circus Memories- UK.

[Pertinax]

I don't remember anybody riding the Giraffe, I think it was just led round the ring when I saw it.

I remember the Polar Bear Act too- if memory serves me well it was a lady trainer I think and she had about 14 of them in the ring at once. I believe she came from the continent(Russia?) and appeared with various other circuses in Europe with her Bears in the UK 'off' season. It may have been some years later too.(60/70's) I vaguely remember seeing all these Polar Bears in beast wagons-terrible by today's standards of course. I think a lot of the Animal Acts like hers were 'freelance' and appeared with various circuses at different times.

I looked up Hippos born at Whipsnade and two males did go to 'Chilworth' (an address for Chipperfields) but neither appear to have lived more than a year or so. Maybe there was another one too. And yes, those enclosed rings for the Big Cat performances did look remarkably flimsy. I remember them firstly as being made of sections of solid metal barred caging that just slotted together. Before the big cat performance the ring 'helpers' (proper name?) would rush in and construct the 'cage' in a matter of moments and then later, take it down equally quickly. The cats accessed the ring by a tunnel of similar segmented design. Later they were just netting as FFBird commented.

Most circuses exercised their Elephants outside the circus and if it was at the seaside, they had elephant bathing sessions in th sea- usually advertised in the local paper etc.

Bertram Mills(I think it was them) also had a winter quarters near Windsor- you could visit their animal menagerie and watch their Lions and Tigers being trained in semi-permanent rings on site.

 

[Shorts]

Please note that this is continuation of an interesting off-thread discussion started in "Folly Farm to get Giraffes"

 

[TARZAN]

I don't remember anybody riding the Giraffe, I think it was just led round the ring when I saw it.

I remember the Polar Bear Act too- if memory serves me well it was a lady trainer I think and she had about 14 of them in the ring at once. I believe she came from the continent(Russia?) and appeared with various other circuses in Europe with her Bears in the UK 'off' season. It may have been some years later too.(60/70's) I vaguely remember seeing all these Polar Bears in beast wagons-terrible by today's standards of course. I think a lot of the Animal Acts like hers were 'freelance' and appeared with various circuses at different times.

I looked up Hippos born at Whipsnade and two males did go to 'Chilworth' (an address for Chipperfields) but neither appear to have lived more than a year or so. Maybe there was another one too. And yes, those enclosed rings for the Big Cat performances did look remarkably flimsy. I remember them firstly as being made of sections of solid metal barred caging that just slotted together. Before the big cat performance the ring 'helpers' (proper name?) would rush in and construct the 'cage' in a matter of moments and then later, take it down equally quickly. The cats accessed the ring by a tunnel of similar segmented design. Later they were just netting as FFBird commented.

Most circuses exercised their Elephants outside the circus and if it was at the seaside, they had elephant bathing sessions in th sea- usually advertised in the local paper etc.

Bertram Mills(I think it was them) also had a winter quarters near Windsor- you could visit their animal menagerie and watch their Lions and Tigers being trained in semi-permanent rings on site.

Ring boys is the correct name for the staff members who moved the props etc. in and out of the ring, Ursulla Botcher was the lady from East Germany who travelled with her large group of polar bears,I understand she passed away quite recently. Chipperfields had their own group of polar bears, one of which ended up at Bristol Zoo, being one of the last two polar bears to be exhibited there

 

[TARZAN]

Please note that this is continuation of an interesting off-thread discussion started in "Folly Farm to get Giraffes"

And what may I ask is that supposed to mean?

 

[zoogiraffe]

And what may I ask is that supposed to mean?

It means just what the post said that a discussion about Giraffes arriving at Folly Farm had gone a long way off topic so Pertinax created a new thread for the so that the bit,that was way off topic could carry on in its own special thread!

 

[Shorts]

And what may I ask is that supposed to mean?

Exactly as Zoogiraffe said.

I thought it might be useful to anyone who came accross this thread, without having read the "Folly Farm to get Giraffes" thread first. Otherwise confusion might result from not knowing what Pertinax was referring to. Additionally anyone reading this thread might be interested in the points made in the original thread.

