I visited norfolk Wildlife Park in 1973 on the way home from a holiday in Great Yarmouth. I can't remember much about it, other than every second aviary seemed to house pheasants, saw my first white eared pheasants here, probably a lot more species which I can't remember. At the time I think they held a western tragopan. I had one exposre left on my camera, so I photographed the first thing I saw, a reindeer. What a silly thing to do
To be honest, even that may not have helped having been born in the north of England into quite a poor family, I didn't have access to nearby zoological collections and we couldn't afford to go further afield. As such there are plenty of species which were commonplace into the late 90's and 2000's which I have either never seen, or had to travel long distances on the continent for in latter years. I've still never managed to visit any of the collections in Norfolk or Suffolk!
They only ever managed to establish a single hen Western Tragopan, which produced at least one hybrid with (I think) a Temminck's cock. I've got quite a good memory of what they had apart from pheasants, so let me know if you want an off-the-top-of-my-head species list!
I'll start with the exotics: Barbary Sheep, North Anerican River Otter (always referred to as Canadian Otter), Sun Bear, Scarlet Macaw, Blue & Yellow Macaw, Emerald Dove, White-crested Laughingthrush, White-throated Laughingthrush. European Beaver, Suslik, Wild European Rabbit, Brown Hare, Coypu (introduced species, since extirpated in the wild in UK), Beech Marten, Wolverine, European Lynx, Wildcat, Grey Seal, Common Seal, Red Fox, Arctic Fox, Brown Bear, Iberian Wolf, Wild Boar, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Fallow Deer, Reindeer, Mouflon, Ibex, European Bison, European Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Night Heron, Grey Heron, White Stork, Black-winged Stilt, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Stone Curlew, Lapwing, Red-legged Partridge, Snowy Owl, European Eagle Owl, Little Owl, Barn Owl, European Scops Owl, Tengmalm's Owl, Raven, Alpine Chough, Azure-winged Magpie, Wheatear, Goldfinch, Redstart, Turtle Dove, Collared Dove. These are the ones I can definitely recall. There were of course others. I've not touched on the extensive pheasant and waterfowl collections. Philip Wayre was of course the inventor of the term 'Wildlife Park'.
It is worth noting, incidentally, that these were the Spanish species and *not* the Asian species which is more commonplace these days
Of their original half dozen, one got out and was not caught for many months, used to feed its partner through the aviary wire. I saw it flying around the park. They had a first UK breeding of this species -- Sidney Porter had bred the oriental form in I believe the 1930s. As a Pheasant Trust member, I've got several annual reports from the late 60s/early 70s, which cover both Trust and Wildlife Park. With each one came a price list of surplus stock. Prices ranged from £10 for a Polecat (missing from my list above) to £200 for a Lynx.
I got an old, silent, 8mm cine film last year from Ebay. It must have been shot by a zoo enthusiast for it is composed almost entirely of footage of Norfolk Wildlife Park, Mole Hall, Kilverstone and the Otter Trust. I haven't had it digitalised yet. Would you be interested in a copy if I do?
Just remembered another mammal from NWP -- European Badger, which had a glass sided sett where you could see them sleeping. They bred, an unusual event back then, and probably still.
I particularly liked the lovely little walk-though song-bird aviary for the Weatears and Redstarts - but can also add Asian Short-clawed and European Otters, Raccoon Dogs (you climbed up steps onto the roof of their house to get a view of the huge enclosure, like the Wolves in the wood) and Nutcrackers. I also remember a long low nocturnal house under construction, which looked as though it was going to be amazing, if the Badgers were anything to go by - but I dont think it was ever completed? Plus as you say, a huge waterfowl and pheasant collection.
In later times Barbary Macaques eventually replaced the Brown Bears, and I think that there had been Chamois at some stage...
Other than a few of the UK establishments, one in the USA I've been to that's since closed is the old National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. It was just a few blocks from the white house, on the first floor (possibly the basement?) of one of the giant buildings. It wasn't big at all, just wood paneling with exhibits in the walls, nothing distinctive. I particularly remember the crocs (alligators?) and the nautilus. Most species were local.
What we need to know is why so many small animal collections fail? Is the rate of failure similar to small businesses? Why did the Norfolk Wildlife Park fold? I remember it had a reputation as being a progressive collection with a bold vision. Yet it failed to survive more than a generation. Why was this?
I don't know about Norfolk Wildlife Park but Kilverstone Latin American Zoo (Norfolk) folded as they required 100,000 visitors a year and struggled to achieve that number. Lady Fisher told me that Breckland Council wouldn't let them put a board out on what was in those days the A11. There's loads about it in her book 'My Jungle Babies' by Rosamund Fisher, but we also have a dedicated web-page to Kilverstone on www.falabellahorses.com We visited the Fishers in their new home in Sussex in 1991 - they still had some Falabellas, and had just sold some to King Hussein of Jordan.
From what I remember NWP had good visitor numbers. I think the issue is a decline in ambition, drive and energy from the sole owner/director starting a cycle of no change or upgrading, followed by a terminal decline - probably in its case accompanied by loss of its media coverage and publicity.
Visitor figures of 160,000 per annum were quoted for Kilverstone. I would think these were fair, given the size of their car-parks and visitor facilities. At the time Banham was on around half this, I think.
I that's probably right, also he had kind of 'moved on', transferring his energies to the Otter Trust, finding and developing a site for that. Also, the Pheasant Trust was effectively superseded by the Workd Pheasant Association from 1975 onwards, which can't have helped. I never visited in the later years, but know someone who worked there at that stage.
