Sri Lanka has a history of collecting and keeping wild animals as pets by both
Sri Lankan kings as well as by
European colonisers. What is known today as the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka was founded by
John Hagenbeck in the late 1920s. During
John Hagenbeck's ownership of the zoos the facility was used as a collection centre by his colleague
Heinz Randow who collected numerous native and exotic species from across Asia, for Hagenbeck's zoo;
Tierpark Hagenbeck. Randow collected numerous native species such as
tufted grey langur,
purple-faced langur,
toque macaque,
sloth bear,
Sri Lankan leopard,
Asian water monitor,
axis deer and
sambar deer and other Asian species like;
Asiatic black bear,
Bengal tiger,
Malayan tiger,
Malayan tapir,
rhesus macaque,
bonnet macaque, a variety of pythons, fish and invertebrates. Before World War I, the Dehiwala Zoo was also involved in
Ethnographic Expositions (human zoo exhibits) and functioned as holding quarters for live human exhibits collected from around the region. The zoo was closed at the beginning of
World War II in 1939 because the company's owner was German. After the liquidation of Zoological Garden Company in 1936, the government acquired much of the collection and added it to the Dehiwala Zoo (Zoological Garden of
Ceylon) collection. Although Dehiwala Zoo officially began operating in 1939, an impressive animal collection already existed as part of the Hagenback company's holding area where the public could visit. Major
Aubrey Neil Weinman,
OBE was the first Director of the Dehiwala Zoo. During his tenure, various programs were developed, such as introducing more native and foreign species, launching educational and
conservation programs, and improving the facilities and infrastructure.
Aubrey Neil Weinman went on to help design the
National Zoo of Malaysia. After Major Aubrey Neil Weinman's retirement Lyn de Alwis, took over as the zoo Director. Lyn de Alwis played a key role in the development of the zoo. During his tenure the zoo was considered one of the best zoos in the world. This fame led him to be contracted to help design both the
Singapore Zoo and
Night Safari, Singapore. Lyn de Alwis was able to acquire several rare species for the zoo like;
Western gorilla,
clouded leopard,
red panda,
Kodiak bear,
North China leopard,
Chinese mountain cat,
Oriental stork and
Chinese giant salamander. By 1969, half of the collection consisted of native species including virtually all of the mammals represented. In 1973, the zoo had 158
mammal species, 259 bird species, 56
reptile species and seven fish species. However, not much was reported on the size of zoo collection until the 1980s. ==Zoo==