APPENDIX 7 
REPORT ON THE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK 
Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report on the opera- 
tions of the National Zoological Park for the fiscal year ended June 
30, 1944. 
The regular appropriation made by Congress was $277,130, of which 
$34,732 was expended for overtime under the special legislation in 
effect for this purpose. 
GROUNDS, BUILDINGS, AND ENCLOSURES 
The primary function of the Zoo is to maintain and exhibit its col- 
lection of animals. To accomplish this under wartime conditions, it 
has been necessary to limit other activities strictly to maintenance 
work. No extensive improvements have been made during the year, 
and because of the difficulty in obtaining critical materials, even the 
maintenance work has frequently been of a temporary nature. The 
gates of the Zoo have been open from daylight to dark, and many 
visitors come to the Park after their working hours. In general, the 
Park and the collection are in good condition and continue to be used 
and appreciated by large numbers of visitors. 
PERSONNEL 
There has been a fairly consistent shortage of manpower in the Zoo 
of about 20 percent. This has necessitated the employment of tem- 
porary labor when it could be obtained, which has thrown a heavy 
burden onto supervisors to whom such untrained personnel was 
assigned. The additional supervisory burden has been well carried 
out, with the result that the care of the Park and of the animals 
has not been seriously neglected. 
On December 31, Head Keeper W. H. Blackburne retired. For 17 
years past the retirement age he had been retained by Executive 
order, and on December 31 completed service of 53 years. He came to 
the Zoo in 1891 as Keeper, and was made Head Keeper the following 
year. In 1913, accompanied by Mrs. Blackburne, he went to Egypt to 
bring back a collection from the zoo at Gizah. Jumbina, the National 
Zoo’s large African elephant, was one of the specimens he brought 
back; also the pair of cheetahs that lived in the Zoo for nearly 15 
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