Herbert Dornbrack and his monkeys

Bele

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Here's one for those with long memories and an interest in Zoo History .

I am currently doing some research on my 'local' collection Penscynor Wildlife Park , which closed back in 1998 . And before the question is asked , I do not as yet know what happened to the Sooty mangabeys , I do hope I will be able to find an answer to that mystery .

Back in 1978 , seven years after the Park's opening , Herbert Dornbrack was appointed as Manager . He arrived with his personal collection of 20 Woolly monkeys , 4 Black and 2 Red Howlers and 8 Goeldi's monkeys and pssibly other species that arrived about the same time - Emperor tamarins and Colobus monkeys . I know he had originally been at Banham - IZYB no.18 lists him as Director in 1976 with Martin Goymour as Admin. Director - and assume he came to Penscynor directly from there .

The intention at Penscynor was to let the Woolly monkeys roam in the conifer woodland backing on to the Park . I do remember seeing them there but not , from memory , outside of cages .

I am not certain exactly how long Herbert Dornbrack stayed at Penscynor , probably only a couple of years . I have a feeling he set up somewhere else in the UK after this but do not know any more . Can anybody help fill in more details about him and his collection of primates .
 
The chimps at the Welsh monkey sanctuary are from there, I think their cage is too. I might have visited there but to be honest I can't remember anything about it. Nice to know I might have seen red howlers though :p
 
Here's one for those with long memories and an interest in Zoo History .

I am currently doing some research on my 'local' collection Penscynor Wildlife Park , which closed back in 1998 . And before the question is asked , I do not as yet know what happened to the Sooty mangabeys , I do hope I will be able to find an answer to that mystery .

Back in 1978 , seven years after the Park's opening , Herbert Dornbrack was appointed as Manager . He arrived with his personal collection of 20 Woolly monkeys , 4 Black and 2 Red Howlers and 8 Goeldi's monkeys and pssibly other species that arrived about the same time - Emperor tamarins and Colobus monkeys . I know he had originally been at Banham - IZYB no.18 lists him as Director in 1976 with Martin Goymour as Admin. Director - and assume he came to Penscynor directly from there .

The intention at Penscynor was to let the Woolly monkeys roam in the conifer woodland backing on to the Park . I do remember seeing them there but not , from memory , outside of cages .

I am not certain exactly how long Herbert Dornbrack stayed at Penscynor , probably only a couple of years . I have a feeling he set up somewhere else in the UK after this but do not know any more . Can anybody help fill in more details about him and his collection of primates .

I don't think I can help. But I do remember visiting Banham in the late 70s (or very early 80s) and being disappointed because I didn't see woollies and howlers.

Alan
 
herbert and his monkeys

Herbert moved to Scotland to the Bear Park at Loch lomand that has closed down long time ago believe he moved to Holland after that
 
Welcome to Zoocaht jaberwoki and thanks for that interesting bit of information .

I wonder if the large group of Woolly monkeys that Apenheul Primate park had were originally the Herbert Dornbrack animals ?
 
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