Alphabetical Listing Of Current And Former Animal Collections In The UK
Below is an alphabetical listing of all animal collections in the UK, both past and present with information relating to the history of the collection below it.
Special thanks go to Gie Robeyns and Dennis Vrettos for kindly allowing me to use their images on this page.
Also, special thanks go to Paul Murphy of UK Zoo History (www.zoohistory.co.uk) for his invaluable information on closed animal collections.
Due to the large amount of data on this page, I have had to split the UK Zoos List over a number of pages.
Underwater World (Blue Reef Aquarium), Hastings
Situated at the end of Rock-A-Nore Road in Hastings historic old town, the Blue Reef Aquarium is great visit whatever the weather.
Our displays will take you on an undersea tour; from the British coastline to faraway tropical reefs and lots more in between.
During your visit you'll come face to face with everything from giant crabs and lobsters to seahorses and tropical sharks and you'll find get a chance to find out more about these creatures amazing lives in over 30 naturally recreated displays.
At the Aquarium's heart is a giant ocean tank where an underwater walkthrough tunnel offers incredibly close encounters with the stunning beauty of an exotic coral reef - home to hundreds of colourful fish.
Our aim is to highlight some of the natural wonders of the underwater world and help explain why it's so vitally important to look after them!
Visit the website at www.underwaterworld-hastings.co.uk .
Victoria Park Aviary, Stafford, Manchester
Victoria Park is Green Flag award winning park located on the banks of River Sow in the heart of Stafford Town Centre.
Originally named the Victoria Park Pleasure Grounds the site opened in 1908 and is the Boroughs principal destination park. The park now covers an area of 4.95 acres the park is the largest formal park in the Borough.
The site contains the listed structures of the Alderman Mottram shelter and the County War Memorial. The structure of the park has changed very little since the park was opened and as a result the original park layout is still in existence today.
The original park was extended twice, firstly in 1911 and secondly in 1930 when the play facilities were added to the North Western corner.
The aviary has a standard collection of tropical birds.
Park Opening Hours Site excluding play area;
March 8am - 6pm
April 8am - 8pm
May to August 8am - 9pm
September 8am - 8pm
October 8am - 6pm
November till February 8am - 4:30pm
Waddesdon Manor Aviary
Walton Hall Farm, Linford, Essex (CLOSED)
Walton Hall Gardens Childrens Zoo
Warwick Castle
Washbrooks Farm
Washington Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Wellington Country Park
Wellplace Zoo
Welney Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
West Midlands Safari Park
West Park Aviary
Wetlands Waterfowl Reserve & Exotic Bird Park
Weymouth Sea Life Park
Whipsnade Wild Animal Park
Whitehouse Farm Centre
Wildwalk @ Bristol
Wildwood
Wilsons Zoo, Glasgow (CLOSED)
The Wilson family operated a commercial zoo in Glasgow for many years. On Wednesday 23rd December 1936, a 'miniature zoo' opened inside a disused church near Glasgow's Central Station, renovated and modernised for its new purpose. This replaced an earlier zoo under the railway arches in Argyle Street. The Oswald Street establishment, owned by William Wilson and his son, housed a varied collection, including lions, a black panther, monkeys, a badger, parrots, macaws, and a delightful mynah bird remembered for saying, "Where's the sawdust man?" in a broad Glaswegian accent. It was very popular and crowded, with two levels of cages and a pet shop in the basement. This zoo continued to operate until the 1950's. When it closed, the pet shop business moved just across the River Clyde to Carlton Place.
Wilson's Oswald Street Zoo opened only one week after the founding of the Zoological Society of Glasgow. It is possible these two events are linked in some way, although no documentary evidence has been found connecting them.
Windsor Safari Park, Windsor, Berkshire (CLOSED)
The one hundred and sixty acre estate that became Royal Windsor Safari Park is centred on the unassuming St. Leonard's mansion, which was built in 1756 and largely rebuilt in 1771 for the countess of Waldegrave who later became the Duchess of Gloucester.
In 1813 the house was bought by William Dawson who enlarged and improved it under the direction of architect James Wyatt.
In 1932 Horace Dodge of Dodge Brothers Motor Manufacturers bought the house and again it was rebuilt with American plumbing and lighting systems, and gold-plated taps in 22 bathrooms.
DuringWorld War II th mansion was placed at the disposal of Joseph Kennedy, the then US Ambassador to the court of St. James.
The following is a brief timeline of the 22 year history of Windsor Safari ParK:
1966: Jimmy Chipperfield of Chipperfield's Circus empire opened Lions of Longleat with the Marquess of Bath.
1969: Not to be outdone, the Billy Smart's Circus family buys the St. Leonard's estate and starts to build what was to become known for a short while as Royal Windsor Safari Park, not long after the title was truncated to Windsor Safari Park in the early 1970's. Half the perimeter abutted onto Crown property.
The International Zoo Veterinary Group (IZVG) comprising of Drs David Taylor and Andrew Greenwood (and later John Lewis) were appointed as veterinary surgeons to the 600+ animals on the estate.
The mansion soon became the nerve centre of the safari park. The ground floor became offices, kitchens (one of which became an operating theatre for IZVG), a private entertainment room for the Smart family and in the 70's a public bar was opened. This soon became one of the "in" places in Windsor and for the priviledge guests had to pay an entrance fee to enter the park but couldn't view the animals for obvious reasons.
The second floor provided sumptuous appartments for Ronald, David and Billy Smart, whilst the top floor was eventually used as keepers' lodgings.
Gary Smart was named as curator and work began on building the dolphinarium, which was to become an integral part of Windsor and a major part of its eventual demise.
1970: The dolphinarium opened and became home to bottlenose dolphins, some of whom stayed there until the park closed and Ramu the killer whale.
1973: Exactly 100 lion cubs were born some of whom were eventually to be released into the wild in their native Africa.
1975: Whilst clearing out the cellars a number of corroded wires were found leading to recording devices. The wires were then traced to the bedrooms!
1977: The Smart family sold the park to Trident Television for £3,000,000 (exactly £1,000,000 for each brother). The fortunes of the park hardly prospered. In fact, it would be fair to say that the park merely marked time.
1984: Trident Television (who had hoped to be able to film wildlife documentaries at the park, which were shortlived) sold the park to Southbrook & City Holdings which was headed by Alan Joelson who had converted a theatre in Oxford Street, London for the shortlived London Dolphinarium in 1970. The park came under the leadership of Andrew Haworth-Booth who had run safari parks in his native Australia. Southbrook & City brought back some of the sparkle that had been missing since the Smart family days.
1986: The first death knell for Windsor Safari Park sounded. The Department of the Environment issued guidelines for dolphinariums, it was immediately apparent that NONE of the three dolphinaria (Windsor, Flamingo Land in Yorkshire and Brighton Aquarium) could complyand although Southbrook and City (and later Themes International PLC) talked about modernising the dolphinarium, nothing was done. In light of the guidelines it wouldn't have been feasible for Windsor to renovate the dolphinarium, they would have to completely rebuild it. The Department of the Environment gave Windsor and the other two dolphinariums 8 years to comply with the legislation. The cost would be millions. One main tank and filtration alone would cost in the region of £800,000.
1988: The park was put on the market and sold for £19,000,000 to Themes International PLC, which was headed by John Rigby, which owned Aqua Parks, bowling alleys and theme pubs in the UK, USA and Spain. Themes proceeded to "theme" Windsor as what came to resemble a downmarket Busch Gardens.
£2,000,000 was spent refurbishing the paddle boat which was later sent to Antwerp when the park closed down. In the same period Rigby devised and developed a number of other buildings to go with his "theme". These included: an African Village, Egyptian Temple and a Fort style rhino house, but little thought was put into any of the animal houses , however his ideas worked well in the non-animal areas. However new well thought out interiors for the Chimpanzee and Elephant houses benefited from the input of curator Paul O'Donohue.
£11,ooo,ooo of borrowed money was used to erect flashy facades, while the infrastructure of the park deteriorated i.e. the fencing in of the big cat reserves, giraffe house (and in light of later events) and most importantly the dolphinarium.
While under the ownership of Themes International PLC, it appeared as if the animals became secondary to the African Adventure Theme Park that John Rigby had planned, and if it had not been for the ceaseless work of those involved with the animals, they would have been. Ironically, the crocodiles, hippos and elephants in the Congo River Ride were made of plastic.
Although visitor numbers increased fractionally, it was nowhere near enough to compensate for the investment already made. The Egyptian Temple never fully opened, there were too many souvenir shops selling items that could cost in excess of £2,000, rides suffered from numerous mechanical difficulties and the catering was poor.
All in all, in it's final four years the 'visitor experience' became bewildering, over commercialized, expensive and disappointing. The only saving grace were the fine animals.
1991: The British recession hit Themes International PLC and other leisure companies hard, and although Windsor Safari Park was making a modest profit its attendance figures were dropping. In the meantime most other parts of Themes International PLC were haemorraging money.
1992: Extract from the Good Zoo Guide 1992 written by John Ironmonger: ' Windsor will probably always attract huge crowds, and since, despite the demise of Themes International , this has always been a very profitable Safari Park, it will probably grow and prosper!'
1992: The receivers were called in to Themes International PLC. Themes owed the Royal Bank of Scotland £47,000,000, Murray Ventures PLC £6,000,000 and had other debts of £2,500,000. Cork Gully, part of Coopers and Lybrand took over the running of the park while awaiting a sale. The park at this time was valued at approximately £20,000,000.
