquariums and Public Aquariums in Mid-Victorian Times, by Howard ...

Vintage Aqua Culture

History of parlour aquarium

When the aquarium was a novelty / Victorian fish tanks brought ...



Quite an advancement from Victorian times. There is no more soothing, relaxing, enjoyable hobby then fish keeping. Be forewarned, it is absolutely addictive. I had 9, 55 gallon tanks set up at one time. It is impossible to have just one.

U.S. Patient Office--Illuminated Aquarium 1920

Vintage Animal Collecting--Location Unknown

A 1916 halftone print of Mrs. Janet McDonald-- one of the world's few women sealers. She supplied the animals to aquaria and zoological gardens. She would give fresh fish to her captured seals. Little by little, she would get the seals to eat dead fish, so it would be easier for the zoos to take care of them.

Op-Ed: Zoos in UK put on alert amid fears of rhino horn poaching

It sounds unbelievable, but even rhinos in British zoos are not safe from poachers it seems. Wildlife parks and zoos in England, have been placed on alert amid fears that captive rhinos could be under threat from poachers.

The alert follows a misguided rumor that rhino horns cure cancer, prompting the poaching of rhinos to reach record proportions. Rhino horns are so in demand by the Asian medicine market, that England's National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) has alerted 15 zoos and wildlife parks across the country with rhinos, to tighten security and report any suspicious behavior. Authorities said the Daily Echo, expressed their concern when poaching reached an all time high and horns gained in value to a staggering "£25,000 per kg". If a rhino in residence at a zoo in England isn't safe, where is? The sad truth is there are few safe havens left for these impressive animals, threatened because the value of their horns have exceeded prices for gold, platinum and even in some cases, cocaine. South Africa, home to 90 percent of the rhinos in Africa and the largest rhino population in the world, is battling its largest poaching crisis ever. Poachers drop a rhino for its horn without hesitation and put a bullet into any person trying to protect them. For them, the end goal justifies the extinction of an entire rhino species, as seen in 2009, when poachers shot and killed the world's last Vietnamese rhinoceros, a subspecies of the Javan rhino. The last rhino species to survive on the southeast Asia mainland, the Vietnamese rhino was destroyed to meet the rising demand for powdered rhino horn within the Asian traditional medicine market. Rhino horn has long been touted for its healing properties in traditional medicine. Yet the extinction of the Vietnamese rhino species was sealed, the moment a Vietnamese politician declared his cancer was cured from ingesting powdered rhino horn. Despite the lack of scientific evidence to support the claim, the rumor went viral and prices for rhino horn rose tangibly. Having forced the Vietnamese rhino into extinction, poachers have focused on South Africa's rhinos. Rhino's slaughtered for their horns, rose from 13 in 2007 to 443 in 2011. Now, almost 6,000 miles away, the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) is warning zoos and safari parks in the UK, that poachers could now be targeting their animals. The act of poaching is a brutal and inhumane one, with animals often left to bleed to death after having their horns cut off. Neil D'Cruze, of the World Society for the Protection of Animals told The Guardian, "natural resources have been depleted to the point where they're having to look elsewhere to obtain it." Sergeant Ian Knox, of the Metropolitan police wildlife crime unit said, "most people know about it but they think it's something that happens in Africa or Asia". Yet, where there is a demand, people will meet it said Knox, and the process usually involves sophisticated and organized international crime syndicates. England may not be known for its exotic animals said the Sergeant, but it boasts a roaring trade in exotic animal parts. We see "everything from tortoises to tiger bone [...and...] birds of prey to bear bile for sale" Knox said. In February 2011, a rhino head worth more than £50,000, was stolen from Sworders Auctioneers in Stansted Mountfitchet. This was followed in July by a break-in at an Ipswich museum, where thieves stole the horn from a stuffed rhino on display. During the same month, reported the BBC NEWS, Europol announced it had uncovered an Irish organized crime group illegally trading rhino horn worth tens of thousands of euros as far afield as China.