polarbears at whipsnade

Polar Bears at Whipsnade Zoo. 1960 or before? Way before my time.

Not much in the way of a safety barrier eh?

They were like this in the early 1970s

It was a dreadful enclosure, very small with grey concrete and those horrible bars. There was a wire mesh barrier to waist height as well, which you can just see in the photos; it did keep people at a safe distance.

Alan

The pool was not much bigger than a bath tub

When was the last time that ZSL (Whipsnade or Regent's Park) had polar bears?

DavidBrown said:

When was the last time that ZSL (Whipsnade or Regent's Park) had polar bears?

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The last polar bears at London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo were in 1986 and 1984 respectively.

Read Gerald Durrell's "Beasts in My Belfry" for an account of this enclosure and its vanished carnivore pit neighbours.

It was appalling, but the bears did well there; I think ten cubs were reared there in the 1960s and 1970s. Admittedly, it wasn't easy for male and female to avoid coming into contact with each other in an enclosure that size!

If anywhere in England has the space to do Polar Bears properly, it's Whipsnade. I'd love to see them back - done properly this time!

The barriers around this and the Lion and Tiger Dells were all pretty similar-the classic ZSL chainlink. There was at least one accident with the Lions in the 1950's- a young boy(a cub scout?) climbed over- I think he died from the mauling he got.

Pertinax said:

There was at least one accident with the Lions in the 1950's- a young boy(a cub scout?) climbed over- I think he died from the mauling he got.

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Yes he was a cub scout; allegedly the tragedy was the result of him climbing into the lion's enclosure to retrieve his cap.