I was talking to a friend who visited Dudley in the 60's a lot and whos good friend worked there for many years. She remember s Gorilla (silver back) she thinks was called "Bucama" (not sure how to spell it) her friend told of how he attacked one of the keepers damaging her leg severely. She has a couple pictures of Polar Bears and a Brown Bear if anyone is interested, and was telling me of Hippos being there and having a ride on a Camel and on an Elephants head!! She remembers Wildebeast and others too.
Do you know when the Gorilla(s) left? I vaguely remember seeing what i think were gorillas inside the ape house when i was young so it would be in the early 1990's. I was only 4 or 5 so could have confused it for a male chimp :
I've just had a look on Gorillas Galore and there was a silverback at Dudley called Bukhama (Bonz) who died in 1994 so it was probably him I saw
Just found an old newspaper clip online saying that he gave keeper Jane a playful "tap" and broke both her legs, backs up what my friend remembers, but the guy that worked with him at the time, said it was an attack and that Jane was in the wrong, dont know exact details though.
In the Education Centre at Dudley is a cast of Bonz's head and shoulders , made I believe , just after his death .
Bukhama, Dudley's male Gorilla, was a feisty male and not very good tempered with people. He escaped into the service area after the girl keeper opened the door of the inside cage by mistake while he was still in it. The design of the indoor house was poor in that respect. He attacked her, it was not playful. Bukhama lived alone for many years after the female 'Ruki' with whom he grew up, died. It was planned to send him to join Chessington's group but sadly he died before that happened.
How do you know these things Pertinax you are like rain man when it comes to Gorillas . I assume that Bonz and Ruki never bred?
I just have a good memory..... Bukhama and Ruki didn't breed- having grown up together from babies they had a platonic(brother/sister) relationship. The zoo arranged for Ruki -the female- to go to Gordon Mills' collection in Weybridge after he offered a lot of money for her (he was very short of female Gorillas in his group) however tragically she died before she got there.
I’m writing this just after I came across a website Dudley photos, maps, books, memories This site as some really good pictures of the zoo in the 50’s and 60’s I know there are only three pictures of the animals but the rest are still interesting to look at. In the castle courtyard you can see a lot of differences, you can see some pictures of an Elephant c1965, Lion c1965 and the gorilla c1965 by these pictures it seems to prove what one or two people have been saying as to where the animals use to be. Do you think the changes are for the better or would you have done them differently in the castle courtyard that is as their have been many threads on the way we would have changed the zoo, would you have put animals in the courtyard or would you have animal displays (different types of animals) I know they do birds of prey at the moment but do you think it could be used for other animals as well.
