Colchester Zoo Past Animals Kept By Colchester Zoo

B

bugs

Well-Known Member
Here is a list of animals Colchester Zoo have kept in the past but don't anymore. I've complied this list using old guide books from the 1990's and my memory (how reliable that is I don't know, lol). However I would be greatful to anyone who can add to the list, especial animals from before the Tropeano family took over in 1983.

Cats

Black-Footed Cat
Caracal Lynx
Fishing Cat
Jaguar
Leopard Cat
Ocelot
Snow Leopard
Sand Cat

Other Mammals

Agouti
Anoa
Axis Deer
Babirusa
Bear (Syrian Brown)
Bear (Himalayan Black)
Blackbuck
Bush Dog
Camel (Bactrian)
Maned Wolf
Mara
Porcupines
Raccoon
Tapir (Brazilian)
Wallaby
Wallaroo

Primates

Allen’s Swamp Monkey
Black Lemur
De Brazza’s Monkey
Diana Monkey
Lar Gibbon

Birds

Emu
Kori Bustard
Painted Stork
Saddle Bill Stork

Reptiles

Mississippi Alligator
Tegu
 
Colchester used to have Dhole, Keel Billed Toucan, Turkey vulture and Kookaburra.
I dont think they have the Iberian Wolves any more as they are never mentioned on the road train and the enclosure appears empty.

Do you at all know why the bactrian camels left as i was under the impression that they were going to be in the kingdom of the wild exhibit after they had to move when playa patagonia (sealion enclosure was constructed)? .

As for some lesser species they used to have a number of spider species.
Reptiles- they used to have cuban boas. Think that they still have one pine snake but is housed off show- used to be in "desert Life" before they turned it into the discovery centre.
 
On my first visit in 1994 I photographed

Malayan Painted Toad
Marsh Mongoose
Watrer Buffalo
Algerian Skink
Southern Ground Hornbill
Black Kite
Desert Iguana
Black Mangabey.

They also had a Puerto Rican Boa but I did not see it.
 
MARK said:
Malayan Tapir
Scottish wild cats
African Leopards
African Hunting dogs
Click to expand...

The zoo currently has African Hunting Dogs, although for many years they didn't. The guide book I have from 1990 shows the zoo had the animal in the early 90's but sortly after that they got rid of them. The zoo got the animal back into their collection a few years ago, they are oposite the Komodo Dragon exhibit.

Bugs
 
bongorob said:
On my first visit in 1994 I photographed

Malayan Painted Toad
Marsh Mongoose
Watrer Buffalo
Algerian Skink
Southern Ground Hornbill
Black Kite
Desert Iguana
Black Mangabey.

They also had a Puerto Rican Boa but I did not see it.
Click to expand...

Yeah I forgot about the buffalo. I remember them being kept in what is now the overflow car park.
 
Does anyone remember the tortoises that were kept next to the old elephant enclosure? I believe that the enclosure kept mongoose species afterwards. I particularly remember that there was one very large tortoise, but does anyone know what type of tortoise it was?

Regards
Bugs
 
For a while at least; I am pretty sure they had a couple of asiatic elephants as well - maybe one was a young bull (one had very visible tusks). I presume this was in the old elephant house before Tanya and Zola, (saw this on the cover of a guide book on ebay a few months ago).
 
Colchester Zoo

I am old enough to remember Colchester Zoo from the 60's before the Tropeanos' took over. The Tropeanos' are relations of the previous owners who's name escapes me for the moment.

They did have "world's longest snake" (sic) in the 1960's. Not sure what it was now, probably an anaconda, whether or not it was the longest I don't know but the sign said 33ft so that was most impressive if true.

My forte is reptiles and a good reptile house always makes me happy. Unfortunately, although they do keep reptiles, they don't have a decent house, preferring to scatter them far and wide throughout the Zoo. I was thrilled to read they were getting Komodo Dragons but on the 4 visits I have made since then, I have yet to see them. I have seen the juvenile at Busch Gardens in Tampa but that is a long way to go on a Sunday.

Colchester Zoo produced a very good Guide Book in black and white in the 60's, I must have one somewhere and a full colour one in the 70's. I do remember the Giraffe House being built but when the occupants went, it was converted into accommodation for great apes. There is not much left of the original 60's Zoo only the Zee-Donks spring to mind.
 
Colchester Zoo was opened by Frank Farrar who was an animal dealer (he operated Southport Zoo as well, before the Petries took over, and I think also a small zoo at Fleetwood too).

The Snake at Colchester would have been Cassius, a Reticulated Python, who belonged to Nick 'Nyoka'. Nick also possessed the largest Lion in the world and there are photographs of him with it during his time at Colchester (Nyoka tended to float around and spent time at many zoos - many of which were considered substandard at the time. He ended up at Knaresborough Zoo where after a spell as curator, bought the zoo from Scotia Holdings and ran it until its forced closure in about 1984)

Scores of animals passed through Colchester Zoo in the early years - many of which are not represented now.
 
