In pictures: Bristol Zoo celebrates 180th anniversary
- Published
Elephant rides were a regular feature at Bristol Zoo decades ago
Items from a zoo's archive have been released to mark its 180th anniversary.
Bristol Zoo, which opened in 1836, has raided its archive to uncover films and photos.
They include footage of children being taken for rides on Asian elephant Rosie - a resident at the zoo from 1938 until her death in 1961.
The zoo said it believes many of the artefacts, which have been in storage for decades, have never been shown to the public before.
Among its most well-known animals was Rosie the Asian elephant - a resident at the Zoo from 1938 until her death in 1961. She was born in the wild in 1925 and arrived at the zoo from a circus
Another famous resident was Alfred the gorilla, who lived at the zoo from 1930 to 1948. At the time he was the only gorilla in captivity in the country. His body now stands in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
Guide books from 1926 and 1950 are among the items that have been kept in storage
Popular children's TV presenter Johnny Morris was a regular visitor to the zoo with the programme Animal Magic
Since it opened in 1836, the zoo has welcomed six generations of visitors. More than 90 million people have visited the zoo over the past 180 years, including these soldiers during World War One
Bristol Zoo was the first UK zoo to hold and breed okapi, as well as being the first British zoo to breed from their gorillas and chimpanzees