Southport Zoo Mandrills.

10-12-2007

So can you remember what the age/sex ratio of the other Mandrills that went to Clubbs place/Heythrop were?

I think they had four from Southport- would that be right?

By my reckoning Southport had 10 Mandrills when it closed- 5 went to Trootters, 4 went to Clubbs and 1 somehow ended up at the Welsh Sanctuary.

Would you agree with that total?

11-12-2007

Sorry matey

I cant really help you with that bit, I left a year or so before the zoo closed down. however have a look at
http://www.zoonews.ws/IZN/310/IZN-310.html#mand

This may give you a slightly better idea, It was written around 2001.
Also mentions a 1997 female which is more than likely 'Tofu', one of the females at Trotters.

I've tried to find out on isis but came to a dead end.

You mention in an earlier post about South lakes having foriegn blood. I looked back at it two of the ones sent there, grand parents originated from the UK, on isis it states that two came from Ravensden, from my knowledge Ravensden did a lot of animal dealings, including with Southport at some time. Unforunately We will never know where these mandrill came from as it stops at Ravensden. (but A UK collection cold be a strong possibility).

12-12-2007

That's ok, thanks for your recollections.

I've reread the article- it includes 'Israel' as a place Southport mandrills went. I think the South Lakes ones came from Jerusalem? I thought they were originally from Vienna but maybe they were also part southport-bred animals as well, exported, and then re-imported again.

I think Chester's current male came from Ravensden. The two females are a mother and daughter from Colchester so they are Southport/London line too.

Paignton's group don't seem to have any Southport-bred animals anymore. The previous breeding pair 'Kirk' and 'Millie' were a London & Southport pair but they're no longer represented in their existing group.

Southport Mandrills probably still form the largest proportion in the UK groups.

01-06-2008

Visited Trotters yesterday the Mandrill group now stands at an impressive 12 in total but i don`t know what the age and sex ratios are for the group.

01-06-2008

That's a good total- yet ISIS still shows them as only having 2.4....

I think its one male, four females(original 1.4 from Southport) and the others all born there.

09-07-2008

hi i found this web page by accident really, i was born and live in southport and used to visit southport zoo once a year up until my son was born in 2004 which was when it closed, did you used to work there? are you a southport resident? i am interested because my son is now 4 and loves going to chester zoo each summer and i think it would be great for southport zoo to reopen, i am aware of a large number of residents that feel the same way, do the council own it now? who do we need to put pressure on to start the ball rolling, many thanks

09-07-2008

I think it was a shame that Southport Zoo closed down, it was a pretty bad zoo, it should have scaled down the larger animals, and kept smaller species. I visited it about three times in the 90's, and i always felt really sorry for Cindy the lioness there. Did she always live alone, or did she have a mate at any time, and if so, where there any cubs? What ever happened to the snow leopards there as well, did they go to another home, or where they put down like poor Cindy was?

10-07-2008

i am sure there was a male lion there when i was a child, i dont know what happened to him. my mums born and bred in sothport and tells stories of the zoo owner taking the lion on a lead down lord street to put the takings in the bank! as for the snow leopards ive no idea what happened to them. i remember my dad having a very near miss with an ocealot, it was asleep in a tree in the enclosure up against the bars and my dad started stroking it, the speed in which it spun round was unreal and ive never seen my dad move so quick, i was crying with laughter at the time, served him right though

10-07-2008

There were 1.2 lions around 1990. The new enclosure had just been finished, and the two females were there, while the tiny, conrete old cage still held the male. Was the hand-reared animal possibly bred there and then reintroduced to the parents? God knows how in such a small cage.

11-07-2008

I'd love to try an renovate an old/closed zoo. It would be hard work, but great to do...

I went to Southport zoo, and will try and get some clips on the forum. I remember a HUGE male mandrill!

11-07-2008

That was probably the male 'Mica' who was imported from America. Do you have any photos of him to post?

Sadly I never visited Southport though I believe the Mandrill group(s) was one of the better exhibits.

11-07-2008

I think I have some video of him, I can post still photos from these

I'll have to find the video on a tape, and then upload it, so remind me to do it!

11-07-2008

Yes please upload the video and some pics.

11-07-2008

I can't do it at the moment, but I will do it before I go on holiday.

Can people please keep pestering me, or I'll forget!

11-07-2008

I'd have to disagree with you there. Southport Zoo was a nasty little place which deserved to be closed. Less than 2 acres, it managed to cram in lions, sealions, chimps, gibbons, mandrills, donkeys/llamas etc, leopards, lemurs, ocelots,owls, and many more. Few of the enclosures were adequate and none was good. The mandrills had a standard pair of small wire-mesh enclosures with a concrete floor and small indoor house.
They were crowded in because they bred so well. The zoo occupied a small site right next to the funfair with rides crashing past many of the animals all day. The owners were closed down by the council and moved on but I don't know how they fared elsewhere.

Southport Zoo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You're not too far from Chester which is a million times better than Southport zoo.