Post by Dave on Sept 13, 2010 18:14:51 GMT
The Gorillas Will Always Be My Favourite
I have always felt so very lucky to have a zoo right on my doorstep and Paignton zoo has changed so much since the very first time I was ever taken to it as a very young boy. The zoo itself has a fascinating history and there is one man who made it all possible Herbert Whitney
Herbert Whitley was born in 1886 and brought up in Liverpool. His father, Edward Whitley was a solicitor, an ardent churchman, mayor and brewery baron. It was the latter that laid the foundation of the family fortune and the basis for the story of Paignton Zoo and the WWCT.
Edward Whitley died in 1892 at the age of 67 and was commemorated by the City of Liverpool by a statue now standing in St. George's Hall in silent company of William Ewart Gladstone, his great friend and rival. The bereaved Mrs Eleanor Whitley proved to be a courageous lady who saw the need to move to new pastures with her five children. In 1904 they arrived at the Primley Estate in Paignton, when Herbert Whitley was only 18.
Herbert Whitley was a shy, self-taught scientist and eccentric. As he developed his animal collections he became known as a mysterious millionaire who was said to live a monastic life in a white mansion on Primley Hill in Paignton. Stories were told of guarded reserves where weird and exotic creatures lived. He opened his animal collections up to the public for the first time in 1923 but closed them again twice due to disputes with the taxman over ‘entertainment’ tax. Herbert Whitley was adamant that his zoo was a place of education so should not pay entertainment tax on the admission charge.
Herbert Whitley died in 1955 and in his will, founding trustee Philip Michelmore was instructed to set up a Trust to manage and control Paignton Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Slapton Ley Estate and all other lands and buildings defined in the will.
During the Second World War ‘evacuees’ arrived at Paington Zoo from Chessington Zoo and I would expect the zoo then looked very much the same as it did when I went there for the first time. The main entrance in those days was right on the main Totnes road and the buildings are still standing and now used as a home for two of the zoo workers I happen to know and I also believe part of the buildings are used for educational uses for schools etc.
When the zoo sold off the land that was only ever used as an overflow car park to a supermarket a new entrance was created further in the site and as you walk up to the entrance there are speakers build into the hedge that play sounds of the animals that await you once inside the zoo.
The whole layout of the zoo has changed so much over the years as the zoo has built better and larger enclosure for the animals and I know many will remember in the old days the very first enclosure once inside the zoo was the loins one on the left where the famous Elsa lived who starred in the film Born Free.
In today’s Paignton zoo we have the wonderful Ape Centre, home of the zoos bachelor group of Western Lowland Gorillas and also the orangutans. Monkey Heights is another fine addition that allows the monkeys housed in it good access to the outdoors
Such a far cry to how the monkeys at the zoo were once housed and I’m sure many on here will remember the old chimp house and all the things people used to do to torment those chimps. Yes I do remember it being a must not miss part of the zoo, but looking back on it I do feel those chimps became more a part of a circus than being well looked after zoo animals.
I think every single animal now at the zoo has had much better homes built for them and I’m sure Jimd’s girls Gay and Duchess loved their new home with such a large outdoor area for them to spend their time. The original home just on the other side of the zoos restaurant was just an outside concrete walkway and while you really got the feeling just how big elephants are as they stood looking down on you, it really must have been horrible for the elephants themselves.
The zoo does have a new reptile house close to the main entrance and this building then leads into what is known as the dessert, it is a fine display but somehow for me does not have the same magic as the old reptile house that I’m sure was just above the gibbons island that is still there and the gibbons island is something I believe is in the zoos future plans to improve.
Just above the gibbons island was where the zoos giraffes once lived but they now live next to the new elephant’s enclosure and also have a large outside area where they can roam about so much more. Sadly as we know this building had a tragic fire in it a few years ago and Paddy and his partner and week old baby died, Paddy did the survive the fire but died one week later, maybe his heart was just to badly broken.
The zoo is much larger to walk around that it ever was and there are some animals that no longer seen to be kept at the zoo, the most notable ones for me are the bison who always looked rather tatty but powerful never the less.
For me the only new addition that never lived up to its billing is the Swamp, the new home of the zoos crocodiles, it’s a great building and as you walk into the sounds you hear fill you will excitement, but somehow you don’t really get any as you walk around it all.
I have to say I came out of the swamp telling myself I need to go on a diet, you see there is a pond inside full of giant lily leaves and close by are scales build into the floor. You stand on them and it tells you how big the lily leaf would have to be to support your weight. There is a row of lights that will stop on the leaf size needed for your weight.