Although people were insisting that Windsor Safari Park had gone bust, it was STILL the only part of the Themes empire that was making a profit, albeit a small one. Leadership of the park passed to David Farren as the man on the ground from Cork Gully.
The receivers spent £500,000 on essential repairs. Companies who were interested in purchasing Windsor Safari Park as a going concern baulked at the £20,000,000 pricetag and valued it at £7-8,000,000 at the most, with a further £4-5,000,000 needed to rebuild the dolphinarium and the same amount needed on repairs and improvements.
To keep Windsor Safari Park going operating as a going concern the receivers actually spent MORE on the upkeep of the animals rhan Themes International had in a comaprative timeframe.
1992: In the late summer of 1992 Lego showed formal interest in purchasing the land that Windsor Safari Park stood on. At this point £6,000,000 would have bought the Safari Park as a going concern.
1992: Autumn: A formal offer for the site from Lego for the site was accepted by the receivers.
25th October 1992: Windsor Safari Park officially closed for business. All non native animals had to be off the premises by the 31st December 1993 (14 months). Agreements were made thatall the animals would be rehomed and euthanasia would only be used in a medical emergency. An animal committee was set up to advise the receivers on the pacing of Windsors animals. The members were: Paul O'Donohue the park curator; Victor Manton former director of Whipsnade Zoo and a vet; Nigel Martin former director of Chessington Zoo; Steve Walton marine mammal curator at Windsor and David Taylor from the International Zoo Veterinary Group, the vets to Windsor. The rehoming was massively helped by 'dowries' provided by the Royal Bank of Scotland to pay towards the building of such enclosures as would be required by the new owners.
The criteria thrashed out for the rehoming of the animals was as follows:
1. No killing of any animal other than by euthanasia for normal medical reasons, should they arise;
2. No circuses;
3. No laboratories;
4. No dealers, other than to act as agents for the receivers;
5. No splitting of established social groups within a species;
6. No animals to go to new homes that were not at least equal to the standard of their accommodation at Windsor.
On the 25th October 1992 the animal stocklist at Windsor was as follows:
Alligators x2, Baboons x56, Bears x3, Blackbuck x4, Boa Constrictor x1, Buffalo (Cape) x4, Buzzard x1, Camels x13, Capuchin Monkeys x13, Cattle (Ankole) x4, Cheetah x2, Chimpanzees x6, Chinchilla x3, Chipmunks x9, Cockatoos x5, Cranes (Crowned) x5, Deer x54, Dolphins x8 (with two pregnancies), Ducks x2, Eagles x2, Eagle Owls x5, Elands x13, Elephants x7, Emus x3, Falcon x1, Finch x1, Flamingos x19, Frogs (tree) x3, Gecko x1, Giraffes x11, Guinea Pigs x7, Goats (pygmy) x19, Hamsters x2, Hawks x2, Hippopotamus x5, Hummingbird x1, Iguana x2, Kestrel x1, Lions x19, Lizard (Anole) x1, Llama x12, Lemurs x8, Macaws x15, Newts x3, Owls x4, Parrots x2, Pelicans x3, Penguins x11, Pheasant x1, Piranha x4, Pythons x2, Rabbits x9, Rhinoceros x6, Sealions x8, Sheep x30, Snails (giant) x20, Snake x1, Storks x2, Swans x3, Tamarin x1, Tarantulas x2, Tigers x6, Toads (Fire-bellied) x10, Tortoises x9, Wallabies x3, White-Eyes x16, Wolves x13 and Zebras x16.
