Zoos which are no longer open

Andrew Swales said:
Something about small Renaults and zoo people, perhaps. I once rode in Molly Badhams, and she joked that all the flower beds and trees at Twycross had to be at least far enough apart to allow her Renault 5 to pass through, everywhere - and, it had all its interior door and window handles (save the drivers) removed, so that the Chimps couldn't get out...
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The obvious question, then, is whether you drive a Renault yourself..... :p
 
Andrew Swales said:
Something about small Renaults and zoo people, perhaps. I once rode in Molly Badhams, and she joked that all the flower beds and trees at Twycross had to be at least far enough apart to allow her Renault 5 to pass through, everywhere - and, it had all its interior door and window handles (save the drivers) removed, so that the Chimps couldn't get out...
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I got a lift there once too- but it was in a Mini so I think it may have been Natalie Evans who thought I was lost(or tired?) as it was near closing time in the zoo, but I let her drive me to the entrance anyway- she was very jolly!
 
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I have always wondered why so many collections fail. Even well established collections have their problems and sometimes struggle (e.g. London Zoo). The Norfolk Wildlife Park set itself up to be a different type of animal collection and had a strong vision. Seems from the posts here the management took their eye off the ball when they opened the Otter Trust and spread themselves too thin. Animal collections that are the result of one persons vision are particularly prone to problems as that person ages and becomes tired. Succession in small privately owned collections is often inadequately planned.
 
Carl Jones said:
Succession in small privately owned collections is often inadequately planned.
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Singling out 'small privately owned collections' for being inadequately planned, is an unfair over simplification. I can think of many (but wont name any) major players in the UK where the death of a long-standing and well-known founder has caused highly turbulent times, uncertainty and loss of direction - be it planned or otherwise....
 
Andrew Swales said:
I can think of many (but wont name any) major players in the UK where the death of a long-standing and well-known founder has caused highly turbulent times, uncertainty and loss of direction
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Two of the collections you refer to(?) that have had their troubles since the loss/departure of their founders are well documented on ZooChat, I think one of them may well be one of the most discussed zoos on here, especially with the following management team causing more problems than they took on in the first place! Luckily that team are now gone and the nameless zoo is going from strength to strength. :)
 
Andrew Swales said:
Singling out 'small privately owned collections' for being inadequately planned, is an unfair over simplification. I can think of many (but wont name any) major players in the UK where the death of a long-standing and well-known founder has caused highly turbulent times, uncertainty and loss of direction - be it planned or otherwise....
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Agreed, it is not just small collections that have successional problems.
 
Visited Wilson's Wild Animal Park several years before its abrupt closure. Horrible bear exhibit. A few rare animals such as Kulan.
 
No mention of the nearest zoo to me as a child, Barry Zoo in South Wales. Terrible place in hindsight, but a place I visited frequently. Anyone know it’s exact name and dates?
 
Ok, so I should have done my own research. Became the Welsh Hawking Centre during the time I was at University and then moved away...
 
Just found another zoo which closed 2002 : Tiergarten Lippstadt - Germany. Very little information about this one but its on Zootierliste and there 14 species are mentioned as formerly kept :
West African pygmy goat (African dwarf goat) (Cameroon dwarf goat)
Brown bear (no subspecies-status)
Common fallow deer
European mouflon (Corsica mouflon)
Western roe deer (European roe deer)
Heidschnucke
Lion (No subspecies-status)
Central European wild boar
Northern Raccoon (Common Raccoon)
Coypu (Nutria)
Red fox (no subspecific status)*
Red deer (no subspecies status)
Vietnamese potbelly
Wolf (no subspecific status) (incl. "Arctic wolf")
I myself found another 3 species which have been kept at this zoo :
Beech marten - were most possible even bred at this place
Silver fox - also most possible bred at this place
Yellow-crested cockatoo
 
