Looking at the photo of Chi Chi in the gallery, got me to wondering, what other gems were kept in this part of the gardens. Was there wild dogs as well as deer kept there too?
The dogs were in the pens the eastern side, facing the outdoor aviaries of the Bird House. These were much smaller than the ungulate enclosures on the other side, which looked towards the old Lion House. I remember raccoon-like dogs, dingo (and I think singing dogs or hybrids) and in particular the bush dog, which was very old by the time I visited the zoo - I never saw it until one beautiful day when it was lying asleep in the sun, flat on its back. It was the only one in Europe apart from the group at Frankfurt and a couple in Berlin. I remember seeing Chi Chi asleep in her den in the southernmost of the larger paddocks; next door was an onager stallion, I think, and in the largest paddock a fine group of male blackbuck. The breeding herd of blackbuck was in the new Cotton Terraces beside the Canal. Alan
The dogs were administered (feeding and cleaning etc) by the Lion House staff, having a meat diet requirement. Not sure who looked after the hoofed stock on the other side, but it was a different section. Chi-Chi was definately 'Bears.' I guess the Blackbuck were spare males from their original large group.
The Deer & Cattle Sheds (to give the structure its proper name) was one of my favourite buildings in the zoo. As others have mentioned, the dogs were kept in the pens opposite the outdoor aviaries of the Bird House. These were originally deer enclosures and the dogs were moved here from the North Mammal House after the deer were transferred to the Cotton Terraces. In addition to the species “Gentle Lemur” mentions, I can recall a maned wolf, a bat-eared fox and crab-eating foxes housed here. (The New Guinea singing dogs were allegedly the first to be seen in Europe.) Over the years, I remember various different species kept on the other side of the building, the original cattle enclosures. In addition to cattle, I particularly remember the northern white rhinos ‘Ben’ and ‘Bebe ’in the enclosure later occupied by the giant panda ‘Ch-Chi’. (‘Ben’ was subsequently housed in the Elephant & Rhinoceros Pavilion before being sent to Dvur Kralove in 1986.) I also remember the black rhino ‘Lorna’ in the Cattle Sheds in the early 1960s. As discussed in another thread recently, Malayan tapirs were also kept in the ‘cattle’ side of this building and I can recall saiga antelope kept here too.
I don't know if Black rhino 'Lorna' was kept anywhere else in the Zoo at any time, but the Jarrold's postcard I have shows her in a low-concrete walled yard- was this in the Cattle sheds?- and a Grevy Zebra can be seen in the adjacent enclosure.
The black rhinoceros “Lorna” was originally kept in the old Antelope House (which is where I remember her from when I was a very small child); she was then moved to the old Deer & Cattle Sheds. She died in 1964 so didn’t live long enough to be moved to the Elephant & Rhinoceros Pavilion. The postcard of "Lorna" in the Jarrold Zoo Series is from the old Antelope House.
There were also jackals (black-backed ?), alopex possibly coyotes and definitely painted dogs . there was a racoon dog which went blind in one eye. The onager was very pally with Chi Chi , no honestly ! , and ansewered to the name of Charlie.There were also bison and maybe wisent along with ankole cattle in the sheds
Press reports at the time of their misfit 'friendship' referred to the Onager as (I think its was) 'Paul'. He did indeed appear to seek association with Chi-Chi- or her with him, possibly this derived from his/their singleton status.
I'm new to this game, so I'm picking up on lots of old threads. Phascogale September 2013, thanks for reminding me of the Ankole Cattle I'd completely forgotten about them.(I love their German name Watussi Rind.) I confirm that there were definitely European Bison as well as American. My memory is that there were both Dromedaries and Bactrians; don't remember the Blackbuck at all. I must have seen the Antelope House, but was too young to remember it. I believe I saw the same enclosure when for a short time it was an Australian Paddock, and on another occasion I believe it contained zebras. Have a very distant memory of a Maned Wolf in the D & C, and I believe a hyena, again too young to appreciate which species. These had presumably been transferred from the North Mammal House, where I remember seeing hyena & cheetah. I have a 1954 guide book which contains a colour print of the Antelope Paddock which on that occasion contained Eland, and what looks like Grant's Gazelle. The guide mentions that the Antelope House contains "rhino" and Grevy's, Burchell's and Mountain Zebra, these being temporary quarters pending rebuilding. There is also a reference to the Gazelle Sheds, of which have no recollection whatever. One of my favourite memories of a rarity is in the early 1960's of a Wolverine in a series of detached cages which were replaced by the Flamingo pool. Oh for a time machine - and don't start me on the Monkey House!
Yes, I also recall both European bison and American bison in the old Deer & Cattle Sheds; Cape buffalo and yaks were kept on the “cattle” side too. In addition to red deer, I definitely remember both reindeer and Pere David’s deer housed on the “deer” side. I agree that both Bactrian camels and Arabian camels were housed in the Deer & Cattle Sheds too; I also remember camels kept in the old Antelope House at one time. (Both the old Deer & Cattle Sheds and the old Antelope House were close to lawn where animal rides took place so these buildings were obviously convenient places to keep camels.) Whilst we’re reminiscing about London Zoo, does anybody remember seeing khur (Indian wild ass) in the collection? I know that I would have seen this form there when a very small child but, frustratingly, I have no recollection of it whatsoever (although I have vivid childhood memories of other animals around this time). I guess to a very young child they wouldn’t have looked much different to donkeys so wouldn’t generate the excitement of, say, hippos and rhinos.
