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Jumbo was born about 1861. When still very small, he arrived at the Zoo in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. In 1865 he was sent to London Zoo. On arrival he was in poor condition, but after being placed in the care of Matthew Scott, a former antelope keeper, he flourished. A female African elephant, Alice, arrived a few months later and the two elephants became associated in the public mind. Jumbo was trained to give rides and became a great favourite, largely because he had a very good nature. By the early 1880s Jumbo was nearly 11 feet tall. Jumbo was sold to P T Barnum who took him to the United States for exhibition in March 1882. Jumbo was killed in a railway accident in Canada in 1885.

Jenny was the first Orangutan to be shown at London Zoo. She arrived on 25th November 1837, after being purchased from a Mr Moss for £150. She was put in the specially heated Giraffe House. She wore human clothing and learned to drink tea. She soon attracted excited crowds of people. On 28th March 1838, Charles Darwin came to London Zoo to see Jenny. It was his first sighting of an ape. He described Jenny in a letter: “the keeper showed her an apple, but would not give it her, whereupon she threw herself on her back, kicked & cried, precisely like a naughty child. - She then looked very sulky & after two or three fits of pashion [sic], the keeper said, 'Jenny if you will stop bawling & be a good girl, I will give you the apple.' - She certainly understood every word of his, &, though like a child, she had great work to stop whining, she at last succeeded, & then got the apple, with which she jumped into an arm chair & began eating it, with the most contented countenance imaginable.” The experience reinforced Darwin's view that human beings were 'created from animals'. Jenny died from an illness on 28th May 1839. After Jenny's death, she was replaced by another female Orangutan who, by tradition, was also named Jenny. The second Jenny was visited by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Guy came to London Zoo from the Zoo in Paris in exchange for a tiger. He arrived on 5th November 1947, Guy Fawkes Day, hence his name 'Guy'. He was just over a year old when he arrived, and was the first gorilla at London Zoo for six years. Over the years he became one of the most popular and loved animals in the history of the Zoo. While under anaesthetic for a dental operation in 1978, Guy died from a heart attack at the age of 32. Guy is commemorated by a bronze statue by William Timyn

Goldie the Eagle was received from Helsinki Zoo on 16th December 1959. He was approximately seven years old when he escaped from London Zoo on 27th February 1965. Britain quickly became obsessed with the escape of Goldie; he appeared on television, in the press and was mentioned in the House of Commons. He flew from tree to tree in Regent's Park and was free for 11 days and 19 and a half hours before he was recaptured and brought back to the Zoo. Goldie escaped again on 15th December and was captured again on 19th December 1965. Goldie left London Zoo on 8th March 1985 when he moved to the Falconry Centre at Newent. He died there in March 1986