1984: Juno became the first captive Dolphin to be born in Britain.1992: Thea (dolphin) born in August 1992.1993: Zeus (dolphin) born in February 1993.Interestingly, dowries were offered to any animal collection who could and would house animals from Windsor Safari Park with the same or better conditions than they had at Windsor. This was funded by the Royal Bank of Scotland (the major creditor). Although no figure was given, it was decided that after the any amount deemed reasonable was acceptable. Some dowries ranged from £10,000 some were as high as hundreds of thousands of pounds. As the "flagship" species at Windsor the Dolphins were not short of offers for new homes, in the end it was decided that they would go to Harderwijk Dolphinarium in Holland. On the 2nd February 1993 the first batch of 4 Dolphins were transferred to Harderwijk Dolphinarium, Holland. This was due to the birth of Thea in 1992 and then Zeus in February 1993. It was decided they and their mothers couldn't be moved until fully weaned, thus splitting the pod into two.Not long after agreements were made for the rehoming of significant numbers of animals still housed at Windsor:Lions of Longleat (commonly referred to as just Longleat Safari Park), founded by the Chipperfield circus family agreed to rehome the Giraffe, Rhinoceros, Ankole cattle and the Wolf pack.Knowsley Safari Park near Liverpool (my closest animal collection!) agreed to rehome Camels, Cape Buffalo, Elands, Tigers and the entire African Elephant herd. I know from personal experience that a significant number of these animals are alive and well there today. In addition and to the delight of everyone involved Knowsley agreed to take on two of Windsors keepers as well.West Midlands Safari Park agreed to take on Camels, deer, Lions (except two elderly lionesses) and the Hippopotamus family.Not long after thew lionesses were offered a purpose built "retirement home" in a privately run zoo in Smarden, Kent. After the other Lions and Tigers had been rehomed and they were awaiting there new home, they were looked after by three full time keepers. A dowry of £12,000 was paid in order to provide their new home.After some discussions, the full colony of Chimpanzees was rehomed at the Chimpanzee Rescue Centre at Monkey World, Dorset, where they live to this day. However, a dispute soon started as to the amount of the dwry given after two baby Chimps were born and needed to be hand-reared, initially Monkey World asked for a bigger dowry to build a purpose built infant facility, however this was soon smoothed over without an increase of the dowry.Blair Drummond Safari Park in Scotland agreed to build an improved Windsor style Bear reserve and night quarters and also to take a group of Zebras.Safari Africain, near Nates, France, actually BOUGHT the remaining Zebras in the park for £2,500. This was the only time that this happened in the entire 14 months it took to rehome the animals from Windsor. A foal and his mother remained at Windsor due to him going lame, but it was intended that hthey would join the rest of the herd at a later date.Beekesbergen Safari Park in the Netherlands agreed to accept ALL three families of Hamadryas (Sacred) Baboons and to build an entirely new reserve and night house.On the 29th of April 1993 the Hippopotamus family was sent to West Midlands Safari Park.On the 27th August 1993 two of the four Cape Buffalo were shipped to Knowsley Safari Park. Knowsley were later to get cold feet at the idea of rehoming the bull in case of conflict with their current herd and suggested relocating the remaing animals to a reserve in Africa, however after patient talks, the bull and remaining pregnant cow were relocated in October 1993.In mid September 1993 a rubber dinghy was purchased for £41 in order to catch a number of terrapins from the lake. In total eight were caught. It was agreed by Lego that the lake wouldn't be filled in due to the number of fish in it.Parc Asterix Dolphinarium in Paris rehomed the two Sea-Lions.In December 1993 Blair Drummond Safari Park took the two remaining Zebra (mother and now cured foal) after Parc Africain decided they didn't want them.In the last week of November 1993 the Rhinoceros (one a day for a week) were moved to Longleat.The three families of Hamadryas Baboons travelled to Beekesbergen on the 20th December 1993 along with Les the head Baboon keeper, who stayed with them for a few weeks.Also, on the 20th December 1993 the two elderly lionesses (named 'the mamas' by the Smart family) went to their new home in Smarden, Kent.And finally, the last remaining non-indigenous animals, the four remaining Dolphins, Honey, Thea, Lulu and Zeus left for Harderwijk Dolphinarium on the 18th January 1994, nearly three weeks after the agreed date and at the cost of thousands of pounds in compensation to Lego.Ironically, the construction of Legoland was held up until it was ascertained if Badgers had given birth in a sett under the park.As for the rest of the animals, the deer, gazelles, antelopes, snakes, reptiles and birds all found homes either in the UK or in Europe.The agreement that no animals would be put down was kept and the only fatalities out of ALL the animals were three deer that died of shock when being transported. Not a bad figure considering that more than 640 animals were moved.The above information is used with the permission of Dr David Taylor from the International Zoo Veterinary Group (www.izvg.co.uk). If you are interested in finding out more about Windsor Safari Park, I urge you to visit www.windsorsafaripark.org.uk and to track down any of Dr Taylor's autobiography books, particularly The Animals Came Out Two By Two: The Final Days Of Windsor Safari Park. Wingham Bird Park
Woburn Safari Park
Wombwell's Menagerie, Glasgow Green (CLOSED)
George Wombwell founded a touring menagerie in 1805. This made regular visits to Glasgow for many years. Each year at the Glasgow Fair holiday (the last two weeks in July) the menagerie took up residence on Glasgow Green along with many other amusements. Contemporary accounts in newspapers welcome the menagerie enthusiastically, praising its educational and entertainment value, and describe the animal collection in detail.
In 1839, the menagerie, transported in fifteen waggons, included two elephants and a rhinoceros, zebras, onagers, llamas, six lions, panthers and leopards, ocelots, and three tigers. One hyaena is rearing a young one (an impressive piece of captive breeding) and a kangaroo is carrying a joey. The 'wild ass-zebra' mentioned may be the now-extinct quagga. In 1840, Wombwell is credited as having bred 160 lions over the preceding 25 years.
Wonderland Pleasure Park
Wood Green Animal Shelter
Woodlands Leisure Park
Woodside Falconry and Wildfowl Park
World Museum Liverpool
World of Country Life
World of Wings
Worldwide Butterflies, Sherbourne, Dorset (CLOSED)
Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo
Yorkshire Dales Falconry and Conservation Centre
Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Below is an alphabetical listing of all animal collections in the UK, both past and present with information relating to the history of the collection below it.
