An individual zoo animal is often termed ‘iconic’ when it becomes synonymous with a certain collection. An animal may gain this status due to it being known for its distinct character, longevity, likeability, striking appearance, size, impressiveness, popularity, importance, rarity, or notoriety… or a combination of all those things and more. These individuals are usually large mammals and nearly all have been given a name. The purpose of this thread, or possibly series of threads, is to provide a space to collate and document the history, facts, and people’s memories of these animals to help us see why they may be considered iconic of their respective zoo. One rule… They must have been alive in the 21st century. Even if they’ve lived most of their life in the 20th century and only lived a day into the year 2000, they still count for this thread. It does not matter whether they are currently living or dead. I have come up with this rule because most zoos will have collected a large number of iconic animals in the time that they have been open, so I have used the ‘century rule’ to try to split them. As per the title, this particular thread is only for iconic animals of Dudley Zoo who were/are alive in the 21st century. Separate threads, titled ‘21st Century Animal Icons’ or ‘20th Century Animal Icons’, can be made for each zoo. Remember that iconic animals won’t always be considered iconic by everyone, but that’s ok as it can often be a personal thing where an animal is iconic to you when you think of a particular place for whatever reason. 21st Century Animal Icons: Dudley Zoological Gardens Orry Male Patagonian sea lion. Orry was born at Curraghs Wildlife Park, Isle of Man, on 8th July 1992. So how did he end up at Dudley? I always presumed he just came to Dudley straight from the Isle of Man simply when he was old enough, however it’s a lot more complicated and political than you or I might first have thought. Orry’s early life was actually more like a story from a Hollywood film: he was born into a difficult situation, became loved by the locals, but his best interests were neglected by those in power. He was sold to an animal dealer (Ravensden?) who then re-sold him, aged ~ 20 months, to a travelling circus in Belgium/France called ‘Requins Vivants’ (live sharks) and he ended up in a very dire situation with a very bleak future. He then became the centre of an international campaign by animal welfare organisations and individuals who cared for him to bring him back to the UK. You need to read this fascinating copy of the Report of Proceedings of House of Keys Isle of Man, dated 26th April 1994, in order to understand the details of the desperate situation surrounding Orry’s early years. Start at the heading ‘MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY — MOTION OF NO CONFIDENCE — DEBATE COMMENCED’ page K379 and read on. It’s an incredible time capsule into Orry’s turbulent start to life, but be warned, it is a very long document, so you may need a spare few hours to read and re-read it to fully understand it all. Here are some links to pictures of Orry which help piece together his early life: - In circus lorry, 7th April 1994. - In circus lorry, 8th April 1994. - With circus owner Tony Coutance, 8th April 1994. - Requins Vivants circus, 8th April 1994. - Sea lion set up at circus (scroll down to 5th image). Note circus lorry interior from above links. - With a customs official in Dover, 9th May 1994. - With Malcolm Walkden, 9th May 1994. - With Malcolm Walkden, 9th May 1994. - At an RSPCA hospital in Norfolk, 10th May 1994. - At Dudley Zoological Gardens, 5th August 1994. I’ve read that Orry was at Dudley Zoo on 4th August 1994 aged 2, but I’m not sure if this is the exact date he arrived at Dudley. Orry was an impressive animal and a true heavyweight, tipping the scales at 405kg/64st/893lbs during the colder winter months. He was particularly recognisable due to his protruding lower right canine and could often be heard giving visitors a loud roar. Here is a video of him being weighed at Dudley Zoo in January 2014. During the sea lion talks, Orry would regularly be fed up on one of the high platforms that jutted out over the pool. After the talk was over, instead of making his way back down the ramp, he’d then dive headfirst into the water below. Seeing an animal of