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Knaresborough Zoo

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Knaresboroughhadazoo, 11 Oct 2019.

  1. Knaresboroughhadazoo

    Knaresboroughhadazoo New Member

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    Hi, I’m a new user to this forum and very interested in the history of Knaresborough Zoo.
    So far the only information I have accessed is what is written/sourced on the Wikipedia article and local accounts from Knaresborough Facebook groups. Would love to hear more.
     
  2. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Hello Knaresboroughhadazoo

    There was a programme about the zoo on the 'Animal Squad' series. You should be able to get access via: In 6th of 6 Sid JENKINS supervises closure of Knaresborough Zoo,... Stock Footage Video - Getty Images.

    Sid Jenkins also wrote a book called 'Animal Squad' and this has a chapter about the zoo (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Animal-Squad-Sid-Jenkins/dp/0563205210).

    Anthony Smith's 'Animals on View' says:
    Conyngham, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire (5 km from Harrogate station)
    Open: 10.00-dusk
    2 acres
    Facilities: Kiosk and gift shop.
    "It seems odd that this small Yorkshire town should have the largest snake in captivity in the world, but its reticulated python (originally caught in Malaysia) is over 27 feet long and so holds the (Guinness) record. The small zoo, which was opened in 1965 by a former circus-man, has a general collection and animal 'shows' are a feature.'

    There is a video here: and you may find this interesting: Phil Robinsons Yorkshire walkabouts..

    I hope this helps.
     
  3. Tim Brown

    Tim Brown Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Further references to this zoo can be found in Geoffrey Schomberg`s essential "Penguin Guide To British Zoos". Opened in 1965 ,by one Ed Milborrow by 1970 the zoo was owned by Associated Pleasure Parks headquartered at Flamingo Park(Flamingo Land as it is now). By the mid-eighties ,when i visited,the famous Nick Nyoka(now deceased) was the owner and i had a brief chat with him which wasnt very uplifting zoologically. It was a shoddy,dirty, place but with an excellent location that really could have amounted to something in the right hands. Another reference is in the book "Wildlife 74-6",although "Zoos,Bird Gardens &Animal Collections 1970" doesnt mention it at all. And why Getty Images should own the rights to an old BBC documentary is beyond me.What do we pay a license for? To have these people sell us back what we funded in the first place?
     
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  4. Tim May

    Tim May Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    I never visited Knaresborough Zoo but I recall seeing Nick Nyoka at Sandown Zoo, on the Isle of Wight, in 1969. He had a lion named "Simba" which he claimed was the largest lion in the world.
     
  5. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    There's a photo of him feeding the lion a bottle of milk- its in one of the earlier Guiness Books of Records.
     
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  6. Tim May

    Tim May Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Thank you. I have a postcard depicting Nyoka feeding the lion a bottle of milk but was unaware a similar picture featured in "Guiness Book of Records".
     
  7. Andrew Swales

    Andrew Swales Well-Known Member

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    I remember the media coverage surrounding its closure. Some animals were moved to Twycross, I think. Suffolk Wildlife Park had Dingoes, the last female of which was still there when David Armitage took over the animal collection following Suffolk's purchase by Banham. I am pretty sure a Knaresborough Tiger went to Linton...
     
  8. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I saw him
    I saw him and the lion at Colchester Zoo. There is a story that he was banned from the IOW Zoo when Simba ate the owner's small dog.
     
  9. Jennings

    Jennings Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Getty Images slap their watermark over everything. A quick Google image search will reveal many very famous and widely published photos (such as certain shots from the Vietnam War) with 'Getty' plastered all over them. They're shameless.
     
  10. Zoonut

    Zoonut Active Member

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  11. Zoonut

    Zoonut Active Member

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    It wasn't a tiger that went to Linton it was a black leopard, Shepreth wildlife park did a fundraiser to build an enclosure. They where not given planning permission, so handed funds over to Linton to help towards costs.
     
  12. TNT

    TNT Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Is it possible that this black leopard is a relation to Exmoors male? I believe he (or maybe the female) came from Linton?
     
  13. Zoonut

    Zoonut Active Member

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    That I don't know I just know originally bound for Shepreth, but ended up at Linton. Sorry I cannot be more helpful
     
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  14. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Sid Jenkins mentioned the closure of Knaresborough Zoo in two books: ‘Animal Squad’ (1986) and ‘Animals have more sense’ (1987). I have included information from ‘Animal Squad’; the chapter in ‘Animals have more sense’ is basically a condensed version. I hope this account makes sense.


    When Sid Jenkins visited the zoo in @ 1977, the zoo was a ramshackle place, unsafe for the people and the captive animals. The new co-owners, Nick and Barbara Nyoka, tried very hard to make improvements, but these did not meet the requirements of the new Zoo Licensing Act.

