Dudley Zoo facts for kids
 |
|
| Date opened | 18 May 1937 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dudley, West Midlands, England |
| Land area | 40 acre |
| No. of animals | 1500+ (2017) |
| No. of species | 200+ (2017) |
| Major exhibits | Tigers, Chimpanzees, Lemur Wood |
Dudley Zoo & Castle is a fun and educational place to visit. It is a 40-acre zoo located inside the historic Dudley Castle grounds. You can find it in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country area of the West Midlands, England. The zoo first opened its doors to the public on May 18, 1937.
The zoo is special because it has 12 unique animal enclosures. These and other buildings were designed in a modern style by architect Berthold Lubetkin and his Tecton Group. Today, Dudley Zoo is run by the Dudley and West Midlands Zoological Society. This group was started in 1978 and is a registered charity.
Contents
History of Dudley Zoo
.jpg)
The idea for Dudley Zoo came from the Third Earl of Dudley. He owned Dudley Castle and decided to build a zoo there in the 1930s. Most of the first animals came from Oxford Zoo, which closed in 1936.
Building the zoo took place between 1935 and 1937. Dr. Geoffrey Vevers, from London Zoo, helped with advice. Thirteen zoo buildings were designed by Berthold Lubetkin. The land was very steep and had old limestone mining caverns. This made building the zoo quite a challenge. Also, the castle is a protected historic site.
The architects chose a very modern look for the animal homes and visitor areas. They did not try to make them look like the old castle. They used strong, reinforced concrete to create curved shapes. The goal was to show animals in a unique, artistic way. They avoided traditional cages when possible.
The zoo opened on May 18, 1937, and it was a huge success! Over 250,000 people visited on the first day. In its first year, 700,000 people came to see the animals.
One exciting event happened soon after opening. On June 18, 1937, a Malayan Brown Bear escaped. It bit a local resident before being caught. Just three days later, the same bear escaped again. This time, it was shot in the castle grounds.
King Edward VIII often visited the zoo. He was a close friend of the Third Earl of Dudley.
For many years, visitors could enjoy elephant rides. Two Indian elephants arrived in 1937 for this purpose. The zoo had elephants until April 9, 2003. The last two African elephants, Flossie and Flora, moved to a safari park in France.
A miniature railway was added in 1938. It had two small trains that carried up to 150 passengers. The track was about 1 mile long.
In 1958, a chairlift was built. It took visitors up a steep hill towards the elephant house. Comedian Richard Hearne opened the chairlift on May 11, 1958. It closed in 2000 due to safety worries. But it reopened in August 2012 after being fully repaired.
In 1977, the zoo faced financial problems. Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council bought it. Then, in 1978, the Dudley and West Midlands Zoological Society charity was formed. This charity now runs the zoo, though the council still owns the land.
In 1979, the Penguin Pool had to be taken down. The salty water had damaged the concrete. This was the only major original animal home that was lost.
On October 23, 2018, a sad event occurred. An 8-year-old snow leopard named Margaash left his enclosure. A keeper had not secured it properly. Zoo staff decided to shoot the leopard. The zoo stated that no visitors were on site. There was no immediate threat to any human. Many local people were upset by this decision. They felt it was a "needless killing."
Amazing Animals
Dudley Zoo was home to a famous gorilla named Bonzo. He lived there from 1962 until he passed away in 1994. Bonzo was very popular with visitors. In 2016, a statue of Bonzo was put up to remember him.
In 2003, the zoo's two female African elephants moved to West Midland Safari Park. They needed more space to roam. Today, the zoo has many other large animals. These include giraffes, tigers, lions, reindeer, wallabies, and three snow leopards. A new snow leopard cub was born in May 2013.
The zoo also has many different types of monkeys and apes. There are several bird houses and a reptile house too.
In the past, Dudley Zoo even had polar bears and Southern elephant seals. A male orca named Cuddles lived at the zoo from 1971 to 1974. The pools for the orca and dolphins were changed from seal pools. But these changes broke local building rules. The zoo was told to change the pools back. Cuddles died before he could be moved. The pools were returned to their original design. Now, they are home to the zoo's sea lions.
Modernist Architecture
The zoo buildings are very special. Twelve of them are listed buildings. This means they are protected because of their importance. Seven are Grade II listed, and five are Grade II* listed. They were built in 1937 by Berthold Lubetkin's Tecton Group. Structural engineer Ove Arup also worked on them. Most of the zoo buildings are in the International Style (architecture). This style is known for clean lines and simple shapes.
In 2011, the zoo announced big plans. They would spend £1.15 million to fix up the listed buildings. They also planned to renovate parts of the zoo itself. The Heritage Lottery Fund provided the first money for this project.
In January 2013, new plans were shared. The zoo's entrance would connect with the Black Country Living Museum and the Dudley Canal Trust. This would create one main entrance for all three attractions. The new entrance was finished in September 2015. Next, they plan to work on the bear pits. Zoo officials say these will become a "dramatic backdrop."
In November 2018, a £6 million expansion was announced. Tunnels from World War II under Castle Hill could be reopened. This would let visitors learn about Dudley's mining history. The zoo's famous 1930s Tecton buildings would also be refurbished. This work started in 2020.
In February 2019, Dudley Zoo's Director, Derek Grove, shared more plans. These included improving animal enclosures and visitor areas. They planned to fix up the Lemur walk-through exhibit. They also wanted to add a new indoor adventure playground. The Sumatran Tiger exhibit would be made larger. There were also plans to bring back European Brown Bears.
Special Tecton Buildings at Dudley Zoo
These are some of the unique buildings designed by the Tecton Group:
- The Castle Restaurant
- The Elephant House
- The Entrance Gateway
- The Education Centre (used to be the Moat Café)
- Tropical Bird House
- Sea lion pools
- Brown bear ravine
- Kiosk south of the former brown bear pit
- Former Station Café, now the Safari Shop
- Polar Bear Pit and Lion and Tiger Ravines
- Kiosk east of the former brown bear pit
- The former reptiliary, now the Meerkat Enclosure
One other Tecton building, the Penguin Enclosure, was taken down in the 1960s.
Art and the Zoo
A painting called Tropical Bird House, Dudley Zoo is in the Dudley Museum and Art Gallery. It was painted around 1939 by Percy Shakespeare.
In 2015, an 89-year-old artist named Rama Samaraweera gave three of his paintings to the zoo. He learned to paint while working as a keeper there. His painting Clouded Leopard was very popular in America in the 1970s.
Dudley Castle
You can visit Dudley Castle when you go to the zoo. It is a Grade I listed building, built way back in the 11th century. Access to the castle is included in your zoo ticket.
The Chairlift
A special chairlift takes visitors from the zoo entrance up to the castle. It opened on May 11, 1958. Richard Hearne helped open it. It closed in 2000 because of safety concerns.
In August 2012, the chairlift reopened. It had a 12-week, £117,000 restoration. The Heritage Lottery Fund helped pay for it. The chairlift was even returned to its original light cream color.