Special thanks go to Gie Robeyns and Dennis Vrettos for kindly allowing me to use their images on this page.
Also, special thanks go to Paul Murphy of UK Zoo History (www.zoohistory.co.uk) for his invaluable information on closed animal collections.
Due to the large amount of data on this page, I have had to split the UK Zoos List over a number of pages.
Underwater World (Blue Reef Aquarium), Hastings
Situated at the end of Rock-A-Nore Road in Hastings historic old town, the Blue Reef Aquarium is great visit whatever the weather.
Our displays will take you on an undersea tour; from the British coastline to faraway tropical reefs and lots more in between.
During your visit you'll come face to face with everything from giant crabs and lobsters to seahorses and tropical sharks and you'll find get a chance to find out more about these creatures amazing lives in over 30 naturally recreated displays.
At the Aquarium's heart is a giant ocean tank where an underwater walkthrough tunnel offers incredibly close encounters with the stunning beauty of an exotic coral reef - home to hundreds of colourful fish.
Our aim is to highlight some of the natural wonders of the underwater world and help explain why it's so vitally important to look after them!
Visit the website at www.underwaterworld-hastings.co.uk .
Victoria Park Aviary, Stafford, Manchester
Victoria Park is Green Flag award winning park located on the banks of River Sow in the heart of Stafford Town Centre.
Originally named the Victoria Park Pleasure Grounds the site opened in 1908 and is the Boroughs principal destination park. The park now covers an area of 4.95 acres the park is the largest formal park in the Borough.
The site contains the listed structures of the Alderman Mottram shelter and the County War Memorial. The structure of the park has changed very little since the park was opened and as a result the original park layout is still in existence today.
The original park was extended twice, firstly in 1911 and secondly in 1930 when the play facilities were added to the North Western corner.
The aviary has a standard collection of tropical birds.
Park Opening Hours Site excluding play area;
March 8am - 6pm
April 8am - 8pm
May to August 8am - 9pm
September 8am - 8pm
October 8am - 6pm
November till February 8am - 4:30pm
Waddesdon Manor Aviary
Walton Hall Farm, Linford, Essex (CLOSED)
Walton Hall Gardens Childrens Zoo
Warwick Castle
Washbrooks Farm
Washington Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Wellington Country Park
Wellplace Zoo
Welney Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
West Midlands Safari Park
West Park Aviary
Wetlands Waterfowl Reserve & Exotic Bird Park
Weymouth Sea Life Park
Whipsnade Wild Animal Park
Whitehouse Farm Centre
Wildwalk @ Bristol
Wildwood
Wilsons Zoo, Glasgow (CLOSED)
The Wilson family operated a commercial zoo in Glasgow for many years. On Wednesday 23rd December 1936, a 'miniature zoo' opened inside a disused church near Glasgow's Central Station, renovated and modernised for its new purpose. This replaced an earlier zoo under the railway arches in Argyle Street. The Oswald Street establishment, owned by William Wilson and his son, housed a varied collection, including lions, a black panther, monkeys, a badger, parrots, macaws, and a delightful mynah bird remembered for saying, "Where's the sawdust man?" in a broad Glaswegian accent. It was very popular and crowded, with two levels of cages and a pet shop in the basement. This zoo continued to operate until the 1950's. When it closed, the pet shop business moved just across the River Clyde to Carlton Place.
Wilson's Oswald Street Zoo opened only one week after the founding of the Zoological Society of Glasgow. It is possible these two events are linked in some way, although no documentary evidence has been found connecting them.
Windsor Safari Park, Windsor, Berkshire (CLOSED)
The one hundred and sixty acre estate that became Royal Windsor Safari Park is centred on the unassuming St. Leonard's mansion, which was built in 1756 and largely rebuilt in 1771 for the countess of Waldegrave who later became the Duchess of Gloucester.
In 1813 the house was bought by William Dawson who enlarged and improved it under the direction of architect James Wyatt.
In 1932 Horace Dodge of Dodge Brothers Motor Manufacturers bought the house and again it was rebuilt with American plumbing and lighting systems, and gold-plated taps in 22 bathrooms.
DuringWorld War II th mansion was placed at the disposal of Joseph Kennedy, the then US Ambassador to the court of St. James.
The following is a brief timeline of the 22 year history of Windsor Safari ParK:
1966: Jimmy Chipperfield of Chipperfield's Circus empire opened Lions of Longleat with the Marquess of Bath.
1969: Not to be outdone, the Billy Smart's Circus family buys the St. Leonard's estate and starts to build what was to become known for a short while as Royal Windsor Safari Park, not long after the title was truncated to Windsor Safari Park in the early 1970's. Half the perimeter abutted onto Crown property.
