Your First Memories of...

[Zambar]

Whilst I liked the idea of the Chester thread, I found it a bit close-minded that it was restricted to one zoo. So here you can share you're memories for anyone you want. Here are the three that go back furthest in my memory, from about the age of two.

Chessington - The Sea Lions and Lions, 1996. Oddly, despite the fact this was the first zoo I can remember visiting, I have never been back since.
Marwell - Seeing some zebras chase each other and the road train coming towards Encounter Village. From 1996/7.
Longleat - A giraffe calf (and me wanting to stroke it, getting a t-shirt with a cartoon elephant and 'Longleat' written below and the Safari Boats. Apparentley the sea lions jumped on the boat on this trip, though I don't remember it.

 

[GillP]

My earliest zoo memories are of Longleat and London (30 to 40 years ago ..... OMG ...... I don't feel that old !).

I was probably only 4 or 5 when we 1st went to Longleat (late 60s, early 70s) and was very scared at the prospect. It really did seem as if my parents were about to take their lives in their hands and do a very risky thing. I do remember being excited at seeing the lions but not much else (given my age).

London Zoo was a perennial summer holiday treat, with Guy (the gorilla) the star attraction. Poor old boy ...... I always picture him on his own (but having just Googled him, I see he had a female companion called Lomie and that does ring a vague bell). I also remember - and bear in mind this is from a very young child's point of view - that each time we visited (or seemed like it) he'd turn his back to the crowd and wee torrents !

Also remember having a camel ride around a large (centrally located ?) courtyard, close to some monkey cages ?

Also ....... polar bears in the Mappin terrace, and Chi-Chi the panda, who was followed by the 2 pandas - Chia-Chia and Ching-Ching gifted to Edward Heath by the Chinese government. (In writing this I realise I have no idea what happened to them, but found a thread on the forum which explained the female died and the male went to Mexico).

I mentioned eating my lunch in the old lion house on another thread the other day ......... a really depressing Victorian building with bars.

 

[ZooMania]

You know im sure a thread called something along the lines "Memories of other UK Zoo's" was started, perhaps even by me? This was of-course when only Chester & London has their own forum and all the other UK zoo discussion was in one large forum.

Moving on then, my memories..

Welsh Mountain - Not much really considering how little the collection changes but i do remember Lions where the Tigers are aswell as Kulan, Llama, Leopards (Persian & Black), Sarus Cranes, Geoffreys Cat, the old Rhea paddock, incredibly small Birds Of Prey Aviaries which are thankfully gone now.

London - I visited twice between 1999-2002 (im a little vague on which years but on the second visit the Rhinos & Elephants were gone so late 2001 or 2002 then). I remember Elephants, Rhinos, Bongo, Oryx, Bearded Pigs on the Cotton Terraces, Black Swans on the current Penguin Pool, Mixed Aviary of Hyacinth Macaws & White Cockatoos, Chimps, Sloth Bears, Various Leopards (Persian, Clouded, Amur), Maned Wolves, Red Pandas before Animal Advertures, Camels in the Children Zoo, Penguins in the older pool.

Not very impressive are they LOL, i think i've just lised what's changed at London in the last decade.