memories

[adrian1963]

I was looking through my old photo collection and found some photo's that brought great memories back to me. Like the Gorilla at Dudley Zoo nearly breaking the glass to try and get to some people who were banging the glass.
The old Miniture Railway that run past the old Camel enclosure and of course the Dolphins and the killer whale (Cuddles)
Looking back at the photographs just proved to me how far the technology on building enclosures has progressed all for the good I must say but memories will always be good ones because at the time no one knew any better.
What memories do you have of when you were young and visiting zoo's.

 

[Meaghan Edwards]

Oh man, so many!

I remember seeing the Arctic wolves in Toronto Zoo in their original enclosure, which was later used as a maternal area for the Polar Bears. Coming up to them, I remember the Dall's Sheep on their mountain (who have left the zoo and their mountain is now used as decoration in the Tundra Trek). I remember being in awe with the Monorail ride which used to right into the Rouge Valley. I remembered seeing my first white tigers at Toronto as well.

 

[Zambar]

My earliest zoo memories are from Marwell and Longleat. My earliest Marwell memory would be watching the road train come to us at the stop, and at Longleat it would be seeing the hippos resting on the bank. I also vaguely remember my only visit to Chessington, just a few flashes of gorillas, lions and sea lions. All these happened when I was about two.

 

[Blackduiker]

As a very small child visiting the old Los Angeles Griffith Park Zoo, I can remember right at the entrance, a hillside exhibit of Mouflon Sheep and in the general vicinity, a large, lone Galapagos Tortoise. How scary the old large cat enclosures were to walk past; you seemed so close to the fence. And the click, click, click of bear claws on the floor of their grottoes. I can also remember standing next to the food concessions building, and watching a monkey next to it, literally rattling his poorly constructed cage. This was all during the early 1960s, since the old zoo closed back in 1965. And then of course, the opening of the new LA Zoo in 1966. Which to us was greatly anticipated; from 17 to 113 acres!

I also remember my first visit to the San Diego Zoo in 1964. My dad had just purchased a brand new Red '64 Chevrolet Impala, and was itching to air it out. So we made our first family excursion to San Diego, and the San Diego Zoo. It was astounding even way back then. That was the first and only memory I have of seeing a Moose in captivity. Though I did see a couple of wild Moose, at great distance, while visiting Yellowstone National Park in 1968.

My zoo memories are numerous, and extend back the majority of my 54 years.