Vintage Bristol Zoo--1950

BBC - Bristol Zoo Gardens wants your memories and old photos

From World Zoo Today:

Don Packham worked at the Zoo for 50 years, first as a penguin keeper and later as head keeper from 1977 to 1998. He was at the Zoo when it opened the world’s first nocturnal house in 1953.

Now retired and living in Portishead, Don has plenty of colourful memories of his time at the Zoo. He said: “I started work in 1948, on the same day as the very first penguins arrived at the Zoo. One of my fondest memories is the hatching of the very first king penguin, as well as breeding the first okapi, which was of huge significance and a great achievement.

“Another lasting memory was when 35 rhesus monkeys escaped (in the 1960s?) after someone snuck into the Zoo one night and put a ladder up again the wall of their enclosure. It took me three weeks to recapture them from all over Clifton – we got them all back eventually though.”

Mr Packham added: “The biggest change I saw over the years was the reduction in the number of large mammals at the Zoo, after having been in charge of bears, elephants, giraffes, zebras and various primate species, a reflection of the ever-changing and improving standards of husbandry and animal welfare, and the Zoo’s subsequent move towards conservation.”

In more recent years, the Zoo has developed its educational and scientific roles, including the opening of a new Conservation Education Centre in 1999. Full-time education, science and research officers are now employed and great emphasis is placed on activities which help both to inform our visitors and conserve wildlife.

John Partridge is the current Senior Curator of Animals and has been at the Zoo for 35 years. He said: “The Zoo has seen a lot of changes over the years, particularly in creating new immersion-style animal exhibits and developing its educational and scientific roles, with greater emphasis on conserving wildlife in their natural habitats.”

He added: “I’ve had the pleasure of working with some the Zoo’s most well known and loved animals over the years, such as the gorillas Samson and Delilah who produced the first baby gorilla to be successfully reared in the UK and Wendy the elephant. I’ve also helped to plan and develop some big changes at the Zoo, such as the opening of the current nocturnal house – Twilight World – in 1996, and, in 1999, Seal and Penguin Coasts. Change never stops and I am currently involved in developing plans for the Zoo’s future.”

Bristol Zoo has also played a vital role in breeding numerous threatened species including gorillas, Asiatic lions, aye ayes and, in 1999, the UK’s first successful breeding of critically-endangered Livingstone’s fruit bats.Zoo staff have also successfully bred and reintroduced two of the UK’s native species – the Barberry carpet moth and the water vole.

To email you memories about the Zoo, email history@bristolzoo.org.uk or write to Simon Garrett, the learning department, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HA.

For information about Bristol Zoo Gardens, please visit the website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk.