I have recently been looking up information about Whitson zoo in south wales. There is so much I could say, I could write a book so I will try to keep it short. In the summer of 71 I spent three weeks with my sister at nearby Nash. Walking one day I came across an entrance to a zoo but it looked well run down. I was looking for some signwriting work to do before going back to school. I wandered up the road to the main house fully expecting someone to come out and say "clear off". I knocked on the door and a man answered and said that I could just wander around as I pleased so I thought, great. However, at the age of 14 and being a benevolent type, I was horrified to find the whole place in complete disrepair and the condition of the animals was terrible. I saw a lion stuck out of the way on his own in a space about 12x12ft, he was lying against the bars and was so disturbed that when I reached over the fence and stroked him, he did not even look at me !. There were either one or two sun bears, another larger bear some monkeys and a reptile house. I walked home crying and told my sister but she said that there was nothing I could do. I went back twice again to try an speak to the owner but there was never anyone there. I wonder who was feeding the poor animals ! If this happened today, the owners would almost certainly be in prison. That experience has haunted me for forty five years an this is the first time I have been able to get it off my chest. I do not care if nobody reads this, I feel a bit better knowing that there is now a record of the truth about what was happening at that place. : (