The International Zoo Veterinary Group (IZVG) comprising of Drs David Taylor and Andrew Greenwood (and later John Lewis) were appointed as veterinary surgeons to the 600+ animals on the estate.
The mansion soon became the nerve centre of the safari park. The ground floor became offices, kitchens (one of which became an operating theatre for IZVG), a private entertainment room for the Smart family and in the 70's a public bar was opened. This soon became one of the "in" places in Windsor and for the priviledge guests had to pay an entrance fee to enter the park but couldn't view the animals for obvious reasons.
The second floor provided sumptuous appartments for Ronald, David and Billy Smart, whilst the top floor was eventually used as keepers' lodgings.
Gary Smart was named as curator and work began on building the dolphinarium, which was to become an integral part of Windsor and a major part of its eventual demise.
1970: The dolphinarium opened and became home to bottlenose dolphins, some of whom stayed there until the park closed and Ramu the killer whale.
1973: Exactly 100 lion cubs were born some of whom were eventually to be released into the wild in their native Africa.
1975: Whilst clearing out the cellars a number of corroded wires were found leading to recording devices. The wires were then traced to the bedrooms!
1977: The Smart family sold the park to Trident Television for £3,000,000 (exactly £1,000,000 for each brother). The fortunes of the park hardly prospered. In fact, it would be fair to say that the park merely marked time.
1984: Trident Television (who had hoped to be able to film wildlife documentaries at the park, which were shortlived) sold the park to Southbrook & City Holdings which was headed by Alan Joelson who had converted a theatre in Oxford Street, London for the shortlived London Dolphinarium in 1970. The park came under the leadership of Andrew Haworth-Booth who had run safari parks in his native Australia. Southbrook & City brought back some of the sparkle that had been missing since the Smart family days.
1986: The first death knell for Windsor Safari Park sounded. The Department of the Environment issued guidelines for dolphinariums, it was immediately apparent that NONE of the three dolphinaria (Windsor, Flamingo Land in Yorkshire and Brighton Aquarium) could complyand although Southbrook and City (and later Themes International PLC) talked about modernising the dolphinarium, nothing was done. In light of the guidelines it wouldn't have been feasible for Windsor to renovate the dolphinarium, they would have to completely rebuild it. The Department of the Environment gave Windsor and the other two dolphinariums 8 years to comply with the legislation. The cost would be millions. One main tank and filtration alone would cost in the region of £800,000.
1988: The park was put on the market and sold for £19,000,000 to Themes International PLC, which was headed by John Rigby, which owned Aqua Parks, bowling alleys and theme pubs in the UK, USA and Spain. Themes proceeded to "theme" Windsor as what came to resemble a downmarket Busch Gardens.
£2,000,000 was spent refurbishing the paddle boat which was later sent to Antwerp when the park closed down. In the same period Rigby devised and developed a number of other buildings to go with his "theme". These included: an African Village, Egyptian Temple and a Fort style rhino house, but little thought was put into any of the animal houses , however his ideas worked well in the non-animal areas. However new well thought out interiors for the Chimpanzee and Elephant houses benefited from the input of curator Paul O'Donohue.
£11,ooo,ooo of borrowed money was used to erect flashy facades, while the infrastructure of the park deteriorated i.e. the fencing in of the big cat reserves, giraffe house (and in light of later events) and most importantly the dolphinarium.
While under the ownership of Themes International PLC, it appeared as if the animals became secondary to the African Adventure Theme Park that John Rigby had planned, and if it had not been for the ceaseless work of those involved with the animals, they would have been. Ironically, the crocodiles, hippos and elephants in the Congo River Ride were made of plastic.
Although visitor numbers increased fractionally, it was nowhere near enough to compensate for the investment already made. The Egyptian Temple never fully opened, there were too many souvenir shops selling items that could cost in excess of £2,000, rides suffered from numerous mechanical difficulties and the catering was poor.
All in all, in it's final four years the 'visitor experience' became bewildering, over commercialized, expensive and disappointing. The only saving grace were the fine animals.
1991: The British recession hit Themes International PLC and other leisure companies hard, and although Windsor Safari Park was making a modest profit its attendance figures were dropping. In the meantime most other parts of Themes International PLC were haemorraging money.
1992: Extract from the Good Zoo Guide 1992 written by John Ironmonger: ' Windsor will probably always attract huge crowds, and since, despite the demise of Themes International , this has always been a very profitable Safari Park, it will probably grow and prosper!'
1992: The receivers were called in to Themes International PLC. Themes owed the Royal Bank of Scotland £47,000,000, Murray Ventures PLC £6,000,000 and had other debts of £2,500,000. Cork Gully, part of Coopers and Lybrand took over the running of the park while awaiting a sale. The park at this time was valued at approximately £20,000,000.
Although people were insisting that Windsor Safari Park had gone bust, it was STILL the only part of the Themes empire that was making a profit, albeit a small one. Leadership of the park passed to David Farren as the man on the ground from Cork Gully.
