The 
Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society 
of Victoria. 
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL 
For 1913. 
The Council of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society 
of Victoria beg to submit their Fiftieth Annual Report to the 
sul)scribers and the public. 
This might be called the Jubilee Year of this vSociety, as the 
first report of the Council of the original Acclimatisation Society 
was for the year ending 30th. June 1862, and in that year the 
first l)uildings were erected in the newly-formed Gardens in the 
Royal Park. Before that date a few animals and birds had been 
kept in the Botanical Gardens. Mr. Edward Wilson was the 
first President of the Society, and Mr George Sprigg the first 
Secretary. The early efforts of the Society were entirely given 
over to the work of acclimatisation. It was not until 1870 that 
the title was altered to that of the “ Zoological and Acclimatisa¬ 
tion Society of Victoria,” and efforts made to import foreign 
animals for exhibition purposes only. 
Towards the end of last year 1913 Mr. William Warren resign¬ 
ed his seat on the Council in consequence of his having taken 
up his residence in .Sydney. Mr. William Davidson, lately Inspec¬ 
tor-General of Public Works, was unanimously elected to take his 
During the past year approximately ^,990 persons visited the 
Gardens, about 300,000 on Sundays and/H,000 on week days. 
This does not include children from Charitable Institutions and 
State School classes, who were admitted free of charge. 
The receipts for the year at the entrance gates totalled 
£3251/8/7, being £170/3/11 more than last year, and from other 
sources totalled £460/10/19* 
Various improvements have been carried out during the year, 
all tending to increase and add to the attractiveness of the Gardens. 
