The more popular one is that Henrik Borgström, whose company rented the park area from the City of Helsinki in the middle of the 19th century, had announced plans to build a zoo there, and by the 1880s, the name Eläintarha had been established in advance, anticipating the zoo, which never materialised. The city of Helsinki took back the park from Borgström in 1877.
The more widely recognized one is that Henrik Borgström's company, which leased the park area from the City of Helsinki in the mid-19th century, had proposed plans to establish a zoo there, and by the 1880s, the name Eläintarha had been established as an interim designation for what would eventually become the zoo, although it never materialized. The city of Helsinki reclaimed the park from Borgström in 1877.