Animal Records

Object Details

Extent: 19.03 cu. ft. (2 record storage boxes) (1 document box) (1 16x20 box) (44 5x8 boxes)

Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 386, National Zoological Park, Animal Records

Descriptive Entry: These records document the manual record keeping system that tracked the animal collections at the National Zoological Park (NZP) before the introduction of the International Species Information System (ISIS) in 1975. Included are accession cards and ledgers containing the accession number, common and scientific name, date of accession (whether through birth, purchase, loan, or exchange), breeding, health, and occasionally the final disposition of each animal. Removal ledgers and cards detail the cause of death, final disposition, or sale or exchange of animals, and may also include a history of the animal's illness and a tag number assigned to the carcass if it were sent to the United States National Museum. Miscellaneous specimen cards represent attempts at new forms of record keeping, such as index cards recording the history of NZP holdings of a particular species. Also included are animal purchase and exchange ledgers and a procurement ledger documenting the purchase of general supplies for NZP, especially food and bedding for the animals.