Did your zoo have a chimp show 1940 - 1975?

[Pertinax]

I suspect this was an idea coming from Desmond Morris who was curator of mammals there until 1966. He also had the automated seal feeding machine for the grey seal who lived in a round pool with an island outside the old children's zoo.

Definately. I remember the seal feeding machine. And there were 'talking information labels' with his recorded voice on them too. I don't know if ZSL still have a modernised version of those now?

Interesting video of the Chimpanzee tea party. Their popularity must still have been huge then, judging by the massed ranks of the audience!

 

[Tim May]

I suspect this was an idea coming from Desmond Morris who was curator of mammals there until 1966. He also had the automated seal feeding machine for the grey seal who lived in a round pool with an island outside the old children's zoo.

The automated seal feeding machine was installed in 1960 when the old panda pit was converted into the seal pond (and its previous inhabitant, the famous giant panda “Chi-Chi”, was moved to the enclosure near the Clock Tower).