I never heard that, but don't know the past goings-on at Longleat as much as at Bristol. Its possible seeing them breeding 'nearby' at Bristol that they wanted them from there.
The birth of the chimpanzee "Adam" in 1934 was also another important first UK breeding for Bristol. (Incidentally, the chimp "Jubilee", born London Zoo in 1935, had the same father as "Adam".)
Bristol Zoo has one of the best Insect Houses I've ever been to, and I'm not really a big fan of Insect Houses as is. My Mum really liked the Nocturnal House too.
I see, thanks @TeaLovingDave, much appreciated. This makes sense as it would be consistent with the population of Jersey's wild caught bats growing and finding new homes.
It is worrying how much data they collect on people, as without googling Bristol zoo recently and only reading topics on here a lot the last few days this video came up on recommended youtube videos. A very interesting watch considering I did not make a trip to this zoo until 40 years after this! (ok wasn't born for half that time).
Would be really nice to see some of the animal species you mentioned re-appear at the new zoo at Wild Place (f.e. rhino, mandrill, bees oryx, sun bear, pileated gibbon ..). I am sort of holding out for a new Aquarium and a Herpetofauna Paradise at the Wild Place too (plus better bird facilities).
Did Johnny Morris ever go anywhere with out Dotty the Ringtailed Lemur and her ever present twin babies on his shoulder?
I also have memories of the Okapi Bristol along with Wild Place it was closed to the public then around the late seventies had around fourteen Okapi.
I was surprised to see this too- particularly as in all my visits at the time I never saw this. The chimp would have been the handraised male 'Timothy' and this must have been only a very temporary arrangement due to their dreadful lack of space for the number of apes they had around then..
'Hollywood Towers' estate as it was then known was a very secretive place- owned but never opened to the public by the zoo for decades. As well as all those Okapi there were White tigers there too.
Back in 1981, the Marwell Zoogical Society organised a tour of Bristol Zoo's Hollywood Towers estate; that was the only time I visited the premises until Wild Place was opened decades later. My main memories of Hollywood Towers, from that visit nearly forty years ago, are the okapis and white tigers but I recall some lemurs and tamarins too
Yes - in with Delilah & Daniel the gorillas, walking an orang around the grounds (was it Anne?) and, of course, bathing the elephants
I grew up with regular visits to Bristol Zoo . The first would have been 1952 or 1953 , I was sat in a push-chair in the photo I have . Although I lived in South Wales , I had a great Uncle and Aunt living in Clifton , and we visited them regularly . Swansea to Bristol was not easy then , no M4 and a ferry crossing of the River Severn ( often with very long queues ) . As with most Primary school children in South Wales , there was also a School Trip to Bristol Zoo . I have vague memories of an animal ride when very young , possibly on Rosie the Elephant . I remember the old Monkey House , there was another newer one on the same site before the current set-up . Cages were very small , particularly at either end , many housed single Baboons or Macaques . The Polar Bear enclosure , built 1934-35 , is described in a guide book as large and spacious and built on modern lines . They held 2 adult females , one year both bred and reared a cub , the enclosure was split in half with a wall . The male must have been shut up in one of the dens . The Cat House had small inside and outside cages . A Clouded Leopard was on exhibit for some time . A black and spotted Leopard were housed separately but must have been mixed to mate , I remember litters of spotted cubs . A new enclosure was built for the pair of white Tigers , a striped Tiger from the same blood lines was also purchased . These were pure Bengal Tigers . Gorillas , Chimps , Bornean and Sumatran Orang Utans all bred in the old Ape House . I remember a baby Orang that was being hand-reared , in a Nursery cage in front of the adults . There was a glass partition between cages and the public in the inside corridor . The Gorillas had larger outside enclosure with an unusual stainless steel grille , not bars , sections of this were erected in one of the Zoo's gardens after demolition of the house . The originalOkapi housing was very basic . A stable ( with viewing through curved glass which was used quite extensively ) with a long narrow paddock attached . This was taken from end of the 'Whipsnade' paddock . The original pair of Pygmy Hippos were housed in a greenhouse in the corner , where the current Service building was later built ( near the new Reptile House ) . Most of the houses and enclosures from the 50's and 60's have been demolished . The Gorillas now live in a much changed Giraffe/Elephant House and the Bird House is still there and used as such , though much changed .
They were re-used as the roof for creepers of a walkway next to the Aviary near where the penguins used to be. That's gone but two sections are still in use in a little ornamental bridge nearby, I photo'd them a year or so back. I was trying to think of more of the Monkeys in the original house. In the late 1950's/early 60's there was one pair each of Drill and Mandrill, a female Guinea baboon that lived with a male Yellow, an aggressive male Moor Macaque but I can't remember what else. Later the same house contained Lion-tailed Macaques, Silvery Langurs and the rare/mystery Mentawi macaque among others, before it was demolished and the subsequent house built. The normal-coloured tigress sadly was never bred from. The 3 Polar Bears were Sebastian, his mother Cynthia, and unrelated female Nina. I remember the year both females had a cub each. I remember a pair of Black Leopards, and one of Spotteds but they may have reduced to one of each over time. The baby handraised Orangutan was 'Oscar'- he was the father of current females Emma and Subis at Chester. I remember droves of Welsh schoolchidren descending from coaches sometimes...
At 0.41 the building you see is the Lion House, later a new Apehouse was built on this site which became the current Nocturnal House.
I just wanted to make a thread ahead of the closure where people could share memories, Bristol is very close to my heart and I’d really like to hear everyone’s good memories
