This enclosure originally ( c.1960s ) had a wrought iron barred frontage with curved spikes along that back wall. These were later removed by the time the photo was taken, the wall all the way round , but specifically at the front was indeed thought to be far too low , the male bear used to jump from the pool up the front wall to see how far he could get!! The enclosure was extended and redeveloped at least twice , viewing windows replaced the iron-work , later on those windows were extended along the left hand side to increase public viewing areas. After the last bears left in 1991 the whole thing was filled in and became an ornamental pond with a walk over bridge. The underview still remained but locked up. Then the underview area became the "Creepy Caves" reptile facility whilst the top was completely concreted over as a viewing / seating area. Z
This is a view of the Polar Bear enclosure. It shows the enclosure before it was revamped. I have a Chessington Zoo website which can be found at CHESSINGTON ZOO IN OLD POSTCARDS | Home It is still under construction but it already has some material on it.
The back wall was not as low as it appears in the photo, the concrete floor slopes down into a ditch before it meets the back wall. The front wall however does appear very low in the photo above this post. This was remedied by glass viewing windows which were fairly high (see 1980s photo of same enclosure on this gallery, once it was refurbished).
Does anyone know the name of this bear in the photo? Did it have a mate? Is it/were they the same animals that were moved temporarily to the other bear pits while the polar bear pool was being refurbished? Because I think Bonnie and Clyde arrived around the same time as cubs.
I am guessing from comments on here that the older polar bear(s) never made it back to the refurbished pool, which was reserved for the newly-arrived bonnie and clyde. Did the previous occupants of the polar bear pool, now housed in the other bear pits temporarily, die there, or were they moved on to another collection?
I Think this Bear isr the female "Bess". She was wild born in 1959 and from 22.08.1960 in Chessington. She moved at 29.09.1982 to the Zoo in Basel. She died at 30.03.1988.
