Its a shame that these elepaphants are now mostly forgotten about. I don't think they kept these 2 for long. A new elaphant house had just been built so I presume that was Tanya and Zola's old home. It optimistically hopes that they will both perhaps 1 day breed.
But by the time of my 1970s brochure they had African elephants which did occupy that enclosure that Tanya and Zola were in.
BTW I do have more old photos of Colchester Zoo but I feel that its someone elses turn to post some old photos.
If you do feel like posting any others, I, for one, would be very interested to see them. For instance, until I saw this, I had no idea Colchester had ever kept Asian elephants.
If you do feel like posting any others, I, for one, would be very interested to see them. For instance, until I saw this, I had no idea Colchester had ever kept Asian elephants.
I went to the Colchester libary to try and find old newspaper clippings from the zoo. I found some information on those African elephants of which I've mentioned earlier.
They had 2 cow elephants who ironically enough were also called Moto and Toto. They arrived in I think 1967 shortly after this was written so I think the elephants pictured here really weren't there for very long at all after this picture was taken.
Moto died in September 1985 from a susspected heart attack. I don't know what happened to Toto as this article says on it that they are were hoping to find a companion for Toto preferably a young 1. I wonder whether when Tanya and Zola arrived they still had Toto?
If anyone can remember any of these elephants than please say (I know Bele mentioned them earlier). I didn't find any reports on when Tanya and Zola arrived and I have to confess that the machine I had to use was VERY COMPLICATED.
Congratulations on finding this information Goretex , Moto and Toto must have been the two African elephants I remember from Colchester Zoo of old . The death of one fits in with what I remember , wonder if Toto died or moved on ?
The pair of Asian elephants arrived ca.1966 and were at Colchester for around five years - they appeared on a guidebook cover in the late 1960s (scan attached).
These were not Colchester's first elephants as an Asian calf named "Caroline" was pictured in the first (ca.1965) guidebook.
The African elephants arrived ca.1971, presumably shortly after the Asian departed (I have no idea what happened to them). Confusingly, both pairs of animals were called Moto and Toto (though the Asians were a bull and a cow and the Africans were two cows). Moto II died 24.09.1985 and Toto II was sent to Longleat a few weeks later. Tanya and Zola arrived 2/3 November 1985 from Longleat and were clearly part of the same deal. Toto II moved to Cabarceno, Spain 02.04.1990 and died there 05.08.2005.