Orry’s size briefly in mid-air, as he leapt so gracefully off the platform, was always an incredible sight. Orry lived with several different females while at Dudley but never produced any offspring. He died at Dudley Zoo on 30th July 2014, aged 22, from bronchopneumonia. There was a subsequent outpouring of condolences from the general public and some even laid flowers next to his pool. It seems that Orry was loved by the people of the Isle of Man, loved by his rescuers, and loved at Dudley. Bart Male Geoffroy’s cat. Bart was born in 1994 (don't know where) and was quite a character. His unassuming little cage, with low planting, wooden walkways, and ivy-covered stone walls was situated between the red pandas and the lynx dens. When in this part of the zoo, most visitors would walk straight past this silent, apparently empty, little cage. But, if there was nobody else around, you were quiet, patient, and a little bit lucky, you’d eventually be rewarded by his sudden appearance in the doorway of his den. He’d have a quick look around then… sometimes a careful confident walk, other times a hurried trot, silently make his way around his enclosure right in front of you, before quickly going inside again. Whilst researching Bart, I was surprised to discover he was once paired with a female called Sylvina, who arrived at Dudley aged 10 from Colchester Zoo in 2005. Bart and Sylvina even produced a kitten in 2006/7. However, I can’t find any record of what happened to this kitten or what happened to Sylvina. I have also seen a record in an annual review booklet of a Geoffroy’s cat dying at Dudley in 2003/4, which would have been before Sylvina arrived. On the morning of 17th October 2016, Bart was put to sleep after a deterioration in his health in the days prior. He was 22 years old and had been at the zoo for 17 years. Before his death Bart was known to have been the oldest of his species alive in Europe, maybe even the world, furthermore to that he became the captive lifespan record holder for his species! After his death, Bart’s cage was demolished to make way for a large extension to the Carpathian lynx indoor areas. Inca Female Asiatic black bear. Inca was born on 29th March 1980 to Winnie (f) x ??? (m) at Muncaster Castle, Cumbria. Inca arrived at DZG in 1990 from the Bird Garden at Muncaster Castle, which was being transformed into the World Owl Centre, with her mother Winnie (b. wild 1975) and older sister Gretel (b. 1979). At Dudley they joined Uggy Babe (female, b. 07/01/1975), Wellington (female, b. 1977) and Spartan (male, b. 10/12/1978). I’m not sure if they were all housed together. 10th May 1996; Uggy Babe died. On 14th July 1997 Inca and her sister Gretel were donated to Glasgow Zoo after not getting along with the other female bears at Dudley. 2nd December 2000; Spartan died. 17th April 2002; Winnie died. * 17th April 2002; Wellington died. * (*both P.T.S on same day due to rapidly deteriorating health. Winnie had become blind and had severe arthritis. Wellington’s condition worsened so much over a 2-week period that it was thought that she’d had a stroke). On 16th October 2003 Inca and Gretel, then aged 23 and 24 respectively, returned to Dudley after Glasgow Zoo closed the same year. Inca and Gretel continued to live together harmoniously, in the ‘right-hand Tecton’ of the triple Tecton complex, up until Gretel’s death in 2008, aged 29. So, after Gretel’s death, the aging Inca was now living alone in the ‘right-hand Tecton’. The thing about the ‘right-hand Tecton’ is that it is very steep and very rocky - perfect for a young bear but not at all ideal for one that was starting to get old and slightly arthritic. Therefore, in 2011 the zoo made the excellent decision to move 31-year-old Inca into the ex-polar bear Tecton just next door, which had been empty since the zoo’s last polar bears, Mosa and Pipaluk, left Dudley in 1989. The ex-polar bear Tecton is a much more sheltered area and the terrain much easier/safer for Inca to navigate. Even so, the enclosure was modified by covering the ground, and filling in the pool, with a deep layer of wood chippings to create shallower gradients and a softer surface. Low climbing platforms were installed as well as a heated outdoor shelter. Inca died on 21st March 2019 at Dudley Zoo, aged 38. Probably one of the most iconic animals