Sherwood Zoo
- Thread starter Douanita
- Start date
Sherwood zoo was a collaboration between Martin Lacey and Associated Pleasure Parks (Flamingoland, Cleethorpes Zoo etc.). He rented the land and they supplied the animals (he worked for them at various zoos and in various capacities but Sherwood was to be Martin's last involvement with APP). There is a rumour as to why the partnership split up but either way APP (who, I think, had been bought out by Scotia Holdings by that time and had re-engaged Don Robinson) raided the zoo and took all their animals back, including one of the elephants, while they distracted his attention off site. He managed to run the zoo for another year or two but was never able to fully restock it. When the place finally closed, some of the Lions ended up at a local pub where they were kept for several further years by the landlord. Martin went on to operate the short-lived collection at Seaburn and there after became more permanently involved with circus work.
I visited Sherwood Zoo in the early seventies ( I was based in Nottingham at the time ) . Nick Nyoka was there then ( later at Knaresborough ) with 'the biggest lion in the world' I think called Simba . He went in with the lion and gave him a bottle of milk to drink ! A real showman . I think there was one baby Asiatic elephant there then . I also remember a moor macaque . Somewhere I have a list of the stock I saw and also a guide-book - if anyone is interested I could dig these out and provide more information .
Douanita
Well-Known Member
Please do!
Can you provide us a scan of the elephant-photo('s) in the guidebook and perhaps you own to?
Thank you all for the answers.
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
Is this the same Martin Lacey who is now running the Great British Circus? if so, he sounds like quite a chap. The link below is to the website of CAPS (dread anti-zoo zealots). It is the recording of an interview with Mr Lacey, during which he goes berserk. i think it is posted on their web-site to show that he is a lunatic; I think it shows him in an excellent light, and his invitation ot the interviewer to "f*** off" is one that, i think, should be extended to all those who support such organisations as CAPS.
[ame]http://www.captiveanimals.org/images/lacey_full.mp3[/ame]
[ame]http://www.captiveanimals.org/images/lacey_full.mp3[/ame]
Yeah that's him, you can here him trying to keep his cool all the way through it. Stupid anti-cap lobby, making him and any other circus person seem like some monster. Actually, I don't think the interviewer was pro/anti circus though, think he was a radio presenter, CAPS stole the interview! 
Edit: He flew off the handle a bit too much, that isn't going to go down well :-S
Edit: He flew off the handle a bit too much, that isn't going to go down well :-S
Indeed Martin has had a fascinating career in the zoo world: Chester Zoo, Flamingoland, the winter zoo at Newcastle, Sherwood zoo of course, Stanley Zoo, Seaburn Zoo and Southport to name a few. And as well as running his own circus in recent years he has also been involved with many others including Gerry Cottle's. He presented big cats in the last ever circus at Belle Vue too.
Despite many controversies over the years and, to some, dubious ethics, he is an excellent stockman.
Despite many controversies over the years and, to some, dubious ethics, he is an excellent stockman.
The guide book is not dated but prices are in 'old money' so pre-decimalisation . A photo of Martin and June Lacey with 2 horses and 6 Rhodesian ridgeback dogs is included !
According to the guide , the elephant 'Gosta' arrived from Thailand on June 1st 1968 , she was only 34 inches tall so must have been very young and had to be fed on a milk substitute ( evaporated milk , Farex , creamed rice , apple puree , vitamins , minerals , water ) on arrival .
Other mammals in the guide book - llama , alpaca , fallow deer , sika deer , raccoon , tayra , zorilla , coati , thick-tailed galago , kinkajou , collared peccary , lion , puma , hamadryas baboon , barbary ape , rhesus macaque , pig-tailed macaque , white-fronted capuchin , Central American spider monkey . Birds - ostrich , caracara , tawny eagle , crowned , sarus and demoiselle crane , various waterfowl and pheasants , two-wattled cassowary , macaws and other parrots .
There was a Pets Corner , Aquarium ( no extra charge ) and Nocturnal House .
I do not have any photos and will see if I can get a scan of guide book photos and also try to find my list of species seen when I get a chance .
According to the guide , the elephant 'Gosta' arrived from Thailand on June 1st 1968 , she was only 34 inches tall so must have been very young and had to be fed on a milk substitute ( evaporated milk , Farex , creamed rice , apple puree , vitamins , minerals , water ) on arrival .
