Dudley Zoo killer Whale » Dudley Zoological Gardens

17-11-2008

They're in this thread Charlieorca.

25-01-2009

Yes Winnie went to the Sea World group. The dolphins at Windsor went to Harderwijk Marine Mammal Park in Holland.

20-06-2009

I'm not sure of Whales but in Rhyl there was a Dolphinarium, now the Rhyl SeaQuarium. Thats all i know i'm afraid.

20-06-2009

Rhyl Dolphinarium was one of the three owned by Entam - the entertainment division of Trust House Forte. The others were at Knowsley Safari Park and Woburn Safari Park. The pools at Woburn and Knowsley now house sealions. I worked with the dolphins at both Knowsley and Woburn.



I also ran the sealion show in the old dolphin pool at Woburn for anumber of years in the 1980s.

20-06-2009

You properly have a point. As someone who professionally worked with cetaceans in the 1970s at various places the conditions these animals were kept in where not controlled by any basic standards as the Zoo Licensing Act and the Secretary of Standards of Practise did not exist. Anyone with money and a small pool could acquire and display dolphins and whales.

Some facilities in the 1970s where adequate for there time but many of those keeping cetaceans where from the entertainment industry and not the zoo world. Moreover, many of the pools had no appropriate holding areas; some where just a small single pool. Ironically at the same time you had places like Harderwijk's large dolphin stadium and pools complex being built which even by todays standards are reasonably impressive. There actually seemed to be little commitment in the UK to invest the time and money to build a world class facility.

For it's time I think the Flamingoland dolphin pool was okay for dolphins but it was, of course, designed and built by the former curator of Chester Zoo prior to his appointment at Flamingoland.

Dolphinaria still remain popular and the UK is an exception to this rule. World wide there are probably more dolphin facilitates now than the where in the 1970s.

Keeping the small cetceans in captivity is no different from keeping any other zoo animals - they do have special requirements in husbandry and accommodation but so do other exotic animals. I suspect that because they are creatures of myth - both modern and ancient - some people consider them "special" but they are not any more than keeping the great apes in captivity which many collection do with very little public concern.

I am not aware of any public misgivings regarding the keeping of pinnipeds as I also worked with them extensively up until a couple of years ago. The Brighton Sealife Centre has the "misfortune" of being in an area where there is a lots of animal-rights activists which didn't help their situation.

I actually run a web site dealing with the issues of marine mammals in captive care which some may find of interest;

Marine Animal Welfare - dolphins in captivity

30-08-2009

The History of Defunct Marine Mammal Parks - Home my website has some information on some of the old exhibits in the uk...not just killer whales tho.

30-08-2009

is that you in the video?

05-10-2009

I have put up the two version of the Flamingoland Dolphin Book on my UK Dolphinaria site here:

Flamingo Park Guide Book

06-10-2009

Just found this The Dolphins & Whales on Clacton Pier 1971-1985 might be of interest

06-10-2009

i wonder how many times people have posted that link on here

06-10-2009

I believe that the Dolphinarium was actually at the now closed St Asaph Zoo not the Seaquarium site.
There is a guide to the St Asaph Zoo with a dolphin on the cover. I assume that it was actually built!!.

06-10-2009

That's really interesting. I knew that they had dolphins. I would be interested in getting any photos for my UK Dolphinaria web site:

UK Dolphinaria

As I stated above Ryhl dolphinarium was on the fun-fair site and run by Entam aka Trust House Forte who also ran Woburn and Knowsley Dolphinariums and took over the dolphinarium at Porthcawl's Coney Beach Fun Fair.

There was also a dolphin show at

Gwydir Castle, Llanrwst, Conwy, Historic Attraction Bed Breakfast Accomodation

It was operated for one season I think by Don Robinson - Scarborough Marineland and Zoo and Director of Scotia Investments for a time.

06-10-2009

I think Brighton was fortunate in fact to have a strong opposition to their planned development, only because the sunken entrance plaza metres away from a noisy roundabout in the middle of brighton nightlife was wholly unsuitable for seals and otters. Apart from the lack of space, when you're submitting a proposal that includes netting above the enclosures to prevent bottles and other items being thrown by drunken clubbers, I think it really is time to step back and ask why aquatic mammals need to be housed at such a site.

06-10-2009

Yes I agree. All the marine mammals housed there in the past where inside the body of the aquarium. The site footprint just not big enough although the old dolphin pool would be okay for seals or sealions. Unfortunately the isn't much available light only from the front windows in the building.

Brighton's last sealions were house in the original dolphin pool now the site of the Sealife Gift Shop.



..and this was the seal pool which was originally the sealion pool - located where the ray tank is now in the Sealife Centre.

06-10-2009

Found video here. Good old Pathe News. Worth a search for other zoo stuff.

British Pathe - CUDDLES THE KILLER WHALE