ever at Dudley if not the most loved. When she died, she was the oldest of her species in Europe, maybe even the world, and had been for many years. After a male Asiatic black bear called Dennis (b. 29/03/ 1988) died at Heythrop in September 2016, Inca was for a few years the only example of her species in the UK. Even when Dennis was alive at Heythrop (private animal training centre), he’d only be on show to the public during a few open days in September. Inca outlived the typical life expectancy of her species by well over a decade and would astound keepers and vets year-after-year as she would sail through her annual health checks. Despite her age she was in very good condition right up to her death and, apart from walking stiffly in her later years, you’d be hard pressed to tell how old she really was by looking at her. A beautiful animal, her fur was always in excellent condition and, if you were lucky enough to see her awake, she’d always look very bright eyed and alert while she’d sniff the air and steadily forage around her enclosure. Most of the time she would be seen curled up in the sunshine in her raised shelter or in a hollow she’d dug in the woodchip. Missed by many people, she’s left a huge void in people’s visits since she died. The zoo even placed a permanent memorial sign next to her enclosure – as far as I know Inca is the only animal at Dudley, apart from Pepe, that this has been done for. Here is a video from 2010 of Inca in the ‘right-hand Tecton’ enclosure of the triple Tecton complex. Here is a video from 2015 of Inca in the repurposed ex-polar bear Tecton enclosure. Nick Male babirusa. Nick (short for Nicholas) was born in December 1996. He arrived at Dudley Zoo in 2004/5 from Howletts, after another male babirusa, called Maurice, left DZG to return to Marwell Zoo in 2004, where he was born. Nick joined a female babirusa called Tessa, who died in 2009/10. Nick also shared his enclosure with a female babirusa called ‘Tiny Pig’ who arrived at Dudley in Summer 2010 from Twycross Zoo. I know ‘Tiny Pig’ was at Dudley in 2011 aged 19, but I’m not sure exactly when she died. I don’t know if Nick ever lived with any other female babirusa or if he ever fathered any offspring. Nick died on 25th August 2015, aged 18, after a short illness. At the time of his death Nick was apparently the oldest of his species in the world! His enclosure was pretty difficult to view thanks to all the foliage between you and the fence, but I remember always getting glimpses of Nick, with his nose to the floor, slowly wandering around his grassy enclosure, as well as his very impressive set of tusks. Flossie Female African Elephant. Born: ~ 1967 (in wild ?South Africa). Arrived at Flamingo Land, UK, in 1967 after her mother had been killed in a cull. Arrived at Dudley Zoo in 1976 as an 8-year-old (I’ve seen some sources say 1972). Had arthritis in one of her back legs. Which was noticeable when she walked as that leg would lag behind slightly with each step. Left Dudley Zoo for Planete Sauvage, France, on 09/04/2003. Died: ??/03/2004 (Planete Sauvage, France) Flora Female African Elephant. Born: ~ 1988 (wild born) Was in the Chipperfield’s Circus, where she had been badly beaten and abused. Spent a short time at Twycross in 1996/1997 (this may have been while court proceedings were taking place. Not sure if she went back to circus before joining Dudley). Confiscated from circus and arrived at Dudley Zoo in January 1998, in very poor condition. A ward of court, she faced a long legal battle which resulted in Dudley Zoo formally adopting her rather than her being exported to a Spanish circus. Nursed back to health and eventually left Dudley Zoo for Planete Sauvage, France, on 09/04/2003. Flora was often seen playing with a large tractor tyre in her enclosure at Dudley. In 1999, while at Dudley, Flora managed to escape her enclosure. It was suspected she had used a log, along with her climbing skills from her days in the circus, to help her get over the barrier. No harm was done, and keepers managed to return her to her enclosure fairly quickly. In 1998 the zoo announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art enclosure on site for Flossie and Flora, which was predicted to cost £300,000 - £400,000. The zoo sold land adjacent to Dudley College, to provide the first injection of