Other mammals in the guide book - llama , alpaca , fallow deer , sika deer , raccoon , tayra , zorilla , coati , thick-tailed galago , kinkajou , collared peccary , lion , puma , hamadryas baboon , barbary ape , rhesus macaque , pig-tailed macaque , white-fronted capuchin , Central American spider monkey . Birds - ostrich , caracara , tawny eagle , crowned , sarus and demoiselle crane , various waterfowl and pheasants , two-wattled cassowary , macaws and other parrots .
There was a Pets Corner , Aquarium ( no extra charge ) and Nocturnal House .
I do not have any photos and will see if I can get a scan of guide book photos and also try to find my list of species seen when I get a chance .
Douanita
Well-Known Member
DanKoehl
Well-Known Member
Can we be sure that the elephants came from Flamingoland?
If Gosta came back to Flamingo land, she may eventually be identical with Jangolie, born 1968, arriving Flamingoland in 1971, and leaving for Chester Zoo 1994-01-19.
Or the two elephants may have come with the same sipping from Asia?
There were at least five Asian elephants at Sherwood:
Gosta
One of the animals owned by Associated Pleasure Parks and removed from Sherwood following a falling out with Martin Lacey around 1970. I believe she was moved to Cleethorpes Zoo initially but I don't know what became of her. It's not impossible that Gosta and Jangoli are the same animal but there were dozens of elephants passing through Flamingo Park in the late 1960s and early 1970s so it's impossible to say for sure.
Emily
An adult elephant pictured in the Daily Express on 11 April 1970.
The arrival of three Asian cows was reported in the May 1974 issue of the Zoo Federation's newsletter: "A member of staff returned from India with 3 female elephants, which we acquired from catches in the Mysore area. Although some difficulty was experienced with freight, the animals arrived safely and are now magnificent specimens being 4' 8", 5' 3" and 5' 7", the oldest being around 3½ years". I think the zoo had changed hands by this point.
Gosta
One of the animals owned by Associated Pleasure Parks and removed from Sherwood following a falling out with Martin Lacey around 1970. I believe she was moved to Cleethorpes Zoo initially but I don't know what became of her. It's not impossible that Gosta and Jangoli are the same animal but there were dozens of elephants passing through Flamingo Park in the late 1960s and early 1970s so it's impossible to say for sure.
Emily
An adult elephant pictured in the Daily Express on 11 April 1970.
The arrival of three Asian cows was reported in the May 1974 issue of the Zoo Federation's newsletter: "A member of staff returned from India with 3 female elephants, which we acquired from catches in the Mysore area. Although some difficulty was experienced with freight, the animals arrived safely and are now magnificent specimens being 4' 8", 5' 3" and 5' 7", the oldest being around 3½ years". I think the zoo had changed hands by this point.
Associated Pleasure Parks (or Scotia as it was then) had withdrawn from Sherwood by the time the three young elephants were brought in from India. Martin was the owner himself by then.
According to Lacey (My Life With Lions, published in 2009):
Gosta ended up in Madrid Zoo.
Two of the three elephants brought back from India went to Robert Brothers' Circus while the third, larger, one was named Emily rather confusingly. Emily apparently died quite suddenly through being poisoned not long after.
According to Lacey (My Life With Lions, published in 2009):
Gosta ended up in Madrid Zoo.
Two of the three elephants brought back from India went to Robert Brothers' Circus while the third, larger, one was named Emily rather confusingly. Emily apparently died quite suddenly through being poisoned not long after.
I really must get a copy of Martin Lacey's book; it sounds like an interesting read.
It seems one hell of a coincidence that Sherwood should have had two elephants named Emily. It would fit perfectly if the article was dated 01.04.1974 - I'll double-check my notes.
It seems one hell of a coincidence that Sherwood should have had two elephants named Emily. It would fit perfectly if the article was dated 01.04.1974 - I'll double-check my notes.
Me too, I was blissfully unaware of its existence until Paradoxorus mentioned it -now it's on my Christmas list.
My suspicions were correct; I had copied down the date wrong (it was actually 11.01.1974) so there was only one Emily, and four Sherwood elephants in total.