Where to find old zoo and documentary films online?

J

Jurek7

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Hello,

Anybody can recommend where to find old documentaries to watch online, outside youtube?

I am looking for old films about zoos, like 'Zoo2000' or German 'Zoos der Welt - Welt der Zoos' and old documentaries e.g. from Alan Root about Africa.

They are not sold, can hardly make profit, and image quality is usually poor by modern standards. However they are of value for documentary and nostalgic purposes. For example to compare how animal exhibits improved during the last decades. Anybody can advise how to see them?
 
Jurek7 said:
Hello,

Anybody can recommend where to find old documentaries to watch online, outside youtube?

I am looking for old films about zoos, like 'Zoo2000' or German 'Zoos der Welt - Welt der Zoos' and old documentaries e.g. from Alan Root about Africa.

They are not sold, can hardly make profit, and image quality is usually poor by modern standards. However they are of value for documentary and nostalgic purposes. For example to compare how animal exhibits improved during the last decades. Anybody can advise how to see them?
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You know there's a book of Zoo 2000?
 
Andrew Swales said:
I have the whole series of 'Zoo2000' somewhere deep in storage (!) - it is on Betamax videotape, the pinnacle of technology in those days.... The books are often available quite cheaply on eBay.
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There are whole swathes of old documentaries which seem to have slipped through the cracks - so it is always good to hear about extant copies of entire series :)
 
Jurek7 said:
By the way, I found absolutely hilarious video from Alan Root parodying poor animal films. I especially liked the dung beetle camera from 4.35 onwards and a giraffe shot.
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That was great. I think a majority of Zoochatters think the same about the current style of nature shows...
 
TeaLovingDave said:
There are whole swathes of old documentaries which seem to have slipped through the cracks - so it is always good to hear about extant copies of entire series :)
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Indeed - I have found short clips of Thorney and Stagsden on-line, but am particularly keen to find more on an Anglia TV children's quiz show called 'The Survival Game' fronted by Philip Wayre. I have some TV Times guides which list its scheduling and feature it in an article, but nothing more.

Also Is there a separate 'thread' where we could ask for info about closed collections?
 
Andrew Swales said:
I am particularly keen to find more on an Anglia TV children's quiz show called 'The Survival Game' fronted by Philip Wayre.
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'The Survival Game' was one of my favourite programmes. I suppose its nearest 'equivalent' is 'Curious Creatures', but I think Philip Wayre wouldn't have tolerated some of the fallacies accepted as facts e.g. the tuatara being called a lizard.
 
Andrew Swales said:
it is on Betamax videotape, the pinnacle of technology in those days....
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Now the important question is do you know of anyone with a working Betamax player? ;) And I wonder just how many of our younger members don't have a clue as to what we're talking about?! :p
 
Brum said:
Now the important question is do you know of anyone with a working Betamax player? ;) And I wonder just how many of our younger members don't have a clue as to what we're talking about?! :p
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I believe it *is* possible to convert Betamax to digital media; the issue is finding someone/somewhere able to do it, really.

I know that @Nisha knows where to go in order to convert VHS, but I am unsure whether her source also converts Betamax.
 
Thank you all - I did buy a brand-new old-stock Sony Betamax video recorder, still in its original box - over eBay a year or so ago, ,just in case. At the time it was supposed to be in full working order, but was consigned to storage here too, waiting for another day.... Perhaps it can go on display too..!
 
Dassie rat said:
'The Survival Game' was one of my favourite programmes. I suppose its nearest 'equivalent' is 'Curious Creatures', but I think Philip Wayre wouldn't have tolerated some of the fallacies accepted as facts e.g. the tuatara being called a lizard.
Click to expand...

I can find no clips of it on-line, and Anglia TV at Norwich have no footage of either 'The Survival Game' or a spin-off programme aired the next year in which the winners were sent on a safari holiday to Africa. So home cine-film is the only hope. Some people did actually film the TV, I remember my aunt doing so, on our families first colour TV for Princess Anne's wedding.

We also look for footage of 'Zoo Time' with Desmond Morris.

I can vaguely remember George Cansdale too....

Enough for now - this is making me feel old!
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I believe it *is* possible to convert Betamax to digital media; the issue is finding someone/somewhere able to do it, really.

I know that @Nisha knows where to go in order to convert VHS, but I am unsure whether her source also converts Betamax.
Click to expand...

They do offer a service to convert Betamax as well as VHS. I can give contact details if required

My personal collection of zoo programmes includes:

Zoo Days Chester (2007/2008). Channel 5 - approx 20 episodes from series 1 and 2. Not complete but enough to keep me happy for now

Micheala's Animal Road Trip (2009). Channel 5 - Two episodes both featuring Chester

Aspinall's Animals (1999/2000). Complete series, made for ITV and featuring Howletts and Port Lympne.