funds, for £250,000. Plans were drawn up by zoo staff and planning permission was granted. However, once the plans were altered by architects in order to meet various visual prerequisites of the multiple protected buildings on site, this increased the estimated cost up to nearly £500,000. The scenario worsened after 3 experienced zookeepers were killed by elephants over a period of 18 months at Chester zoo, Howletts, and London zoo. This led to a major review of elephant husbandry and subsequent new regulations were imposed which recommended an increase in staff plus a separate holding area for veterinary care be included in all elephant enclosures. This would have pushed the cost up even further to an unreachable £800,000. So, in January 2002 the zoo made the decision that there was no other option but to find a new home for Flossie and Flora at another collection. The zoo made it their priority that the elephants were only to go to a suitable site where they would receive the highest care. They also wanted the two elephants to stay together – many places offered to take Flora but refused to take Flossie. After much research and visits to sites across the UK and mainland Europe it was eventually decided that Planete Sauvage in Nantes, South-West France, would be the best place for the two elephants. Flossie and Flora (then aged 35 and 15 respectively) left the zoo on Wednesday 9th April 2003 and were accompanied on the journey by three senior keepers, one vet, the Chief Executive, and a French interpreter. They travelled in a purpose-built lorry, on loan from Woburn, to Poole on the South coast. They then travelled across the English Channel by ferry to Cherbourg and then continued across land to Planete Sauvage. The elephants joined a 6 strong herd, made up of an 18 y/o male, a baby, and females ranging from 16 to 28 y/o, in a 15-acre enclosure with a lake and modern accommodation. Two keepers from Dudley Zoo remained with Flossie and Flora for two weeks to help them settle in. Pepe Male chimpanzee. Pepe was born in 1960 and arrived at Dudley Zoo in 1961, aged 18 months. As a youngster he was used in many promotional and photographic activities. Pepe lived in one third of Dudley's Ape House along with three females. One of the females died (either Bella or Cindy), so latterly it was a trio made up of Pepe and two females called Cherry and Bella/Cindy. Cherry bred with Pepe to produce a female called Koko. Koko was born at Dudley and was later sent to London Zoo. I’ve also read that Pepe has offspring at Twycross, but I don’t know how that could be true so have dismissed it for now. A big playful character, Pepe was a firm favourite with keepers and visitors. Whilst in the old Ape House Pepe broke the glass window of the indoor viewing area on more than one occasion by kicking at it – after the glass company had assured the zoo that it was unbreakable! In 1999, he was moved into Dudley’s new purpose-built chimp enclosure along with 9 new females from London Zoo. The two old Dudley females moved to London (where Cherry was reunited with her daughter Koko). Pepe was 39 at the time of the move and had no experience of a complex social group. Pepe changed from a lively dominant animal to one that was quiet and intimidated by this large new tight-knit group of females, in an enclosure 20 times the size of the one he had spent most of his life in (I don’t know if he was ever let into the outside enclosure, as these days the fence would be deemed too weak to contain males). He never was able to dominate the new group or breed. Pepe died on 14th May 2005, aged 45. It is thought that the 7* female Chimps may have played a part in his death. (*Two of the nine females, called Tupelo and Maisha, left Dudley in Spring 2005 for Flamingo Land. I believe they left before Pepe’s death). Since Pepe’s death no other male chimps have joined Dudley, and the group of 7 females remain there to this day. A small plaque in memory of Pepe can be found in the chimpanzee viewing area. Gir Female Asiatic lion. Born in 1994 at Helsinki Zoo to Leslie (f) x Vanaraj (m). Arrived at Dudley in ??? Gave birth to a single cub (x Max) in 1998: - Sam (m). The first Asiatic lion ever to be born at Dudley Zoo. Hand reared, after being rejected by his mother at birth, and raised alongside a Japanese Akita puppy (called Koneka/ Konecko aka ‘Connie’). Went to Parken Zoo, Sweden, aged 12-18 months. Fell severely ill from meningitis (possibly caused by a spinal cord abscess) and had to be PTS in May 2002, aged 4. Gave birth to twins (x Max) on 9th May 1999: - Kia (aka Kai or Kaya) (m). Moved to Parken Zoo, Sweden, in Spring 2003, aged 3, to replace Sam. - Keera (f) – Moved to Nuremberg Zoo (2001/2). Gave birth to triplets (x Max) on 6th July 2003: - Morbi (m). Sadly, Gir attacked and killed Morbi shortly after all three cubs were inoculated, sexed, and microchipped as part of their routine 10-12-week check-up. - Jetpur (m). Went to Mulhouse Zoo, France, on 16th June 2005 aged 2. He returned to Dudley 10 years later in 2015. - Jasdan (f). Went to Rotterdam Zoo, Netherlands, in 2005 aged 2. She was housed with a male from Paignton zoo. In 2009 a new one-acre lion enclosure was constructed around the Bird House Tecton. Gir moved into the new enclosure in April 2009 and was successfully introduced to a 19-month-old new male called Itar (born September 2007, Planckendael). Itar arrived at Dudley in April 2009, from Planckandael, to replace Gir’s previous mate Max who died in late 2008. In November 2009 Gir was retired to Cotswold’s Wildlife Park due to being post-reproductive. On 17/11/09 two females, called Asha and Kyra, were moved to Dudley from Twycross as new mates for Itar. In July 2013, Itar was moved to Zoo Santo Inácio, Portugal, as Kyra and Asha were dominant over him as well as being too closely related to him (first cousins). In July 2013 Kyra and Asha were joined by a male called Mwamba from Paignton Zoo. Mwamba passed away on 16th March 2014, aged 11, after contracting pneumonia. In October 2015, Dudley welcomed a new male lion to the zoo; Jetpur – Gir’s son from the 2003 litter. Jetpur passed away in his sleep in January 2018, aged 14. The post-mortem revealed he died from cancer. At the time of writing, DZG’s two female lions, Kyra and Asha, remain without a male and no lion cubs have been born at Dudley since Gir gave birth to triplets in 2003. Gir died at Cotswold’s Wildlife Park in October 2011, aged 17. Max Male Asiatic lion. I’m afraid I don’t know exactly when Max was born (~1993?) or where, or even when he arrived at Dudley. However, I remember Max being there right from when I first started visiting the zoo and he quickly became a favourite. Max was a large, impressive lion. He was very vocal, and his huge frequent roars would boom around the hilly site and cause young me to go running towards his enclosure to see him. He was the father to all of Gir’s offspring at Dudley. I think Gir was Max’s only mate as I don’t remember any other female lions being at Dudley, although I may be wrong. Max died in his sleep after a short illness in late 2008, aged 15. He featured in an award-winning television series on Channel 4 called Inside Nature’s Giants (S2 Ep3), where he was dissected by veterinary experts at the Royal Veterinary College, London. Following the post-mortem, Max’s skeleton was transferred to Edinburgh University. Filon Male Sumatran tiger. I don't know for sure the exact year he was born, but I have read that he was born at Warsaw Zoo. I don’t have any info of when Filon arrived at Dudley either, apart from the fact his first cubs were born at Dudley in the year 2000. He went on to sire 8 cubs with Sarah at Dudley. Filon died in early 2008 aged 18 (so born in 1989/90?). Personally I don’t remember ever seeing much of Filon, but I consider him to be an iconic animal of Dudley Zoo purely because of the formidable pairing of him and Sarah that ended up producing 8 cubs in just 5 years, many of which have gone on to successfully produce cubs of their own at multiple other collections. Sarah Female Sumatran tiger. She was born on 25/11/1993 at Berlin Tierpark, Germany, to Morris (m) x Dwara (f). She arrived at Dudley on ??? Gave birth to twins (x Filon), on 17th April 2000: - Rokan (m). Went to Fuengirola Zoo. - Dumai (f). Went to Stuttgart Zoo. Rokan and Dumai were the first Sumatran tigers ever to be born at DZG. Gave birth to triplets (x Filon), on 7th September 2002: - Banda (f). Went to Paignton Zoo (2003/4). - Jambi (m). Went to Tierpark Berlin (2003). - Padang (m). Went to South Lakes (2003). Gave birth to triplets (x Filon), on 20th May 2005: - Pendekar (m). Went to Lisbon