Now back to point of the thread ...........

 

[Pertinax]

. Otherwise confusion might result from not knowing what Pertinax was referring to. Additionally anyone reading this thread might be interested in the points made in the original thread.

Godd point. I should of course have mentioned that at the beginning.

Regarding the Polar Bears. It appears there were two seperate acts with them then. I am pretty sure the lady from East Germany, Ursulla Botcher, was the one with the amazing number of something like Fourteen Polar Bears in the Act.

I forgot about the Bristol ex circus Polar bear. That was 'Misha' and he used to 'weave' while standing in one place, probably a result of cramped circus conditions.

 

[Paradoxurus]

I didn't think that Ursula Botcher ever came to the UK despite touring extensively (from the 60s to the 90s) with her Polar Bear act throughout Europe. She died last year. She appeared briefly in one of the "State of the Ark" episodes that looked at Spanish Safari Parks in the early 1990s. Dicky Chipperfield certainly had a large group of Polar Bears and, much later, Jim Clubb had several Polar Bears in his mixed bear act.

 

[TARZAN]

Please note that this is continuation of an interesting off-thread discussion started in "Folly Farm to get Giraffes"

Message received and understood thanks, glad you find these circus memories interesting, hopefully they will be of interest to younger members who were not around when most of this took place.

 

[Bele]

An act that I remember as being very exotic to a young lad was a barred cage on a waggon containing spotted leopard(?s) being drawn into the ring by a team of cattle ( possibly Highland ) then a very glamorous coloured lady entering the cage and working the cat(s ). Might have been the same person going into the glass tank with the crocs.

Wonder if any of our circus experts recognise who I am attempting to describe .

The parade of Billy Smart's big herd of elephants from Swansea High Street Station down to the Recreation Ground is another vague memory .

 

[TARZAN]

I didn't think that Ursula Botcher ever came to the UK despite touring extensively (from the 60s to the 90s) with her Polar Bear act throughout Europe. She died last year. She appeared briefly in one of the "State of the Ark" episodes that looked at Spanish Safari Parks in the early 1990s. Dicky Chipperfield certainly had a large group of Polar Bears and, much later, Jim Clubb had several Polar Bears in his mixed bear act.

No, I cannot find any record of Urshula Botcher appearing in the U.K. with her polar bears. I think I am correct in stating that the last polar bears to appear in a British circus ring were the ones featured in James Clubb's mixed group of bears which toured with Sir Robert Fossett's Circus in 1992. Living conditions for the bears had improved by this time as they now had access to a travelling swimming pool. 1992 was a sad year for Sir Robert Fossetts Circus. Mr. Bailey Fossett, who had for many years ran the circus with his late sister Mary, died in March and this was to be the last year that this show travelled. P.S., the polar bear which currently resides at Heythrop is I believe a former member of Mr. Clubbs mixed group.

 

[sooty mangabey]

A quick google search reveals a number of wonderful pictures of Ms Bottcher's polar bear act. Really quite extraordinary.

 

[Pertinax]

fascinating stuff. There's a site called 'Circopedia' which details her history in the Circus and her various different animal acts.

Apparently ten Polar Bears were the mainstay of her Polar Bear act, but in 1989 she did briefly present an act with 14 of them- plus four Kodiak bears!

I must have been confused as I would never have seen this act in the flesh, so I must have seen the Chipperfield Polar Bears.

Yonger members will probably shudder at our reminiscences of these animals' participation in the Circus.

 

[sooty mangabey]

fascinating stuff. There's a site called 'Circopedia' which details her history in the Circus and her various different animal acts.

This is a fantastic site; thank you for pointing us to it, Pertinax.

There is a video of the polar bear act - ten of them leaping through hoops of fire, coming down a slide, balancing on balls and so on. Ursula Böttcher Video 1973 - Circopedia. It is massively impressive - even if some will, no doubt, feel uncomfortable with it. I have to say that the bears all look to be in stunning physical condition, and the site reports that they lived to grand old ages - one living to be 38 - and, at one stage, was performing with 14 polar bears and 4 kodiak bears. Whatever one thinks of performing animals, this is quite a feat.