I looked through my back issues of IZN and found reports from Colchester in 1986

January-April 1986
bred
(1.0) Chimpanzee
0.1 Black SPider Monkey
0.2 Pygmy Goat
(0.3) Scottish Wild Cat
(1) Mayotte Brown Lemur
(1.0) Leopard Cat
1 Black Mangabey
(1) Emu

arrivals
1.1 Mandrill
1.1 Chapman's Zebra
1.0 Ocelot
3.3 Black-crowned Night Heron
2.2 European Stone Curlew
1.1 Sarus Crane

departures
1.1 Nilgai
1.0 Mandrill
0.1 Sarus Crane
1.1 Ostrich

African Elephants Tanya and Zola have settled well, Tanya will be giving rides.

construction
Jungle Cat enclosure
Scottish Wild Cat enclosure
Caracal enclosure
European Lynx enclosure
Snow Leopard enclosure
Great Indian Hornbill aviary
Red-billed Toucan aviary
Night heron aviary
Collared Peccary enclosure


May-August 1986
bred
0.2 Golden Guernsey Cattle
2.0 Brown Capuchin
2 Chinchilla
(2) Caracal
3(2) mara
(0.1) Brazilian Tapir
(0.1) Ocelot
0.1 Blackbuck
0.1 De Brazza's Guenon
1.1 Black Leopard
1.0 Lion
1 Axis Deer
3 Scottish Wild Cat
3(2) Emu
(1) Great Indian Hornbill
6 Silver Pheasant
2 Ostrich

arrivals
1.1 African Civet
1.0 Collared Peccary
1.1 Meerkat
1.1 African Wild Dog

construction
African Hunting Dog enclosure almost complete
Snow Leopard enclosure
Ocelot enclosure
Caiman enclosure re-modelled


September-December 1986
bred
(2) Caracal
1 Mara
0.1 Ocelot
0.1 Axis Deer
0.1 Llama
1.0 Black Spider Monkey
(0.1) Blackbuck
2(1) Humboldt's Penguin

arrivals
0.1 Hog Deer
1.2 Patagonian Sealion
1.1 Binturong
0.2 Kori Bustard
2.1 Humboldt's Penguin
4 Sacred Ibis
1.2 Black-necked crowned crane
1.1 Red-billed Magpie
2.2 European Spoonbill
1.1 Marabou Stork
10 White Stork (from Romania)
1.1 Blue Eared Pheasant
2.2 White-eyes (Asian species-unidentified)
3 Puff Adder (from HM Customs and Excise)
1 Ibiza Wall Lizard (from HM Customs and Excise)

construction
Leopard enclosure
Indian Desert Cat enclosure
Kori Bustard aviary
replacement of mud and gravel walkways with brick path
planing permission submitted for new toilet block
 
Thats really interesting information. I never knew the zoo kept black leopards.

Does anyone have anymore information on the zoo from the 60's and 70's.

Also regarding the asian elephants, i didn't know that the zoo kept elephants before tanya and zola.

Finally did the zoo ever keep common hippos? I remember my dad telling me that they once kept hippos in the lake, although i'm pretty sure my dad was just pulling my leg, lol.
 
Colchester zoo

Paradoxurus said:
Colchester Zoo was opened by Frank Farrar who was an animal dealer (he operated Southport Zoo as well, before the Petries took over, and I think also a small zoo at Fleetwood too).

The Snake at Colchester would have been Cassius, a Reticulated Python, who belonged to Nick 'Nyoka'. Nick also possessed the largest Lion in the world and there are photographs of him with it during his time at Colchester (Nyoka tended to float around and spent time at many zoos - many of which were considered substandard at the time. He ended up at Knaresborough Zoo where after a spell as curator, bought the zoo from Scotia Holdings and ran it until its forced closure in about 1984)

Scores of animals passed through Colchester Zoo in the early years - many of which are not represented now.
Click to expand...

Yes of course, the Farrars. Thank you. I met Nick Nyoka on one occasion at Knaresborough Zoo. Now that was a sad place but he did have some good reptiles. On the debit side however, he had a Puma which was so crippled with arthritis, it couldn't stand up. Nyoka I understand means snake in an African language. Colchester had a lovely (if you can use the word) pair of Zorillas. Someone mentioned Hippos on the lake but I do not think that is correct. Certainly I never saw them. In those early years it would probably have been quite easy to obtain a pair of gorillas..and I often wondered why they didn't.
 
Colchester had another two female African elephants before Zola and Tanya which do not appear in many listings . I saw them in the small old Elephant House and yard near the entrance , I think Zola and Tanya also lived there at first .

John Frost's 'Survey of Elephants in the British Isles' undated but with data up to 1986 in it , lists the two - unnamed - elephants as being born approximately 1966 , arriving at Colchester 1967 with one dying on 24.9.1985 , other unknown . Zola and Tanya arrived November 1985 .

Does anyone know anything about these two Colchester elephants ?
 
bugs said:
Finally did the zoo ever keep common hippos? I remember my dad telling me that they once kept hippos in the lake, although i'm pretty sure my dad was just pulling my leg, lol.
Click to expand...

Colchester was offered hippos in 1978 by a continental zoo but I've not seen a reference to their being kept there.
 
I have some 1960s and 1970s broshes/newspaper clippings. Animals not mentioned yet are:Armadilos
Dromedry Camels
Highland Cattle
Owl-faced Monkey
Puma
The 1970s broshe did mention the Malayian Tapir which Mark said earlier.
 
Animals Past

The Blackbuck arrived with Pair of Waterbuck,and Bactrian Camels in around 1983 from Marwell and ZSL I know this because i was the keeper who travelled with them from Marwell,on route we delivered a female Bactrian camel to ZSL who was to be trained for camel rides.
 
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