Zoo. - Indah (f). Went to Howletts WAP. - Kepala (m). Went to Chester Zoo. The 8 cubs produced by Sarah and Filon between 2000 – 2005 increased the world population of Sumatran tigers at the time by 2%. Post 2005, down in the capital, London Zoo had a pair of Sumatran tigers called Raika (f, b.26/05/1995, Morris X Dwara, Berlin Tierpark) and Lumpur (m, b. 18/08/1997, Opak X Meuda, Amneville), who were both genetically important animals, but had never bred. Dudley had Sarah and Filon who were a very successful breeding pair, but their success meant they had now become genetically unimportant. Therefore, in Summer/Autumn 2007, after her last litter had left, 13-year-old Sarah was swapped with her 12-year-old younger sister Raika from London Zoo. Apparently Filon was still alive when Raika came to Dudley but he died while she was there. I don’t know if Filon and Raika were ever introduced to each other or if there was any intention for them to breed. The exchange of Sarah and Raika was a bit of a disaster. Sarah and London’s male Lumpur didn’t get along and Lumpur ended up causing a small wound to one of Sarah’s hind legs. After 8 months, Sarah and Lumpur were finally separated for good, and Sarah was moved into a secondary outdoor area normally used by London’s lions. So, in 2008, roughly a year after the initial move, Sarah moved back up to Dudley and Raika went back to London. In September 2012 both Raika and Lumpur, who were at London for around 15 years and having never bred, left London Zoo for good to live at Wildlife Heritage Foundation (WHF). London blamed their lack of success, including the failed pairing with Sarah, on the size of their 30-year-old tiger enclosure (which was actually bigger than Dudley’s) so subsequently launched a public appeal to help raise £5million to build a brand new one – Tiger Territory. Sarah was P.T.S. in Nov/Dec 2010 aged ~15, at Dudley, after her health deteriorated and she was no longer eating properly. The post-mortem revealed she’d had cancer. After Sarah died, Dudley welcomed Makari (hybrid Amur, male, b. April 2006 – d. Nov 2011) from WHF in February 2011. Makari then swapped places with Tamair (hybrid Amur, male, b. 07/11/97 – d. April 2017), also from WHF, in April 2011. Tamair returned to WHF in December 2011. Daseep Female Sumatran tiger. Born on 10th September 2010, at Frankfurt Zoo, to Malea (f) x Iban (m). She has been ranked as the world’s 2nd most important captive female in the Sumatran tiger gene pool. Daseep arrived at Dudley Zoo on 15th February 2012 from Wuppertal Zoo, Germany, aged 17 months, along with an 18-month-old female Amur tiger, called Tschuna. Daseep and Tschuna had been hand reared together at Wuppertal Zoo after both were rejected by their mothers. The plan was that in time Tschuna would leave Dudley and Daseep would stay to eventually be joined by a male Sumatran tiger. Tschuna left Dudley Zoo in early November 2013 for Yorkshire Wildlife Park and has since gone on to have cubs. Daseep and Tschuna are both very striking examples of their respective sub-species. While they were together at Dudley it was fascinating to witness their comparison side by side: the larger size and lighter coat of the Amur verses the smaller size and darker coat of the Sumatran. As was planned, Daseep was joined by male Sumatran tiger, called Joao (b. 28th March 2012, Krefeld Zoo, to Sutera and Beludra), who arrived at Dudley Zoo on 14th November 2013 from Krefeld Zoo, Germany. Daseep and Joao are still paired together to this day but are yet to produce any cubs. When Joao first arrived at Dudley there was some concern that there may be issues with breeding due to the fact Daseep is somewhat humanised due to being hand reared and had never seen or learnt from an adult tiger. However, Daseep and Joao have always got along well, and I don’t think there have been any problems with mating; I’ve personally witnessed them mating on several visits. The zoo has never confirmed that Daseep has ever been pregnant, but who knows, she may have already given birth to a litter or two that did not survive. I’ve also read on Zoochat that another one of the issues with hand reared females is that they tend to reject any cubs at birth. Time will tell. Azimat Female Bornean orangutan. Wild-born ~1968. Arrived at Blackpool Zoo on 6th July 1972 (the same day