I knew a lot of them were, but I didn't know West mids was aswell (obviously is by what Paradoxurus said). I wonder why it shocks so many people? I thought it was widely known, seems to be mentioned in all the guidebooks I have from Longleat.
Indeed it was Chipperfield that came up with the safari park concept in the first place; he was a friend of Lord Bath's, and that was the suggestion he gave him. Does anyone know when Longleat's involvment with the Chipperfield Family ended?
On that note, John Knowles mentioned in his autobiography how he wrote an almost apology letter to Chipperfield as Marwell was close competition to Southampton. He did visit once, but Knowles reckoned he was secretly hoping that Marwell would go bankrupt and he could buy it as another smallholding!
What really gets me is that in the last centuary there were two great pioneers in the way that captive animals were displayed. Number one was Hagenbeck when he removed the bars from traditional zoo cages and second was Jimmy Chipperfield, when he removed all separation between animals and public. Both came from circus backgrounds but yet Hagenbeck is highly praised and Chipperfields are frowned apon. I know there were issues with other members of the Chipperfield family and cruelty charges but the fact here was that these two men envisioned captive animals being displayed in as much freedom as could be afforded. I think credit where credit is due, and people should reconsider their opinions of the Chipperfield name.
Oh, I agree that Chipperfield hit the jackpot with Longleat; but conditions at his zoos in Plymouth and Southampton were not at all suitable, and we cannot deny other creulty charges such as Mary Chipperfield and the Chimps, but of course those are different people. And I personally do not agree with wild animals in circuses, but that's a very different steaming kettle of fish.
Overall, I feel a degree of respect should be given to Jimmy Chipperfield with his success at Longleat and the other safari parks he opened, but not to the Chipperfield Family as a whole.
Have you seen the videos used in the trial? I'm not being funny and just defending circuses but how they were used as evidence I don't know, you can't even see it's Mary Chipperfield as there's no face shown. She doesn't even shout at the chimp, "she just says "come on girl, get inside"".
