Carl Hagenbeck

Guest post by Maddi Brenner

The Twitter reenactment character I am narrating and performing is Carl Hagenbeck. Born on June 10, 1844, Hagenbeck was a real historical figure known for his development and success as a zoo owner, trader and naturalist beginning in Germany and spreading to other countries across the world in the early 1900s. Hagenbeck was influential in his role at the zoo, including his work on Panorama exhibits. These exhibits were designed as barless habitats and revealed the animal in a more natural state using similar visuals of what one would see in the wild.[1] Zoos today continue to utilize his designs, including the Milwaukee County Zoo (formerly the Washington Park Zoo).

His strong connection and influence in Milwaukee predate to 1893, where Edward H. Bean, zoo director appointed to the Washington Park Zoo, learned showmanship, as well as the care and training of animals during the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago with Hagenbeck as his teacher and employer.[2] In 1912, two years before his death, Hagenbeck also visited the Washington Park Zoo. Purchased recently from Hagenbeck himself, the hippopotamus, Jacob, refused to obey the commands of the zookeepers. Thus, inquiring Ed Bean to ask Hagenbeck why the hippo would not understand these rules, “Hagenbeck stood in front of Jacob’s exhibit and shouted ‘Jacob komm heraus,’ and Jacob moved.”[3] The hippo only understood German.

Today, Hagenbeck remains one of the most successful and famous figures in zoo history. He is a critical individual in the performance of zoos across the world and at the Milwaukee County Zoo today. The Twitter handle I am using is @hagenbeck_carl.

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[1] Nigel Rothfels, Savages and Beasts: The Birth of the Modern Zoo (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002); Carl Hagenbeck, Beasts and Men: Being Carl Hagenbeck's Experiences for Half a Century among Wild Animals (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1912).

[2] Darlene Winter, Elizabeth Frank and Mary Kazmierczak, Milwaukee County Zoo (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2014), 19.

[3] Winter et al., Milwaukee County Zoo, 26.

References

Winter, Darlene, Elizabeth Frank, and Mary Kazmierczak. Milwaukee County Zoo. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2014.

Rothfels, Nigel. Savages and Beasts: The Birth of the Modern Zoo. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.

Carl Hagenbeck. Beasts and Men: Being Carl Hagenbeck's Experiences for Half a Century among Wild Animals. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1912.

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[1] Nigel Rothfels, Savages and Beasts: The Birth of the Modern Zoo (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002); Carl Hagenbeck, Beasts and Men: Being Carl Hagenbeck's Experiences for Half a Century among Wild Animals (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1912).

[2] Darlene Winter, Elizabeth Frank and Mary Kazmierczak, Milwaukee County Zoo (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2014), 19.

[3] Winter et al., Milwaukee County Zoo, 26.