Chester Zoo Rajang the Orangutan

bongorob said:
Bella was born on 5th October 1980. Her parents were Dennis and Lola. She was named after former ape keeper Bella Neate, who changed careers to become the zoos education officer.

All the orangs were karotyped in 1978.

Ramona arrived from East Berlin in exchange for a female Meyer's sickle-billed bird of paradise. She was obtained as a Bornean Orang Utan, but turned out to be Sumatran.
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I recall Bella Neate having hand gliding lessons after nearly being scalped by a chimp who had grabbed her by the hair during evening lockdown routine. Very serious oversight. Health and safety wasn't the same back then. Might have contributed to her career change.
 
That is very true. In 1986 or 87 I was in Chester Zoo when a female Hamadryas Baboon escaped. When I arrived at the scene she was sitting in a tree near to elephant bridge. The vet had darted her and keepers with nets caught her when she fell out of the tree. The public were allowed to watch providing they didn't interfere with the recapture operation. If this sort of thing happened today they would close the zoo.
 
bongorob said:
That is very true. In 1986 or 87 I was in Chester Zoo when a female Hamadryas Baboon escaped. When I arrived at the scene she was sitting in a tree near to elephant bridge. The vet had darted her and keepers with nets caught her when she fell out of the tree. The public were allowed to watch providing they didn't interfere with the recapture operation. If this sort of thing happened today they would close the zoo.
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Small world as I think my mother was actually there the same day with my brother, she certainly recounted the Baboon story to me as she was petrified. Martha (Orangutan) walked out one summer evening as somebody had left her bed unlocked. I watched on as my father Eric walked her back in hand in hand. Lucky she was so placid. A small boy lost the fingers of one hand after putting them into the wolf enclosure. I believe the wolf's were moved on to another collection. And I recall Bill Timmis telling me an elephant once went garden hopping down Moston Hill after escaping from the zoo grounds. If I'm not mistaken he had to shoot it. How times have changed!
 
Prochilodus246 said:
The elephant you mention was Nobby and you are correct, he did indeed shoot Nobby. If I can remember correctly this was around Oct/Nov '75.
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Some ZooChatters may remember one of our 'Walk and Talk' sessions at Chester, when the former Curator of Mammals told us that he was at school near the zoo on the day that Nobby escaped after demolishing a temporary barrier around some repair work. He said that he was nearly caned for telling people that he had just seen an elephant walking down the road.
 
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