Polar Bear, September 1951

I found these photographs whilst having a sort out. I am pretty certain they were taken in September 1951 as my parents told me they visited Regent's Park on their honeymoon (they went to the Festival of Britain as well). I presume my father took the Polar Bear photographs.

Polar Bear

Was this the old Bear Dens where the Sobell Pavilion was later built? I don't remember there being one with a pool. However, I wasn't born till 1953, so it may have all gone by the time I was hatched. Never seen a photograph of this enclosure even.

FBBird said:

Was this the old Bear Dens where the Sobell Pavilion was later built?

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Yes, I believe that this was one of the structures that was demolished to make way for the Sobell Pavilions but I've never seen photograph of it taken from this angle (i.e. from above) before.

I recall seeing various bear species in this exhibit over the years including sloth bears, sun bears, Asiatic black bears and spectacled bears. (Chi-Chi the giant panda was housed in an enclosure behind this too.)

FBBird said:

However, I wasn't born till 1953....

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Me too.

If this shot is of the demolished bear pits....exactly how many polar bears did London have at this time?
I believe that they occupied 2 of the Mappin enclosures, at either end.

Polar Bear

I only ever remember Polar Bears at the Reptile House end of the Mappins. However, in those days Whipsnade & London Zoos between them probably had up to 20 assorted bears, which may have got moved around between the two sites. Thinking about it, London may have had two lots of Polars in the Pipaluk & Sabrina era, assuming Pipaluk's parents were still on site.

Bwassa said:

If this shot is of the demolished bear pits....exactly how many polar bears did London have at this time?
I believe that they occupied 2 of the Mappin enclosures, at either end.

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Could this be the young cub 'Spitfire' which spent time at both London and Whipsnade Zoos and was kept in this enclosure at one time? I don't think it ever had a partner and died(?) before adulthood. Adult Polars were on the Mappins at the same time of course. Not sure if the year/date tallies with that hypothesis though.

I believe in the past there were two pairs of Polar Bears on the Mappins more than once. Firstly, Ivy and Mishka, the parents of the famous Brumas, still there at the same time as Brumas and her partner 'Ulla' (from Moscow Zoo?)

And later the parents of Pipaluk at the same time as Pipaluk and Sabrina?

Tim May can probably give us some dates and confirm if this is correct- certainly it was with Ivy/Mishka and Brumas/Ulla.

Pertinax said:

I believe in the past there were two pairs of Polar Bears on the Mappins more than once. Firstly, Ivy and Mishka, the parents of the famous Brumas, still there at the same time as Brumas and her partner 'Ulla' (from Moscow Zoo?)

And later the parents of Pipaluk at the same time as Pipaluk and Sabrina?

Tim May can probably give us some dates and confirm if this is correct- certainly it was with Ivy/Mishka and Brumas/Ulla.

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I can remember when there were polar bears at both ends of the bear enclosures on the Mappins. I have photos of Sally with her cub Paddiwhack in 1973 in the enclosure at the western (park) end; I think he was Pipaluk's younger sibling. I can't remember if the enclosure at the Reptile House end held Sam (Sally's mate) or whether he was off-show and the younger bears were there (possibly they alternated).

Alan

Amos and Mosa were also held at London in the 1960s before going to Whipsnade to make way for Pipaluk and Sabrina. The former pair bred satisfactorily, but for whatever reason Pipaluk and Sabrina never reared cubs.

In the early 80s the pairings were swapped, with no success, and by that time the limitations of both facilities were glaringly obvious. By early 1986 all four animals had gone elsewhere, leaving ZSL minus Polar Bears, a state of affairs that prevails to this day.

Incidentally, Sam was apparently the biggest Polar Bear in Europe. This was according to Frank Wheeler, who was one of the keepers involved in the rather nerve-wracking job of moving him into his crate when he was sent off to Munich in 1976, at which point the animal was weighed.

gentle lemur said:

I can remember when there were polar bears at both ends of the bear enclosures on the Mappins. I have photos of Sally with her cub Paddiwhack in 1973 in the enclosure at the western (park) end; I think he was Pipaluk's younger sibling. I can't remember if the enclosure at the Reptile House end held Sam (Sally's mate) or whether he was off-show and the younger bears were there (possibly they alternated).

Alan

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From my memory(fairly vague until about 1974) , there were always polar bears in the park end enclosure, and that was where the public feeds were usually seen. Im pretty certain there was always at least one in the other end one throughout the 70s until early 80s.
As Ian states, Sam didnt leave until 76, so both end were definitely in use at that time
Incidentally, it's interesting you mention the cub in 1973, because i had memories of at least one cub in that enclosure after pipaluk, but i read( zsl website i think) that brumas & pipaluk were the only successful births at london, which i thought wasn't right!
Can anyone tell me how many successes london had with polar bears please?

What a old picture is it. I think it was a good time for London zoo when the time that the photo was taken, since many rare animals were in that zoo, which many zoos couldn't able to get that many species in that time.