Colchester Zoo Colchester Zoo History Book

snowleopard

snowleopard

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On August 1st a 288-page book will be published about Colchester Zoo. It seems as if it will be a "must-own" for zoo enthusiasts, but has anyone heard any advance news about the book?

[ame=http://www.amazon.ca/The-Story-Colchester-Zoo-Kershaw/dp/0752493469/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1365650987&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=history+of+the+dallas+zoo]The Story of Colchester Zoo: Amazon.ca: S. C. Kershaw: Books[/ame]
 
Chlidonias said:
is it the one the following thread is about, perchance?
http://www.zoochat.com/38/colchester-zoo-history-241816/
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Thanks for the link, and I've already saved the book on my Amazon "wishlist". It is interesting that the thread on the history book had not been commented on in over a year, but obviously the book was completed as it arrives Aug. 1st on Amazon. I hope that Colchester Zoo orders a stack of copies for its giftshop!
 
I don't know if it is the same book, note, but it seems likely.
 
Chlidonias said:
I don't know if it is the same book, note, but it seems likely.
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I'm almost certain it is the same book, since it states it will be published in the 50th anniversary year (2013) and i have not seen it in the gift shop yet, and have looked around for it several times since reading about it on here.
 
It is indeed the very same book, but in fact is due out on the 15th of May 2013. I hope you enjoy it!

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Story-Colchester-Zoo-Kershaw/dp/0752493469/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365774988&sr=8-1&keywords=colchester+zoo]The Story of Colchester Zoo: Amazon.co.uk: S. C. Kershaw: Books[/ame]
 
I have just finished reading The Story of Colchester Zoo by S.C. Kershaw, and a very enjoyable and interesting read it is. This book gave an insight into this zoo in its early days which I was unfamiliar with when run by Frank Farrar and his wife Helena. The book honestly describes how this zoo declined into quite a bad state in the seventies which I did not really know much about,and later bought by Mr.Farrar's niece and her husband, who took it on in a pretty bad state and completely turned the place around into the excellent zoo which it is today, they overcome the hurdles of the 1987 storm, foot and mouth closure and other set backs for which they have to be admired, a very good book.
 
I may have to buy this when I visit Colchester in August!
 
TARZAN said:
The book honestly describes how this zoo declined into quite a bad state in the seventies which I did not really know much about,.
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I visited there once in the 1960's, and once in the early '70's and while it was never very upmarket in those days, I do remember it was looking very rundown the 2nd time.

One might not like the 'fake rock' approach(I don't) but there's no denying they have rebranded this Zoo into probably one of the best collections in the Country.

Incidentally, it does seem(sadly) that their African elephant breeding seems to have ground to a halt nowadays, after an initially quite promising start.
 
Pertinax said:
I visited there once in the 1960's, and once in the early '70's and while it was never very upmarket in those days, I do remember it was looking very rundown the 2nd time.

One might not like the 'fake rock' approach(I don't) but there's no denying they have rebranded this Zoo into probably one of the best collections in the Country.

Incidentally, it does seem(sadly) that their African elephant breeding seems to have ground to a halt nowadays, after an initially quite promising start.
Click to expand...

Yes the elephant breeding does appear to have ground to a halt at the moment, one interesting thing in this book was about the time when Colchester obtained the three African elephants from Mary Chipperfield Promotions. Colchester were criticised for purchasing elephants from a circus, as this went against the rules, Mr. Tropiana stated that he could have obtained elephants for nothing through the European breeding programme, but instead bought the three elephants from Mary Chipperfield instead for £53,000.He justified this move, as I am sure everyone will agree, on the grounds that he was releasing the elephants from a living hell and the time it would take for the elephants to be confiscated through the courts would be too long, and thus releasing poor Tembo from his regular thrashings with an iron bar from Chipperfield's elephant groom Gills, who had served time in prison for murdering a young school teacher before taking up his position with Mary Chipperfield Promotions Limited, he thankfully returned to jail for the crimes he committed against Tembo and other animals.
 
Pertinax said:
I visited there once in the 1960's, and once in the early '70's and while it was never very upmarket in those days, I do remember it was looking very rundown the 2nd time.

One might not like the 'fake rock' approach(I don't) but there's no denying they have rebranded this Zoo into probably one of the best collections in the Country.

Incidentally, it does seem(sadly) that their African elephant breeding seems to have ground to a halt nowadays, after an initially quite promising start.
Click to expand...
The zoo i 1st visited again in 2001 (after a gap of 15+ years) was unrecognisable from the one i went to fairly regularly as a child in the 70s & into the 80s. The fake rock doesn't bother me, it is probably one of the most improved zoos in the UK over the last 20-25 years. I'd rate it comfortably top 5 now.
 
pipaluk said:
The zoo i 1st visited again in 2001 (after a gap of 15+ years) was unrecognisable from the one i went to fairly regularly as a child in the 70s & into the 80s. The fake rock doesn't bother me, it is probably one of the most improved zoos in the UK over the last 20-25 years. I'd rate it comfortably top 5 now.
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Yes, I'd agree with that. I really strain to remember anything of the zoo that I visited in 1974 as an eleven year old. The former bear enclosures by the road, which I personally think might well do a job for a pair of Ocelots (the loss of cat species in the past fifteen years is the one aspect of the place that I don't like!), and the penguin pool next door are the only bits that I think have survived.