the zoo first opened). Moved to Bristol in 1977 (not sure why). Moved back to Blackpool. Went to London Zoo in 1985 and 198? for mating from which she produced a daughter on each occasion; Victoria (f, x Dodo, b. 17th June 1984 at Blackpool Zoo; hand-reared, known for having chronic sinusitis and air sacculitis) and then Hayley (f). Moved back to Blackpool (I’m not sure how long she stayed in London on each occasion). Arrived at Dudley Zoo in 1990 from Blackpool Zoo Gave birth to Jazz (x Joe) at Dudley Zoo on 11th November 1991. Died: January 2012 at Dudley Zoo, aged ~ 44. I personally have no memory of ever seeing Azimat, but of course many people will, and due to her longevity and the fact she played a big part in starting a new line of pure Bornean orangs at Dudley Zoo, Azimat deserves a place as a Dudley Zoo icon. Benji A.k.a. Benjamin. Male Bornean orangutan. Born: 6th November 1977, at Duisburg Zoo, Germany. I don’t know if he was hand reared or not, but it seems highly likely. Transferred to Wuppertal Zoo on 7th November 1977 (or possibly 1978). Transferred to Dublin Zoo on 18th May 1994. Transferred to Dudley Zoo on 2nd February 1996, where he remains to this day. Benji has been paired with female/s at Dudley Zoo in the past but never fathered any offspring. This led to the zoo accepting another male orang, called Jorong, who has since fathered a female called Sprout. Benji has since lived by himself, as he seems to prefer, for a number of years. He lives in one end of the 1960s ape house. His outdoor area is considered to be the worst in the UK, and one of the worst in Europe. However, he has decent modern indoor accommodation and is well looked after with plenty of enrichment. Benji is particularly fond of his red plastic bread crate which he carries around with him. He can often be seen sitting right in front of the public window of his indoor area, where he can observe the public more closely. He is known to show interest in visitor’s jewellery, watches, and tattoos. If you happen to approach his window when he is over on the other side of the house, he will quickly do a series of impressive and elaborate swings to get across the house in order to sit in front of you. I once overheard a keeper’s talk where they spoke about Benji preferring the female orang keepers and wanting nothing to do with the male keepers, especially if they also happen to have red hair! Apparently, he’s also not at all fond of male visitors who go behind the scenes on the zoo’s orangutan experiences; keepers sometimes have to disguise men by giving them a wig! Benji seems quite particular about his enclosure and resentful of change. Whenever the zoo tries to spruce up his outdoor area, for example by laying down turf, he’ll just rip it up and throw it in the moat. I also overheard that once upon a time the zoo decided to put gibbons in his enclosure to keep him company, but apparently he got hold of one of them and tried to drown it in the moat! So, as you can see, he’s a bit of an old character. Jazz Female Bornean orangutan. She was born on 11th November 1991 at Dudley Zoo and is the daughter of Azimat (x Joe). Jazz gave birth to Sprout (f) (x Jorong) on 30th March 2011. Jazz has lived at Dudley in the 1960s ape house all her life. Possible future 21st century icons: Sprout (orang), Jorong (orang), Oba (sea lion), Joao (tiger), Ebano (Gelada). Please add any further info, detail (e.g. dates, places of birth etc.), memories, or updates you have regarding any of the individuals listed above. Also, feel free to add any more individuals from Dudley, not listed above, who you think are also an iconic 21st century animal and write a bit about them such as info, history, stories, memories etc. This could be an individual from someone’s list of future icons if you think they are already an iconic animal. You could even start a separate ‘21st century animal icons’ or ‘20th Century Animal Icons’ thread for another zoo if you wish. If you don’t agree with someone’s choice then don’t worry about it, it is a personal view and not everyone will share the same views on which animals are iconic. Finally, I’ve tried to get the information above as accurate as possible, but I can’t guarantee it is all 100% correct so if you see any mistakes (there could be many) then please feel free to reply with any corrections.