I visited the Milan Zoo in 1983, which closed in 1992. I don't remember anything special apart from a Cape fox.
It isn't listed in ZTL's inventory:
Stump-tailed macaque (Bear macaque)
Bengal tiger**
Indian peafowl (Blue peafowl) (Indien Peacock)
Polar bear (White bear)
European brown bear
European badger
Agile wallaby (No Subspecific status)
Hippopotamus (Common hippopotamus) (No Subspecific status)
Blue-and-yellow macaw (Blue-and-gold macaw)
Greater sulfur-crested cockatoo (No Subspecific status)
Giraffe (no subspecies-status)
Grevy's zebra
Green-winged macaw (Red-and-green macaw)
Humboldt penguin
South-East Asian elephant (Indian elephant)
Crab-eating macaque (Long-tailed macaque) (Java macaque)
California sea lion
Geoffroy's cat (Mountain cat)
Leopard (no subspecies-status)
Lion (No subspecies-status)
Mediterranean monk seal**
Great white pelican (Eastern white pelican) (Rosy pelican)
Malayan tapir
South Andean huemul (Chilean huemul) (Patagonian huemul) (Guemal)**
Tiger (no subspecies-status)
White peafowl
I much preferred the nearby Natural History Museum, which included a reconstruction of a Tanystropheus.
I'm afraid I didn't see the Mediterranean monk seal or the Chilean huemal.
 
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I visited the Verona Zoo in 1983, which closed in 1998. I can't remember seeing anything special.
ZTL lists the following itinerary:
African savanna elephant (African elephant) (No subspecific status)
Asian elephant (no subspecific status)
Axis deer (Chital) (No Subspecific status)
Dromedary camel (One-humped camel) (Arabian camel)
Hippopotamus (Common hippopotamus) (No Subspecific status)
Grevy's zebra
Grivet (Green monkey) (Malbrouck monkey) (no species or subspecies status)
Crab-eating macaque (Long-tailed macaque) (Java macaque)
California sea lion
Asiatic Black Bear (no subspecies-status)
Llama
Lion (No subspecies-status)
Reticulated giraffe
Eastern Egyptian vulture
Eastern white-beared wildebeest*
Greater flamingo
Common chimpanzee (No Subspecific status)
Common zebra (Plains zebra) (no subspecific status)
Southern white rhinoceros
Tiger (no subspecies-status)
 
I visited Brescia Zoo in 1983. It was a very old-fashioned zoo housed in a castle on a hill. It closed in 1988.
ZTL lists the following itinerary:
Asian elephant (no subspecific status)
Indian peafowl (Blue peafowl) (Indien Peacock)
Grant`s zebra (Plains zebra)
Brown bear (no subspecies-status)
Polar bear (White bear)
European badger
Common fallow deer
Western roe deer (European roe deer)
Giraffe (no subspecies-status)
California sea lion
Llama
Leopard (no subspecies-status)
Lion (No subspecies-status)
Barbary sheep (Arui) (Aoudad) (no subspecific status)
Red fox (no subspecific status)*
Red deer (no subspecies status)
Common chimpanzee (No Subspecific status)
Black swan
Tiger (no subspecies-status)
Wolf (no subspecific status) (incl. "Arctic wolf")

Here are some old photos: https://www.bresciavintage.it/brescia-antica/tag/zoo/ and brescia zoo - Google Search
 
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Dassie rat said:
I visited the Verona Zoo in 1983, which closed in 1998. I can't remember seeing anything special.
ZTL lists the following itinerary:
African savanna elephant (African elephant) (No subspecific status)
Asian elephant (no subspecific status)
Axis deer (Chital) (No Subspecific status)
Dromedary camel (One-humped camel) (Arabian camel)
Hippopotamus (Common hippopotamus) (No Subspecific status)
Grevy's zebra
Grivet (Green monkey) (Malbrouck monkey) (no species or subspecies status)
Crab-eating macaque (Long-tailed macaque) (Java macaque)
California sea lion
Asiatic Black Bear (no subspecies-status)
Llama
Lion (No subspecies-status)
Reticulated giraffe
Eastern Egyptian vulture
Eastern white-beared wildebeest*
Greater flamingo
Common chimpanzee (No Subspecific status)
Common zebra (Plains zebra) (no subspecific status)
Southern white rhinoceros
Tiger (no subspecies-status)
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Do you have any pictures of this zoo?
 
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