Abraham Bartlett , zoo superintendent in United Kingdom Born 1812-10-27 dead 1897-05-27 . Abraham Dee Bartlett (27 October 1812 – 7 May 1897) was a British taxidermist and an expert on captive animals. A superintendent of the London Zoo, he was a prominent observer of animal life and a zoologist who became a popular authority on wildlife. Bartlett brought the London Zoo into prominence and was associated with many naturalists including Charles Darwin. In 1882, Bartlett became quite unpopular after deciding to sell the popular African elephant Jumbo to P. T. Barnum for £ 2000. A case was made against the sale, but the courts ruled against any interference. Bartlett died in the zoo premises on 7 May 1897, after suffering from an illness, and was buried on the west side of Highgate Cemetery. His son, Clarence, who had been assistant superintendent at the zoo, took his position as superintendent. Another son, Edward Bartlett, also became a taxidermist who collected specimens in Peru and became a curator at the Maidstone Museum and the Raja Brooke's museum, in Sarawak. Several writings by Bartlett were published after his death in two books, Wild Animals in Captivity (1898) and Life among Wild Beasts in the Zoo (1900).
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