Cleethorpes Zoo (closed 1977)

Douanita

That is a very nice postcard !

Our Bartlett Society founder Clin Keeling once wrote a short article about Cleethorpes Zoo. The summary on our website says: -

"Opened in 1965 on Kings Road, Humberston, on reclaimed marshland. Covered over 20 acres. Species kept included Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Elephant Seal, Grey Seals, Asiatic Elephant, Giraffes, Hippopotamus, Chimpanzees, Orang Utans, Pere David's Deer, big Cats, Peccaries, Kangaroos and a well-stocked reptile house. The collection remained open for less than a decade."

Not sure about those specific elephants but I could ask our membership.

Regards, Paul M < Zoo History >.
 
Exact details of Cleethorpes Zoo are very difficult to find. The zoo was owned by Associated Pleasure Parks who imported large numbers of animals (including elephants) before selling them on to other collections. The company's other major zoo was at Flamingo Park in Yorkshire and stock regularly moved between the two sites.

That said, I suspect that the two elephants on the postcard are Freddie and Tanya (who moved to Dudley Zoo in 1973) as they seem to have been the only long-term elephant residents.

There are some further images of Cleethorpes here: Photos of Cleethorpes Zoo, Humberside - Francis Frith

As you say the zoo closed in 1977, but was re-opened soon after by "Colossus Ltd." - sadly it only lasted another couple of years and closed for good around 1979.
 
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Colossus Ltd was a company formed by Bernard Bale and Al Verlain who both had circus backgrounds. Indeed there was a circus on the site during their tenure where one of them (Bale I think) used to show a big-cat act.

The zoo closed after their falling out as a consequence of one eloping with the other's daughter and further complications between the two family's relationships.

One of them still operates the Jungle at Cleethorpes today.
 
the site where the zoo was is now a theme park, it still has sea lions and birds which do displays ,i wonder if the sea lion pool is the old elephant seal one ?
 
robmv said:
The company's other major zoo was at Flamingo Park in Yorkshire and stock regularly moved between the two sites.
Click to expand...

I don't remember seeing Orangutans at Cleethorpes mentioned before e.g. in studbooks but the photos prove it. Perhaps they were later moved to Flamingo Park?
 
Didn't Hercules the Common Hippo from Belle Vue move to Cleethorpes when Belle Vue closed?
 
Hercules first appeared in the studbook in 1965 listed at Humberside. In February of that year he was transferred to Belle Vue and transferred back to Humberside in 1977, and then to Dudley in 1979 where he died on 16th November 1979.

I assume Humberside is Cleethorpes.
 
Thanks Rob. I thought Hercules didn't arrive at Belle Vue til 1969, when they opened the Tropical River House? Reading "Zoo Vet" by David Taylor, it says that Hercules arrived from Whipsnade (so I always assumed he was born there), and was the first hippo in the House. It also says that he used to stalk, kill and eat the other inhabitants, mainly the tropical birds (?!?):eek:
 
I think I read somewhere that the bit about killing the birds is not true. I can't be certain though.
 
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It seems an odd thing to write about if it's not true? I have a Belle Vue guide from 1975, which refers to Hercules as "our rather friendly hippo" , which I always thought was a reference to his carnivorous habits.
 
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