Royal animals in the exhibition

Two kings and a prince have supplied animals to Naturama's exhibitions.

A magnificent example of a fallow deer is the newest royal animal in the exhibition.

It was laid down on an October day in 2002 by Prince Henrik, and now stands among 40 other large mammals in the exhibition’s epic procession of large forest mammals.

When the fallow deer stands in Svendborg, it was due to an old promise. King Frederik the 9th promised the founder of the Svendborg Zoological Museum, Harald Thomsen, a fallow deer for the collection, but he never managed to shoot one.

But in 2002, Naturama contacted the Danish royal house to remind King Frederik of his promise. And the answer came promptly: a fatal shot in Jægersborg Animal Garden. The hunting-loving Prince Henrik was given the honor of fulfilling his father-in-law’s promise.

The prince’s fallow deer is in good company at Naturama. It stands together with a stag that King Christian the 10th killed and a moose bull that was shot by the Swedish King Gustav the 5th.