Also worth a watch is this one: Rolf Knie Jr Video (1973) - Circopedia. Rolf Knie's ungulate act - zebras, a leaping llama, and a performing hippo (really!). it is quite brilliant - as are Rolf's shorts, which need to be seen to be believed.

 

[Shorts]

This is a fantastic site; thank you for pointing us to it, Pertinax.

Agreed, many thanks - I can see me losing a few hours (or days) to that site.

It is massively impressive - even if some will, no doubt, feel uncomfortable with it.

Indeed, truly astounding.

it is quite brilliant - as are Rolf's shorts, which need to be seen to be believed.

I think we've found the fabled seventh member of Village People

 

[Goretex]

This is a fantastic site; thank you for pointing us to it, Pertinax.

There is a video of the polar bear act - ten of them leaping through hoops of fire, coming down a slide, balancing on balls and so on. Ursula Böttcher Video 1973 - Circopedia. It is massively impressive - even if some will, no doubt, feel uncomfortable with it. I have to say that the bears all look to be in stunning physical condition, and the site reports that they lived to grand old ages - one living to be 38 - and, at one stage, was performing with 14 polar bears and 4 kodiak bears. Whatever one thinks of performing animals, this is quite a feat.

Also worth a watch is this one: Rolf Knie Jr Video (1973) - Circopedia. Rolf Knie's ungulate act - zebras, a leaping llama, and a performing hippo (really!). it is quite brilliant - as are Rolf's shorts, which need to be seen to be believed.

I'd agree with this but it is encouraging a highly unnatural behaviour. The bears were sure well-trained.

 

[zoofari]

I once over took a White Rhino on the M6. It was in the back of a circus animal waggon, not cruising in a sports car. It was about 14 years ago part of a European circus that had been told to leave scotland so was returning south to the ferry I presume. The rhino was on the back of a caged sided truck.

 

[TARZAN]

Skippy the boxing kangaroo. The kangaroo would enter the boxing ring with his sparring partner a clown, both would be wearing boxing gloves and the ringmaster would act as referee. Both opponents would proceed to have a boxing match the audience would be in hysterics, cruel? Iwould say yes, not only for the marsupial concerned but also for the poor old veteran clown who would get a regular kicking in the cobblers, someone should have informed Age Concern.

 

[Pertinax]

Ursula Böttcher Video 1973 - Circopedia[/url]. It is massively impressive - even if some will, no doubt, feel uncomfortable with it. I have to say that the bears all look to be in stunning physical condition,

Also worth a watch is this one: Rolf Knie Jr Video (1973) - Circopedia. Rolf Knie's ungulate act - zebras, a leaping llama, and a performing hippo (really!). it is quite brilliant - as are Rolf's shorts, which need to be seen to be believed.

It is horrible- yet fascinating! The bears do look hugely impressive and dwarf her by their size. I agree they look in superb condition too and so clean- far more so than most of the old 'Zoo' Polar Bears. Presumably the result of regular hosing/washing maybe? But I noticed one or two of them are also 'weaving' even while standing on their podiums in the background.

In the ungulate act I noticed the last Zebra exits the ring with a kick of his heels- a sure sign of exuberance in Equids so clearly they weren't stressed while performing.

His shorts are almost as unbelievable as the Hippo....

 

[Pertinax]

Skippy the boxing kangaroo. The kangaroo would enter the boxing ring with his sparring partner a clown, both would be wearing boxing gloves and the ringmaster would act as referee. Both opponents would proceed to have a boxing match the audience would be in hysterics, cruel?

IMO Definately. The Kangaroo was being forced to use its defensive/aggressive reaction, in this case to a Human pretending to attack it like another Kangaroo. So probably a stressful experience for it, even if it was perfectly used to going through these motions everyday.

But looking at the Knie Ungulate act mentioned above, I don't think the Zebras, Llama or even the Hippo were stressed though.