    In December 1984, Inspectors of the Secretary of State for the Environment recommended that the Zoo would be refused a licence. They did not believe that the zoo’s owners had enough financial backing or managerial expertise to bring the zoo up to an acceptable standard of modern zoo management. In March 1985, the RSPCA’s Chief Wildlife Officer gave evidence against the zoo at a public meeting at Harrogate District Council. The licence was refused. Nick and Barbara Nyoka, co-owners of Knaresborough Zoo, appealed against the decision at Ripon Magistrates’ Court from 18-21 November 1985. The Chief Wildlife Officer and other expert witnesses gave evidence against the zoo. The court heard of an escaped tiger, which was shot by police and of insecure locks, fencing of inadequate height and enclosures that were too small for the animals. The zoo records were inadequate; some animals had ‘disappeared’ over the years. ‘Dandy’, a monkey became ill, but was denied veterinary medicine and died 10 days later. The appeal was rejected and the owners were given 6 months notice to dispose of the animals and close the doors. Nick Nyoka said, “There’s only one thing for it, they’ll have to be put down and I hope to God I’m not there, because you might as well put me down at the same time.”

    Sid Jenkins was a local inspector. He knew the zoo and its animals very well and recognised each by name; he was acquainted with their habits. He didn’t want them to be put down. He was especially fond of the big cats. He told the Nyokas he would help them.

    In its heyday, over 40,000 people visited the zoo each summer. In the early 1980s, attendance figures fell and debts rose. Barbara Nyoka wanted to phase out the larger animals, change the emphasis to that of a Children’s Zoo and look for other attractions to draw visitors. Nick continued to devote his energies to build up his reptile collection; he was a leading expert in the field. He walked with a limp, which may have been due to a wrestling match with a lion. His trips to the Everglades to restock his collection put a strain on the zoo’s finances.

    The electricity board wanted to cut off the zoo’s electricity supply, vital for lighting and heating many cages. Sid Jenkins established there was no money to pay the electricity bill, but persuaded the board’s officials to leave the power on for 4 more days so the Nyokas could find new homes for the reptiles and fish.

    Galen the mandrill was born at Southport Zoo and brought up in a caravan. Other animals included Tank the tiger and Satan and Ricky the lions; if you asked her nicely, Dandy-Leo the lioness rolled over and over on the ground for you. Roma the Sumatran tigress was sleek and elegant and came up to the front of the cage to greet Sid, who stroked her. She nuzzled up as close to him as the wire allowed. Kaffa, an old black panther, had lost most of his teeth, but could tackle his food. Zara the blind, elderly puma had a large growth. A family of 3 Himalayan black bears included Yogi, a blind adult female, Dolly and 4-year-old Treasure. Other animals included 5 monkeys, a family of tree bears, 4 dingoes, a silver fox, a goose, a peacock and many other birds and domestic animals.

    On Christmas Eve, a dingo escaped, but its disappearance was not reported to the authorities; dingoes are included in the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. The dingo had lived as a pet with the other domestic animals and was only put in an enclosure at night. Sid Jenkins reported the matter.

    When the electricity supply was due to be disconnected, Sid found Nick Nyoka walking up and down the long viewing area between the glass cases of the reptile house; Nick was nearly in tears, but had made arrangements for another zoo to collect the venomous snakes the next morning. Some of the big cats had been brought up as single animals and would not mix with others of their species; a local animal sanctuary provided some of their food. The RSPCA agreed to pay for the future supply of electricity to the zoo until the future of the animals was settled.

    The domestic cats, goats and rabbits were offered homes. Some animals were taken to Somerset’s RSPCA Wildlife Unit, arrangements were made for other small animals and arrangements were made to send 30 snakes to Chester Zoo. Sid and David Hornsey arranged for some snakes and Galen to be taken to Dudley Zoo, but Nick sought comfort with his snakes.

    Sid doubted that anyone would take Yogi the blind Himalayan black bear, as there was a glut of these bears in British zoos. There was also a glut of large cats. Zara the blind puma was 20 and was near the end of her life expectancy; her abdominal growth should have been dealt with years ago. Nelson the sea lion had 1 eye. Grasshopper the macaque suffered from hepatitis. Judy the stump-tailed macaque was cheeky and would steal pens or pencils, but needed a jumper to comfort her at night. The escaped dingo was shot by a farmer, who mistook it for a dog when it worried his sheep.

    Twycross Zoo offered a special vehicle to take animals to their new homes. Nick Nyola seemed to agree to Galen moving to Dudley and a Northamptonshire wildlife park agreed to take 3 monkeys and Flamingoland, a North Yorkshire Zoo, took the other 2. A debt-collecting agency placed a restraining order on Galen in lieu of debt, but Galen was eventually taken to Dudley. The RSPCA paid for food for the remaining animals. A Hertfordshire leisure park wanted to offer a home for Dandy-Leo the lioness; a man from Great Yarmouth offered to take her, but he was a chef working on an oil rig.

