Chapter 345: Hunting and the Royal Zoo
As the King of Australasia, Arthur had a relatively relaxed and enjoyable time when the political affairs were not too busy. Since the cabinet meetings were held once a week, it meant that on days without cabinet meetings and with fewer political duties, Arthur had six days a week to arrange his schedule as he pleased.
However, in the early 20th century, finding sufficient entertainment options was not easy, even for someone like Arthur, who was the head of state. Luckily, Arthur had enough power to do whatever he wanted, including the popular silent films, soccer, sports, and other activities, all of which were promoted by him.
Arthur had many ways to pass the time. Besides occasionally watching a new movie, attending soccer matches organized by various states of Australasia, watching horse races, and even participating in traditional hunting were some of his recreational activities.
Speaking of horse racing, it was an aristocratic sport that had been passed down for hundreds of years and was beloved by nobles from both the East and the West. Horses, as the only convenient mode of transportation before the invention of automobiles and trains, appeared in many aspects of life before the 20th century.
The first formal horse racing event appeared in 1174 at Smithfield Fair in London. With the rise of British horse racing, by the 13th century, a craze for horse racing had swept through Europe. In the West, horse racing was known as "the sport of kings," as the outcome of the race was determined by both the rider's skill and the horse's speed, which was a true test of both the knightly art of horsemanship and the horse's endurance. In medieval times, only the local nobility and wealthy landowners could afford to host or participate in horse racing.
Horse racing has remained popular in countries like Britain, France, the United States, Germany, Italy, Australasia, and parts of Asia, with large crowds attending each race. Australasia's horse racing history dates back to 1840, during the colonial period. The Flemington Racecourse had already hosted formal horse races, which continue to this day.
As Australasia's largest horse breeder, Arthur's assets include hundreds of thousands of wild Australian horses. While "wild Australian horses" is a broad term, Arthur's herd is made up of three distinct breeds: purebred Arabian horses imported from overseas, and two local breeds, the Victorian Kent and the Donald horses. These three breeds represent the oldest and most populous breeds in Australasia's history.
Arabian horses have a long history in Australasia, brought by British colonists centuries ago to improve the local working horses' bloodlines. The Victorian Kent and Donald horses, due to their excellent speed and endurance, were preserved through European history and became some of the few high-quality breeds in Australia.
These three breeds of horses were ideal for military use and were the primary focus of Arthur's breeding efforts. Currently, Arthur's private horse farm houses over 500,000 Australian horses, making it the largest horse-breeding operation in Australasia. The total number of horses could easily equip a cavalry force of at least 100,000.
As the monarch and the true owner of the horse farm, Arthur had ridden over ten horses, all of which were the finest among Australian breeds. As the largest horse breeder, Arthur's farm also hosted horse races. While it wasn't his direct order, hosting horse races was a normal part of life at large Western horse farms.
Arthur's largest horse farm, the Kent Racecourse in Victoria, hosts Australasia's biggest annual horse race. The name "Kent Racecourse" is not linked to the Kent family but to the town of Kent in Victoria, which is the origin of the Victorian Kent horse breed. At Kent Racecourse, more than 100,000 Victorian Kent horses and tens of thousands of other horses are raised, making it not only the largest royal horse farm but also the largest horse farm in Australasia.
When horse races are held at Kent Racecourse, thousands of people gather around. Many come simply to enjoy the lively atmosphere, while others seek the chance to get rich quickly through gambling on the races. Fortunately, Arthur's farm has a rule that limits each person's maximum bet to ten Australian dollars. Gambling is based on luck, and while there's no cheating at Kent Racecourse, there's no guarantee that bettors won't lose money.
To avoid extreme consequences, such as families losing everything due to gambling, the staff of the racecourse decided to set a limit on the maximum bet. Of course, this restriction doesn't apply to nobles and capitalists, as they do not bet alongside commoners. This limit applies only to the working class.
Ten Australian dollars is not an insignificant amount, considering that it's equivalent to over two months of the average income in Australasia, which is a considerable sum for the common folk.
However, the entertainment options for the common people in Australasia extend far beyond horse races. In addition to the annual races, Arthur has built several large and small zoos across Australasia, where tourists and citizens can purchase tickets to visit.
Zoos originally started as private amusements for Eastern and Western nobles and monarchs, who would create scenic parks and release rare animals for their entertainment and hunting. The earliest zoos resembled hunting grounds and primarily housed common wild animals for nobles to hunt. Over time, these zoos became more formalized, with trees, flowers, and a wider variety of animals that were meant for enjoyment and viewing rather than hunting.
In Europe, zoos began to take shape in the late 18th century, over a hundred years ago. With the development of zoos, some even began to focus on biological research.
Australasia's zoo development began relatively early, though due to the vast number of native species and the lack of support during the colonial period, the development of zoos was slow. After Arthur's arrival, two large zoos were established in the Capital Territory and Victoria, with a third large zoo built in New Zealand.
One good thing is that Australia's wildlife is so abundant that each of the three major zoos houses at least hundreds of species. However, Australasia's zoos do not exhibit venomous snakes. Though Australia has a wide variety of venomous snakes, Arthur has no interest in showcasing such deadly creatures.
The Royal Sydney Zoo, the largest zoo in Australasia, currently houses over 300 species of plants and animals, with more than 5,000 visitors daily. With an admission fee of 0.5 Australian dollars per person, the zoo earns more than 2,500 Australian dollars in ticket sales each day. However, the daily cost of feeding the zoo's 300-plus species and over 5,000 animals far exceeds that amount.
Fortunately, there is a royal ranch near the zoo that supplies some meat for the animals. The zoo also houses many herbivorous animals, which feed on the grass and plants in the zoo or are fed by the staff.
It's worth mentioning that the Royal Sydney Zoo is only open from Sunday to Friday, with Saturdays reserved for the royal family and nobles. Even if royal members wish to visit on other days, the zoo would be cleared for their use.
After visiting the zoo a couple of times, Arthur lost interest in the plants and animals. Instead, it was Queen Mary and the two little ones who often visited the zoo. This gave Arthur an idea: since Australasia's own zoo lacked some species of plants and animals, why not acquire some rare species from other regions and breed them in special areas of the zoo?
Arthur took a few days to think about some rare species from the future and then submitted a list to Kent, asking him to use the royal funds to purchase them from around the world. For the royal consortium, acquiring rare species and transferring them to Australasia for breeding was not a difficult task.
Compared to later periods, many of the rare species from the future were not considered rare in this time. Moreover, during this era, the concept of protecting endangered species was not widespread, and hunting was still quite common in Europe. For Australasia, with its slower industrial development, this phenomenon was even more evident.
Currently, much of Australia's land is undeveloped, with vast amounts of wilderness and untouched forests, teeming with wildlife.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997