Zoo's Company (1997/1998) - Documentry series made for ABC Channel in Australia and featuring Melbourne, Healesville and Werribee zoos.

Trouble at the Zoo (2018) made for BBC2 - Filmed at South Lakes Safari Zoo in 2017 whilst the park was undergoing many changes in management. I managed to record it to VHS and then had it converted to DVD

Zoo Diaries series 1 (1999/2000) - Filmed at Toronto Zoo, Canada during the turn of the Millennium

The Zoo (Auckland) - Filmed between 1999 and 2012. I have three of the "highlight" dvds rather than full episodes.

The Zoo (Dublin) 2009 to present. I have all 6 series that have been released on DVD so far

Amazona birth of a Zoo - one off documentary about the development of Amazona Zoo in Cromer

Park Life (2008) - made for ITV and featuring the Cotswold Wildlife Park

Aspinall on Animals (1988) a one off documentary about John Aspinall.

Project Raja (1998) - educational programme about Elephants and the arrival of Woburn's trio of Asian Elephants from India

The Ark (1993) - Molly Dineen's documentry for the BBC on London Zoo's troubled era

I have others as well but these are just a few highlights.

I would *Love* to acquire copies if anyone has them (either on VHS or DVD.) of the following.

Zoo Story - made for ITV in the late 1990s and filmed at London and Whipsnade. Not the later Paignton series of the same name. It was repeated on Animal Planet in late 2009 but isn't online currently

Lion Country - made for the BBC in approx 1998 and filmed at Longleat. This was before it was replaced by Animal Park after two series

The Zoo Keepers - Made for BBC and filmed at Paignton in the late 1990s. I have seen a few clips online but never full episodes

Birthday Zoo - made for Animal Planet in 2002 and filmed at Chester. It was shown again in 2012 but I don't think it was the full series from memory?

If anyone has any of these series on VHS/DVD then please let me know. I would only need your tapes/disks on loan for a few weeks before returning them
 
I'm looking for a digital copy of the Toronto Zoo's guide from the early 90's. I used to have it on VHS, but I lost it. ITs showcased all the animals of the zoo including the elephants. I did screen record episodes on the Indian Rhinos and White Rhinos from Zoo Diaries (2002). Can I post it here on Zoochat?
 
Nisha said:
They do offer a service to convert Betamax as well as VHS. I can give contact details if required

My personal collection of zoo programmes includes:

Zoo Days Chester (2007/2008). Channel 5 - approx 20 episodes from series 1 and 2. Not complete but enough to keep me happy for now

Micheala's Animal Road Trip (2009). Channel 5 - Two episodes both featuring Chester

Aspinall's Animals (1999/2000). Complete series, made for ITV and featuring Howletts and Port Lympne.

Zoo's Company (1997/1998) - Documentry series made for ABC Channel in Australia and featuring Melbourne, Healesville and Werribee zoos.

Trouble at the Zoo (2018) made for BBC2 - Filmed at South Lakes Safari Zoo in 2017 whilst the park was undergoing many changes in management. I managed to record it to VHS and then had it converted to DVD

Zoo Diaries series 1 (1999/2000) - Filmed at Toronto Zoo, Canada during the turn of the Millennium

The Zoo (Auckland) - Filmed between 1999 and 2012. I have three of the "highlight" dvds rather than full episodes.

The Zoo (Dublin) 2009 to present. I have all 6 series that have been released on DVD so far

Amazona birth of a Zoo - one off documentary about the development of Amazona Zoo in Cromer

Park Life (2008) - made for ITV and featuring the Cotswold Wildlife Park

Aspinall on Animals (1988) a one off documentary about John Aspinall.

Project Raja (1998) - educational programme about Elephants and the arrival of Woburn's trio of Asian Elephants from India

The Ark (1993) - Molly Dineen's documentry for the BBC on London Zoo's troubled era

I have others as well but these are just a few highlights.

I would *Love* to acquire copies if anyone has them (either on VHS or DVD.) of the following.

Zoo Story - made for ITV in the late 1990s and filmed at London and Whipsnade. Not the later Paignton series of the same name. It was repeated on Animal Planet in late 2009 but isn't online currently

Lion Country - made for the BBC in approx 1998 and filmed at Longleat. This was before it was replaced by Animal Park after two series

The Zoo Keepers - Made for BBC and filmed at Paignton in the late 1990s. I have seen a few clips online but never full episodes

Birthday Zoo - made for Animal Planet in 2002 and filmed at Chester. It was shown again in 2012 but I don't think it was the full series from memory?

If anyone has any of these series on VHS/DVD then please let me know. I would only need your tapes/disks on loan for a few weeks before returning them
Click to expand...

Nisha, I have both seasons of Lion Country. Send me a private message if you’d like.
 
Aspinall's Animals and The Zoo (Dublin) can be found on the Real Wild youtube channel. The former is hard to watch knowing what has happened to the Aspinall collections.
 
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