The Houston Zoo has a rich and colorful
past, and most native Houstonians have their own anecdote of growing up
visiting the elephants, chimps, and lions.
Most Houstonians though probably aren't aware that the Houston Zoo could still be haunted by its former first zookeeper and lion tamer who was shot and killed on premises under questionable circumstances.
Hans Nagel was a German who was employed by the city of Houston in 1922 to work at the zoo and act as the face of the park, wowing visitors young and old with his ability to tame wild beasts on site. These days his animal training style, which was more circus than respectful, can be seen as off-putting to animal lovers.
"He was of Dutch ancestry and born in Germany although he allegedly reported to immigration authorities in 1932 that his birthplace was Tobin, Texas. He trained at the Hagenbeck Animal Company in Germany," according to the Houston Public Library's archives.
He was a media sensation, the Houston Zoo's official blog notes, and was popular fodder for newsreels. His weekly lion taming shows were recommended entertainment. Nagel also saddled and rode and a zebra, winning a bet amongst friends.
His exploits earned him permanent citizenship even while his entry into the United States was disputed.
Nagel carried a pistol at his side at all times and was known to have to use it to scare off intruders from the zoo.
According to the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, by 1925 the zoo would house some 400 animals, and Nagel would be named its director soon after.
"Nagel was awarded a gold medal by the city of Houston for his heroics in saving a visitor from being mauled by the zoo's Bengal Tiger," according to the archive. It's still not clear if it was a zoo visitor or an employee that was saved from the tiger's jaws by a shot from Nagel's trusty pistol.
Given his stature in the community and role at park, he was given a commission as a "special police officer" by the Houston Police Department, according to the zoo.
It was taken from him in 1929 after a dispute with officials and what some called several abuses of power.
As the Houston Zoo’s former press agent Brian Hill wrote in October 2012, the story of how Nagel met his end is shady at best, but par the course for Houston over 70 years ago.
"Whether the revocation of the commission was the source of his conflict with the park patrol officers, the dispute festered for years and finally boiled over on a quiet Monday afternoon in November 1941 when Nagel confronted a park police officer who had spotted him behind a hedge in the park observing three teenagers in a parked car.
According to witness statements, the officer asked the teens if they knew they were being watched. As Nagel emerged from the bushes, the officer directed Nagel to his patrol car for a trip downtown to discuss "whose business it was policing the park."
When he attempted to handcuff the zoo manager, Nagel resisted and reached for his holstered side arm, a 9mm Luger. But the officer drew first and Nagel was felled by six shots. A grand jury later acquitted the officer, citing self-defense.
At the time it was called a "jurisdictional dispute," though the concept of a grown man peeking in on teens possibly necking in the park is creepy enough.
"These days we are much more conscious of the animals' well-being, and Nagel's style is obviously not how things are at the zoo now," says zoo spokesperson Jackie Wallace.
If you are one to believe in ghosts, it would make sense that his restless spirit was doomed to roam his earthly stomping grounds. Some say that at night the ghost of Nagel haunts the Houston Zoo's commissary where employees have reported eerie happenings and strange shadows.
Houstonians that visit the zoo's upcoming Zoo Lights holiday exhibit should probably keep an eye out for the zoo's ghostly keeper too. That creaky door could be Hans saying hello.
Source
Most Houstonians though probably aren't aware that the Houston Zoo could still be haunted by its former first zookeeper and lion tamer who was shot and killed on premises under questionable circumstances.
Hans Nagel was a German who was employed by the city of Houston in 1922 to work at the zoo and act as the face of the park, wowing visitors young and old with his ability to tame wild beasts on site. These days his animal training style, which was more circus than respectful, can be seen as off-putting to animal lovers.
"He was of Dutch ancestry and born in Germany although he allegedly reported to immigration authorities in 1932 that his birthplace was Tobin, Texas. He trained at the Hagenbeck Animal Company in Germany," according to the Houston Public Library's archives.
He was a media sensation, the Houston Zoo's official blog notes, and was popular fodder for newsreels. His weekly lion taming shows were recommended entertainment. Nagel also saddled and rode and a zebra, winning a bet amongst friends.
His exploits earned him permanent citizenship even while his entry into the United States was disputed.
Nagel carried a pistol at his side at all times and was known to have to use it to scare off intruders from the zoo.
According to the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, by 1925 the zoo would house some 400 animals, and Nagel would be named its director soon after.
"Nagel was awarded a gold medal by the city of Houston for his heroics in saving a visitor from being mauled by the zoo's Bengal Tiger," according to the archive. It's still not clear if it was a zoo visitor or an employee that was saved from the tiger's jaws by a shot from Nagel's trusty pistol.
Given his stature in the community and role at park, he was given a commission as a "special police officer" by the Houston Police Department, according to the zoo.
It was taken from him in 1929 after a dispute with officials and what some called several abuses of power.
As the Houston Zoo’s former press agent Brian Hill wrote in October 2012, the story of how Nagel met his end is shady at best, but par the course for Houston over 70 years ago.
"Whether the revocation of the commission was the source of his conflict with the park patrol officers, the dispute festered for years and finally boiled over on a quiet Monday afternoon in November 1941 when Nagel confronted a park police officer who had spotted him behind a hedge in the park observing three teenagers in a parked car.
According to witness statements, the officer asked the teens if they knew they were being watched. As Nagel emerged from the bushes, the officer directed Nagel to his patrol car for a trip downtown to discuss "whose business it was policing the park."
When he attempted to handcuff the zoo manager, Nagel resisted and reached for his holstered side arm, a 9mm Luger. But the officer drew first and Nagel was felled by six shots. A grand jury later acquitted the officer, citing self-defense.
At the time it was called a "jurisdictional dispute," though the concept of a grown man peeking in on teens possibly necking in the park is creepy enough.
"These days we are much more conscious of the animals' well-being, and Nagel's style is obviously not how things are at the zoo now," says zoo spokesperson Jackie Wallace.
If you are one to believe in ghosts, it would make sense that his restless spirit was doomed to roam his earthly stomping grounds. Some say that at night the ghost of Nagel haunts the Houston Zoo's commissary where employees have reported eerie happenings and strange shadows.
Houstonians that visit the zoo's upcoming Zoo Lights holiday exhibit should probably keep an eye out for the zoo's ghostly keeper too. That creaky door could be Hans saying hello.
Source
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