The house is still there, just below the lemur enclosure, but it's been empty since the elephants were moved to the new complex across the park. I think it's a listed building and the ZSL is faced with the problem of finding something to do with it. I hope they can.
The house is still there, just below the lemur enclosure, but it's been empty since the elephants were moved to the new complex across the park. I think it's a listed building and the ZSL is faced with the problem of finding something to do with it. I hope they can.
The ZSl website says that there is a new butterfly garden to the left of the lemur enclosure, which to me means that the elephant house will be the backdrop of the garden...
I can actually remember going in this House to see the elephants. I do not remember a watermoat though- I think by the time of my visits it was a dry moat. Also I believe they had added rails around the front part of each circular bay which are still there now.
One Asian female was named 'Mangal Peary,' another was an orphan from Ceylon/Sri Lanka, she may have been 'Valli.' The keeper would stand with an elephant on the lawn outside and she would collect pennies with her trunk from the visitors and slip them into his pocket.
This house is another Lubetkin design so bound to have a preservation order on it.
Very interesting photo we often wondered how the structure could possibly work as an elephant house! Not sure it does work but I suppose it did at the time given the conditions for animals at that time!!
