When the Mappins were the Mappins, early 1980s

When the Mappins....

A great loss to the London skyline

I was lucky to visit London in September 1985, I think that was the last year the Mappins were open.

Great shot- both historically and composition wise.

Pertinax said:

Great shot- both historically and composition wise.

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Thank-you. I could have got the higher animals in completely as well though!

Good photography alone won't get you a gold star though - it has to be a photo or information about some animal(s) I am particularly interested in.

Brilliant, for so many reasons.

So sad that the Goat Hills have been abandoned. The animals kept did very well. and they were visible from the Park. This flock of Aoudad/Barbary Sheep dated back to the 1840s!!

IanRRobinson said:

So sad that the Goat Hills have been abandoned. The animals kept did very well. and they were visible from the Park. This flock of Aoudad/Barbary Sheep dated back to the 1840s!!

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So I imagine they were inbred beyond belief?

Don't look at the Pere David's Deer studbook !! Almost certainly, they ALL descend from one pair kept at Berlin Zoo in the 1870s....

My earliest memories of the Mappins are of looking at them through a closed gate, standing empty and unloved, so any photos I find with animals on I appreciate!

It's a shame I shall never see them as they were, but maybe that's a good thing in terms of animal welfare. I don't hold out much hope for it's future-it's rotten inside and out and would cost millions to restore I'd imagine. Isn't the Aquarium the only thing preventing it from collapsing?