The receivers spent £500,000 on essential repairs. Companies who were interested in purchasing Windsor Safari Park as a going concern baulked at the £20,000,000 pricetag and valued it at £7-8,000,000 at the most, with a further £4-5,000,000 needed to rebuild the dolphinarium and the same amount needed on repairs and improvements.
To keep Windsor Safari Park going operating as a going concern the receivers actually spent MORE on the upkeep of the animals rhan Themes International had in a comaprative timeframe.
1992: In the late summer of 1992 Lego showed formal interest in purchasing the land that Windsor Safari Park stood on. At this point £6,000,000 would have bought the Safari Park as a going concern.
1992: Autumn: A formal offer for the site from Lego for the site was accepted by the receivers.
25th October 1992: Windsor Safari Park officially closed for business. All non native animals had to be off the premises by the 31st December 1993 (14 months). Agreements were made thatall the animals would be rehomed and euthanasia would only be used in a medical emergency. An animal committee was set up to advise the receivers on the pacing of Windsors animals. The members were: Paul O'Donohue the park curator; Victor Manton former director of Whipsnade Zoo and a vet; Nigel Martin former director of Chessington Zoo; Steve Walton marine mammal curator at Windsor and David Taylor from the International Zoo Veterinary Group, the vets to Windsor. The rehoming was massively helped by 'dowries' provided by the Royal Bank of Scotland to pay towards the building of such enclosures as would be required by the new owners.
The criteria thrashed out for the rehoming of the animals was as follows:
1. No killing of any animal other than by euthanasia for normal medical reasons, should they arise;
2. No circuses;
3. No laboratories;
4. No dealers, other than to act as agents for the receivers;
5. No splitting of established social groups within a species;
6. No animals to go to new homes that were not at least equal to the standard of their accommodation at Windsor.
On the 25th October 1992 the animal stocklist at Windsor was as follows:
Alligators x2, Baboons x56, Bears x3, Blackbuck x4, Boa Constrictor x1, Buffalo (Cape) x4, Buzzard x1, Camels x13, Capuchin Monkeys x13, Cattle (Ankole) x4, Cheetah x2, Chimpanzees x6, Chinchilla x3, Chipmunks x9, Cockatoos x5, Cranes (Crowned) x5, Deer x54, Dolphins x8 (with two pregnancies), Ducks x2, Eagles x2, Eagle Owls x5, Elands x13, Elephants x7, Emus x3, Falcon x1, Finch x1, Flamingos x19, Frogs (tree) x3, Gecko x1, Giraffes x11, Guinea Pigs x7, Goats (pygmy) x19, Hamsters x2, Hawks x2, Hippopotamus x5, Hummingbird x1, Iguana x2, Kestrel x1, Lions x19, Lizard (Anole) x1, Llama x12, Lemurs x8, Macaws x15, Newts x3, Owls x4, Parrots x2, Pelicans x3, Penguins x11, Pheasant x1, Piranha x4, Pythons x2, Rabbits x9, Rhinoceros x6, Sealions x8, Sheep x30, Snails (giant) x20, Snake x1, Storks x2, Swans x3, Tamarin x1, Tarantulas x2, Tigers x6, Toads (Fire-bellied) x10, Tortoises x9, Wallabies x3, White-Eyes x16, Wolves x13 and Zebras x16.
1984: Juno became the first captive Dolphin to be born in Britain.1992: Thea (dolphin) born in August 1992.1993: Zeus (dolphin) born in February 1993.Interestingly, dowries were offered to any animal collection who could and would house animals from Windsor Safari Park with the same or better conditions than they had at Windsor. This was funded by the Royal Bank of Scotland (the major creditor). Although no figure was given, it was decided that after the any amount deemed reasonable was acceptable. Some dowries ranged from £10,000 some were as high as hundreds of thousands of pounds. As the "flagship" species at Windsor the Dolphins were not short of offers for new homes, in the end it was decided that they would go to Harderwijk Dolphinarium in Holland. On the 2nd February 1993 the first batch of 4 Dolphins were transferred to Harderwijk Dolphinarium, Holland. This was due to the birth of Thea in 1992 and then Zeus in February 1993. It was decided they and their mothers couldn't be moved until fully weaned, thus splitting the pod into two.Not long after agreements were made for the rehoming of significant numbers of animals still housed at Windsor:Lions of Longleat (commonly referred to as just Longleat Safari Park), founded by the Chipperfield circus family agreed to rehome the Giraffe, Rhinoceros, Ankole cattle and the Wolf pack.Knowsley Safari Park near Liverpool (my closest animal collection!) agreed to rehome Camels, Cape Buffalo, Elands, Tigers and the entire African Elephant herd. I know from personal experience that a significant number of these animals are alive and well there today. In addition and to the delight of everyone involved Knowsley agreed to take on two of Windsors keepers as well.West Midlands Safari Park agreed to take on Camels, deer, Lions (except two elderly lionesses) and the Hippopotamus family.Not long after thew lionesses were offered a purpose built "retirement home" in a privately run zoo in