    Martin Grantham asked Linton Zoo’s owners to house Roma the tigress. They agreed if the money were found for a new enclosure. The 74 Squadron RAF ‘Tigers’ agreed to adopt Roma as a mascot and to pay for her keep. Suffolk and offered a home for the 4 dingoes and Satan the old lion. The family of tree bears eventually went to Scarborough Zoo, after one of them climbed a tall tree and stayed for a few days. Nelson the sea lion went to Marineland.

    Nadine, a 9-year-old girl wrote to the Duke of Edinburgh to help the zoo’s animals. Prince Philip wanted Sid to explain the zoo’s situation to Nadine; Sid told her that nearly all the animals had been saved.

    On 12th January, the only remaining animals were the puma and the 2 adult bears; it seemed as if the remaining lions, Dandy-Leo and Ricky had been found homes. Dandy-Leo was eventually coaxed into a van to be taken to her new home in Hertfordshire. A man offered to save the bears, but didn’t have a licence for wild animals. He was a market gardener with a bear logo and wanted to use the bears for advertising. Treasure the young bear went to a zoo in Scotland.

    On 13th January, Dandy-Leo was brought back to the zoo, but was taken to Flamingoland 2 days later. Nick had been looking after an ill baby puma in his caravan; it was not visited by a vet and died from enteritis that morning. The other remaining animals were Zara the puma, Yogi and Dolly the bears and Ricky the lion; the latter was going to a zoo, but the zoo’s owners had been threatened by action from the Animal Rights movement.

    The vet blew a dart from a blowpipe; it hit Zara behind her left forward and she jumped down. A dingo yelped loudly with a piercing whine as Zara’s body was removed to be placed in a skip. The vet fired a dart into the left hind leg of Ricky the lion, whose body was carried in a stretcher to the skip. The bears sensed trouble and agitatedly paced up and down. The vet put them to sleep and a JCB digger knocked down the concrete breeze-block wall of the enclosure. A rope was tied round Yogi’s body and attached to the rear end of the excavator, which dragged the body onto the zoo roadway to the skip, where Yogi was shovelled into the skip. The same happened to Dolly. Sid placed the puma cub in the skip.
     
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  15. Andrew Swales

    Andrew Swales Well-Known Member

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    That is very interesting, thank you. As I said above, I can remember the Tiger/Linton part of the story being reported in the local press. Also from memory, the donations received built the house and holding cage which are part of Linton's current Tiger paddock - but I am sure I will be corrected again if this has been blurred by the die-off of the grey cells...
     
  16. Martin Grantham

    Martin Grantham New Member

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    You have an excellent memory, I'm the guy who gets mentioned here and there as being involved with rehoming Roma the tigress from Knaresborough Zoo to Linton Zoo. Sid mentions me in the Yorkshire post article at the time and makes a brief reference to Linton in the BBC documentary.

    I won't bore you with all the details as to how I got involved and why, suffice to say that I saw the plight of the animals on a national news channel - BBC I think, and I couldn't deal with the thought of Roma being put to sleep (by this stage Sid was saying to me that all the other animals that could be saved had been. He told me I had 48 hours to find somewhere that would take her as that was all the time she had left. I managed to persuade Linton Zoo to find Roma some space (I knew the zoo well from visiting). I also manged to get onto BBC radio Cambridgeshire for the following morning and BBC Look East (regional news our area) the following evening).

    Linton initially gave me a ball-park figure of £5000 to build a minimal enclosure which back in those days was a lot of money from my perspective I was pretty young then!! In the end the enclosure cost around £20,000, but it was a very splendid building and enclosure. The RAF came on-board to help with the build, and later the transport of Roma to her new home, and also raised funds for her upkeep on a day-to-day basis.

    The appeal I made on both the radio and TV news, along with various newspapers and even the BBC World Service, gave me pledges of approximately £10,000 by the end of the 48 hours and as such I made the initial deadline Sid had given me.

    It all got a lot more complicated at that point since we couldn't move her straight away and I had to make sure enough of the money pledged was received. I also had to find someone to pay for temporary accommodation, feed and veterinary care while we got the enclosure built. I'll leave that for another day if anyone is interested. As a footnote, Shepreth Wildlife park did raise some money for the black leopard that also needed a home, but in the end they couldn't get the necessary permissions to build the enclosure or fully fund it, so Linton Zoo managed to find space and funds to rehome the leopard too.

    Anyway, I suspect that answers the questions here, though I'm a little late replying, my apologies for that.

    Best wishes, Martin.
     
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  17. Martin Grantham

    Martin Grantham New Member

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    I would think it would be since at that time Linton didn't have another black leopard, and they were very much focussed on breeding, especially 'at risk' species. See my other post in this thread for more information.
     
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  18. Martin Grantham

    Martin Grantham New Member

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    It was definitely a Tiger named Roma that went to Linton Zoo (see my lengthy post in this thread). The black leopard also went to Linton after a last minute change from Shepreth. If I recall correctly the was the only black leopard at Linton in that time period, so could be the one. Linton have always been very active in breeding 'at risk' species big and small.