The chimpanzee of the original four, that died, was Cindy. I believe Benjamin was handreared, hence his failure to breed and his preference for female keepers rather than other orangutans. From his appearance I personally believe he may be a hybrid rather than pure Bornean (Duisburg did keep both species at one time and accidents do happen as orangs can mate through mesh) but only a dna test would prove whether my theory is correct or not. Bukhama/Bonzo the male gorilla is one missing from this list, at least for older readers...but I'm guessing his death date excludes him.
Bloody good work there @Benosaurus, I'm suitably impressed. I have fond memories of some of those residents obviously, especially Inca and lots of visits to (not) see Bart. The elephant girls were always a joy to see and never seemed to suffer, well at least to my adolescent eyes, even though the enclosure was a bit crap, and that's being kind.
Now that's a tricky one... - Spartan was born at Dudley in 1978. - Dennis was born at Dudley in 1988 to Spartan and Wellington. - Dennis was then sent to Heythrop. - In 1990, female Winnie (b. wild 1975) came to Dudley from Muncaster with Inca (b.1980). - Spartan died at Dudley in 2000. Dudley Zoological Gardens in 2017 [Dudley Zoological Gardens] So, Dennis' mother was Wellington and Inca's mother was Winnie. Therefore the only way for Dennis and Inca to be siblings was if they were half siblings who shared a father. I do not know who Inca's father was, but Dennis' father was Spartan. It looks like Spartan spent all his life at Dudley, but if Spartan was Inca's father he would have at some point had to have gone up to Muncaster to mate with Winnie, which may or may not have happened, we don't know. Or maybe it could be that Winnie was at Dudley at some point pre-1990? But that being said, would it even be possible for Spartan to be Inca's father when he is only two years older than her?
Interesting - it is, of course, possible that I was either misinformed entirely or misrecall the level of relationship; looking at the post you link, I wonder whether "Old Man" remained at Knaresborough after his return or perhaps went elsewhere subsequently, as there's just enough time for him to have been Inca's sire had he moved to Muncaster... which would make her the half-aunt of Dennis.
I had an unforgettable encounter with one of the Elephants in the summer of 1998. It was in the house and for about 10 minutes I was able to observe one of them up close who gave me her undivided attention even extending their trunk to touch me. After what seemed to be wonderful bonding session said elephant delicately picked a sizeable splinter of wood, extended her trunk and fired the wood straight at my head. Slowly recognising what she was doing I just about ducked out of the way in time and the wood hit and cracked pane of glass behind us. I took that as my cue to leave. Glad I didn’t get hit but glad for the experience.
UPDATE - Flora (female African elephant) Flora died on 19th February 2022, aged 34, at Planete Sauvage, France, after suffering a fractured leg (cause unknown). Her death means that all the elephants to have lived at DZ over the years have now passed away.
UPDATE - Jazz (female Bornean orangutan) After the sad death of Jorong, the zoo's breeding adult male, on July 15th 2020, and Jazz's daughter Sprout now becoming more mature and independent, on October 7th 2021 an adult male Bornean orangutan called Djimat arrived at Dudley Zoo from Aalborg Zoo in Denmark to become the zoo's new breeding male. In around May of 2022, Jazz, along with the other orangs at Dudley, was able to move into the zoo's brand new outdoor orangutan enclosure; a space significantly better than the very poor orangutan outdoor areas she had known all her life and an enormous boost to her welfare. On June 25th 2022, Jazz gave birth to a male Bornean orang who was subsequently named Jim by keepers.
Very interesting @Benosaurus, I love history of individual animals especially rarer ones. Even though I never have been to Dudley, I was of aware of Inca, due to the rareness of Asiatic blacks in the U.K.