Colchester by 1989, when I first visited as an adult was in a pretty poor state. Work had obviously been done on it quite recently; what it must have looked like in about 1986/7 I don't care to think about.
 
I'd wholly recommend the book - it is not particularly pretty (limited photos, basic design), so, in that regard, it is not a patch on the recent Bristol book, but the text is mostly superb (a couple of very minor errors), with a very keen sense of the zoo's place in the broader historical narrative of the past 50 years.
 
Pertinax said:
Incidentally, it does seem(sadly) that their African elephant breeding seems to have ground to a halt nowadays, after an initially quite promising start.
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I fear that although not quite as near the brink as some of the other species I have discussed in the "Disappearing from the UK" thread, there is a more than comfortable risk that within the next decade or two, African elephants will cease to be kept in the UK.
 
IanRRobinson said:
Yes, I'd agree with that. I really strain to remember anything of the zoo that I visited in 1974 as an eleven year old. The former bear enclosures by the road, which I personally think might well do a job for a pair of Ocelots (the loss of cat species in the past fifteen years is the one aspect of the place that I don't like!), and the penguin pool next door are the only bits that I think have survived.

Colchester by 1989, when I first visited as an adult was in a pretty poor state. Work had obviously been done on it quite recently; what it must have looked like in about 1986/7 I don't care to think about.
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Have to agree on the reduction in cat species, although 5 is better than some and there is certainly the space to add a couple more smaller species they have lost in the last few years eg Pallas Cat, Fishing Cat or Margay.
What strikes me is that i hadn't realised they'd lost those species until now and Fossa. But they have managed to add a few in that time, largely thanks to RSCC.
Thinking back to 2001, they had jaguar & snow leopard then too, but this is partly offset by the amur leopard & cheetah which weren't there then.
 
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TARZAN said:
Yes the elephant breeding does appear to have ground to a halt at the moment, one interesting thing in this book was about the time when Colchester obtained the three African elephants from Mary Chipperfield Promotions. Colchester were criticised for purchasing elephants from a circus, as this went against the rules, Mr. Tropiana stated that he could have obtained elephants for nothing through the European breeding programme, but instead bought the three elephants from Mary Chipperfield instead for £53,000.He justified this move, as I am sure everyone will agree, on the grounds that he was releasing the elephants from a living hell and the time it would take for the elephants to be confiscated through the courts would be too long, and thus releasing poor Tembo from his regular thrashings with an iron bar from Chipperfield's elephant groom Gills, who had served time in prison for murdering a young school teacher before taking up his position with Mary Chipperfield Promotions Limited, he thankfully returned to jail for the crimes he committed against Tembo and other animals.
Click to expand...

It may seem odd today, but at one time thrashing Elephants was considered an essential part of their husbandry. In his fascinating book on his experiences with Elephants in American circuses and zoos Slim Lewis said he could be accused of brutality, but he considered it necessary to show the animal who was in charge. Mr Lewis, of course, handled many extremely dangerous bull Elephants in a number of American circuses at a time when deaths of handlers were common and the killing of members of the public by Elephants was far from unknown. There is also the famous account of the thrashing of the young Jumbo by Messrs Bartlett and Scott. I think that was with bamboo though.
 
Regarding the transaction between DT and MC, I'd suggest this was more likely due to DT's impatience to get elephants and nothing to do with fast-tracking their removal from her care. Superb piece of spin though. A similar situation arose with the white rhinos imported to Colchester. They were purchased from Africa simply because it was a much quicker way of obtaining the species than waiting for them to become available through the EEP.
 
For those of you that subscribe to the IZES Zoo Grapevine magazine you will have undoubtedly already have read an excellent and extremely thorough review of the book in the latest issue, but I will add my quick two cents as well. The divided halves of the historical book provide clear insight into both the Farrars and Tropeanos in terms of what was achieved at Colchester Zoo. There is the theme that the zoo blossomed in the 1960's, faded badly in the 1970's, was resuscitated in the 1980's and now is doing unbelievably well in the 21st century. There is a turning point that is highlighted, and it interestingly enough features Diana monkeys in a new enclosure that was built in 1988. The book argues that from that point onwards the overall quality of the zoo improved significantly although one could point out that while the author lauds many of the modern exhibits there are those amongst us that are slightly skeptical when it comes to the mock-rock "masterpieces" of the park. Overall, it is a very well-written book that nicely ties in the rise, fall and subsequent rise of Colchester Zoo with many national incidents in British history. I would highly recommend all zoo nerds to immediately purchase it, and it goes along very well with recent zoo-themed publications from that section of the world (Bristol, Dublin, London, etc).
 
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