Hi, I have just reached seventy but have been interested in Zoos ever since visiting Whipsnade with my Uncle armed with an I Spy Zoos book in the fifties. I am happy to plead guilty to being anthropomorphic. My particular interests are the History of zoos and zoo architecture and collecting postcards of zoos and zoo animals. My favourite species are polar bears and hippos although I do think the former should only be kept where they can have an enclosure like the Highland Wildlife Park. My all time favourite animals would have to be Henry and Belinda the long lived hippos that were at Whipsnade. Best Zoo of the ones I have visited would be Chester from a short head from Whipsnade with a commendation to Longleat for what they did for the elephant from the circus. Worst by a long chalk when I visited was Dudley. The great ape enclosure, that should read cages, were a classic example of the "patch of fur on a slab of concrete" syndrome and the chained elephant really did seem to be crying. Hopefully it's a lot better now. That's enough for now. Look forward to exchanging memories with fellow members in the months ahead. Best wishes,
Welcome to the forum @Brumas49 there are a lot of zoo history fans here, looking forward to hearing your memories of Whipsnade
Also from the Netherlands : welcome to ZooChat ! Never been to Whipsnade but in one of his books Gerald Durrell tells us a lot about his time as a keeper at this park and what I read now-a-days about Whipsnade, it still is a very intresting collection. Realy curious to hear your stories of this zoo .
There are so many but just three to start with. I saw the hippos Henry and Belinda on my first visit. It was marvellous that when I visited twenty years later they were still both there and going strong. They must have been fairly contented as Belinda had 18 calves. They both lived into their forties and I think we're the longest residents. They had an outdoor pool with only a sort of pig sty cover but now the hippos at Whipsnade have their own heated indoor pool and have Pygmy hippos as neighbours. The lions and tigers,when I visited in the fifties, were in what was probably regarded as quite avant grade enclosures. They were old quarry pits which had been allowed to grow over with trees and shrubbery which sometimes made seeing the animals difficult. They still involved lots of iron bars however and tracks on the edge of the enclosure indicate the repetitive behaviour of patrolling the edge of the enclosure still went on. It was not until I read about the fate of Nina and Misha two polar bears at Bristol Zoo that I became interested in polar bears. I remember seeing polar bears at Whipsnade in the fifties but did not realise how inappropriate their conditions were. When the concrete at the base of the enclosure cracked the cost of replacement (£250,000) led them to decide to stop keeping them. The bear I remember from my childhood visit was a huge Kodak bear who was kept in a similar pit to the polar bears. The parapet of one of these old bear enclosures survived when I last visited and it was fascinating how free ranging animals like wallabies now used it as visitors thought it was a present day enclosure and did not approach them so they could graze undisturbed. If there are any animals or other issues about Whipsnade you are interested in let me know and I will try to help. Meanwhile can I recommend "Whipsnade my Africa." It was written by the daughter of a keeper and brought back many memories and also helped me learn a lot about Whipsnade I did not know. This included the tremendous story of the White Rhinos which is surely one of Whipsnade's greatest conservation stories. All the best Dick
Welcome to ZooChat. We've a lot in common. I'm also very interested in zoo history and zoo architecture; like you, I am an enthusiastic collector of old zoo postcards. And Whipsnade's long lived hippos "Henry" and "Belinda" are probably my two favourite zoo animals too (rivalled only by London Zoo's nothern white rhino "Ben"). I look forward to reading more of your Whipsnade reminiscences in due course. Apologies for being pedantic but Lucy Pendar, author of "Whipsnade My Africa", was the daughter of Whipsnade's Resident Enginer not a Whipsnade zoo keeper.
Hi and welcome. I also used to visit Whipsnade during the fifties era and up to the present time. So many memorable animals in those days but my favourites from that time would have to be the Indian rhinos Mohan and Mohini. And the hunting dogs. On more recent visits I sometimes look out for evidence of the older enclosures which is still dotted about but partly hidden. The barred fencing with curved overhang enclosing the brown bear area(in fact the whole enclosure) is one such and there are sections of old fencing in some of the woodland bordering the road. Some of the boundary fences surrounding ungulate paddocks are unchanged too. Henry and Belinda's old indoor 'house' is still in use I think, as the newer indoor pool only has access to one den and they need more than that usually. The outdor hippo enclosures and pools are hardly changed at all.
Welcome! I also share your interest in zoo history and architecture, albeit in the US lol, and I grew up in the not-so-distant 60s, a mere hop from your formative years in the 50s. I am constantly rereading my well-worn copy of Construction and Design Manual: Zoo Buildings by Natascha Meuser. I look forward to all you have to share!