My grandson lit up a light halfway along and so on I jumped on only to light the very last light that stated I had sunk the bloody lily leaf altogether. Well sometimes its things like this that make you take a closer look at your weight and yes I would agree I’m a bit to plump and could do with losing a few stone for sure.
I was so pleased to see Jim’s duchess looking well and coping so well after losing her life long companion Gay at the zoo. I had read a while ago she had her own worrying health problems, but as I said she looked well and happy to me.
I was also so pleased to see the new baby giraffe that was recently born at the zoo and the fist birth since that tragic fire, the baby has grown so much from the pictures I saw in the local paper just after it was born was sure enjoying being outside. I did notice the only male and father of the baby giraffe was getting rather frustrated at being kept inside while his two girls and baby were enjoying being outside. I wonder if it is just to give the girls a rest from him and he does I know enjoy his nooky.
Every since the ape centre opened and the zoo got its first gorillas it has been the one part of the zoo where I always spend the most time and the only part I go back to many times during my visit to the zoo.
When Paignton's Ape House first opened, the first Gorillas for the new bachelor group were Claus & Pertinax, two young silverbacks who had grown up in the group in Cologne, Germany, though they weren't related and neither was born there. Pertinax was born in Stuttgart and hand raised, Claus in Frankfurt was mother raised. Both were from well represented lines so neither was a priority for breeding, hence being chosen as 'bachelor' males.
At Cologne they were on good terms, being only young males secondary to the adult male 'Kim', though I believe Pertinax was the more dominant of the two. The move to Paignton in 1997 however radically changed their relationship, Claus became dominant and so aggressive they could no longer be kept together at all. A new home was fortunately found for Claus, who was sent to Bristol zoo's newly completed 'Gorilla Island' where after fathering one offspring he later died. Pertinax has continued to live at Paignton successfully with a succession of younger males ever since Claus left.
While so excited we now had two male gorillas at our zoo, it was so saddening at the time to keep reading about the big fights they were getting into and I remember hoping at the time that one would concede and give in so they could live in peace together. It never happened and I was saddened to see Claus moved to Bristol zoo and even sadder when Carol and I went to visit him at Bristol zoo and learn he had passed away with an illness he had that no one knew about.
There is not a great deal of information anywhere about the zoo’s Gorillas, I do know two other young Gorillas came to the zoo called Mapema and Damisi and later left the zoo, Mapema went to a zoo in Germany and Damisi went to Chessington Zoo.
I do know brothers Kiri (now aged 6) and N’Dowe (pronounced Endover), who is now 7, arrived at Paignton Zoo in 2008 from Stuttgart Zoo in Germany, where they were raised in the gorilla nursery. The pair, both born at Barcelona Zoo in Spain, are full brothers to Kiondo and half-brothers to Kivu who were already at Paignton zoo, although they have never met before. In addition, Kiri has a twin sister at Bristol Zoo
I also know that in 2008 Paignton Zoo was home to a group of six gorillas. Pertinax then was 26, Kumbuka 11, Kivu 6, Kiondo 6, N’Dowe 5 and Kiri 4 years old One died at the zoo a short while ago and I believe I read he was 8 years old but I’m not sure which Gorilla it was and if we still have the other five still living at the zoo.
The problem with the Gorillas we have is they all come from a well represented line and while they are meant to be part of the breeding programme, they services are not really in any demand.
One thing I’m not sure of is if the whole group are now allowed to spend anytime together, when Kiri and N’Dowe arrived in 2008 the plan was to first let them first meet Kivu and Kiondo and then later Kumbuka the much older male and lastly Pertinax. It did happen but I have never seen them together and I get the feeling Pertinax no longer is allowed to mix with the group as he always seems to be out on the island on his own and the others are kept inside.
I was a bit disappointed that the 'cul de sac' path between the orangutan and gorilla islands was closed off yesterday as it is a good place to view Pertinax, he does go on the other side of the island at certain times during the day and I was very lucky to be there on tow such occasions yesterday.
To be standing less that 30 feet away from such a magnificent beast with only water separating you is truly awesome and I’m happy to stand there and Watch him for ages and as I write this I know Pertinax and the others are living no more than a stone throw away from where I live, the only pity is I have to pay so much to go and see them
PS went on the train ride for the first time in 30 years, the lady behind me shouted out when the ride was over" is that as long as it lasts" her man told her she had fallen asleep during the ride and she belived him that really had me in stiches I can tell you.
Just a few pictures taken yesterday