Smarden, Kent. After the other Lions and Tigers had been rehomed and they were awaiting there new home, they were looked after by three full time keepers. A dowry of £12,000 was paid in order to provide their new home.After some discussions, the full colony of Chimpanzees was rehomed at the Chimpanzee Rescue Centre at Monkey World, Dorset, where they live to this day. However, a dispute soon started as to the amount of the dwry given after two baby Chimps were born and needed to be hand-reared, initially Monkey World asked for a bigger dowry to build a purpose built infant facility, however this was soon smoothed over without an increase of the dowry.Blair Drummond Safari Park in Scotland agreed to build an improved Windsor style Bear reserve and night quarters and also to take a group of Zebras.Safari Africain, near Nates, France, actually BOUGHT the remaining Zebras in the park for £2,500. This was the only time that this happened in the entire 14 months it took to rehome the animals from Windsor. A foal and his mother remained at Windsor due to him going lame, but it was intended that hthey would join the rest of the herd at a later date.Beekesbergen Safari Park in the Netherlands agreed to accept ALL three families of Hamadryas (Sacred) Baboons and to build an entirely new reserve and night house.On the 29th of April 1993 the Hippopotamus family was sent to West Midlands Safari Park.On the 27th August 1993 two of the four Cape Buffalo were shipped to Knowsley Safari Park. Knowsley were later to get cold feet at the idea of rehoming the bull in case of conflict with their current herd and suggested relocating the remaing animals to a reserve in Africa, however after patient talks, the bull and remaining pregnant cow were relocated in October 1993.In mid September 1993 a rubber dinghy was purchased for £41 in order to catch a number of terrapins from the lake. In total eight were caught. It was agreed by Lego that the lake wouldn't be filled in due to the number of fish in it.Parc Asterix Dolphinarium in Paris rehomed the two Sea-Lions.In December 1993 Blair Drummond Safari Park took the two remaining Zebra (mother and now cured foal) after Parc Africain decided they didn't want them.In the last week of November 1993 the Rhinoceros (one a day for a week) were moved to Longleat.The three families of Hamadryas Baboons travelled to Beekesbergen on the 20th December 1993 along with Les the head Baboon keeper, who stayed with them for a few weeks.Also, on the 20th December 1993 the two elderly lionesses (named 'the mamas' by the Smart family) went to their new home in Smarden, Kent.And finally, the last remaining non-indigenous animals, the four remaining Dolphins, Honey, Thea, Lulu and Zeus left for Harderwijk Dolphinarium on the 18th January 1994, nearly three weeks after the agreed date and at the cost of thousands of pounds in compensation to Lego.Ironically, the construction of Legoland was held up until it was ascertained if Badgers had given birth in a sett under the park.As for the rest of the animals, the deer, gazelles, antelopes, snakes, reptiles and birds all found homes either in the UK or in Europe.The agreement that no animals would be put down was kept and the only fatalities out of ALL the animals were three deer that died of shock when being transported. Not a bad figure considering that more than 640 animals were moved.The above information is used with the permission of Dr David Taylor from the International Zoo Veterinary Group (www.izvg.co.uk). If you are interested in finding out more about Windsor Safari Park, I urge you to visit www.windsorsafaripark.org.uk and to track down any of Dr Taylor's autobiography books, particularly The Animals Came Out Two By Two: The Final Days Of Windsor Safari Park. Wingham Bird Park
Woburn Safari Park
Wombwell's Menagerie, Glasgow Green (CLOSED)
George Wombwell founded a touring menagerie in 1805. This made regular visits to Glasgow for many years. Each year at the Glasgow Fair holiday (the last two weeks in July) the menagerie took up residence on Glasgow Green along with many other amusements. Contemporary accounts in newspapers welcome the menagerie enthusiastically, praising its educational and entertainment value, and describe the animal collection in detail.
In 1839, the menagerie, transported in fifteen waggons, included two elephants and a rhinoceros, zebras, onagers, llamas, six lions, panthers and leopards, ocelots, and three tigers. One hyaena is rearing a young one (an impressive piece of captive breeding) and a kangaroo is carrying a joey. The 'wild ass-zebra' mentioned may be the now-extinct quagga. In 1840, Wombwell is credited as having bred 160 lions over the preceding 25 years.
Wonderland Pleasure Park
Wood Green Animal Shelter
Woodlands Leisure Park
Woodside Falconry and Wildfowl Park
World Museum Liverpool
World of Country Life
World of Wings
Worldwide Butterflies, Sherbourne, Dorset (CLOSED)
Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo
Yorkshire Dales Falconry and Conservation Centre
Yorkshire Wildlife Park