Dudley Zoo

Dudley Zoo

Date opened	1937 (1937)
Location	Dudley, West Midlands, England
Coordinates	52°30′50.18″N 2°4′37.68″W / 52.5139389°N 2.0771333°W / 52.5139389; -2.0771333Coordinates: 52°30′50.18″N 2°4′37.68″W / 52.5139389°N 2.0771333°W / 52.5139389; -2.0771333
Land area	40 acres (16 ha)
Number of animals	940 (2006)
Number of species	163 (2006)[1]
Major exhibits	Tigers, Chimpanzees, Lemur Wood
Website	www.dudleyzoo.org.uk

Dudley Zoological Gardens is a 40-acre (16 ha) zoo located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England. The Zoo opened to the public on 18 May 1937.^[2] Dudley Zoo is owned and operated by Dudley and West Midlands Zoological Society, founded in 1935 and a registered charity.^[3]

Animals

An orangutan

A tiger

In 2003, in common with other urban zoos, Dudley parted with their two female African elephants so that they could benefit from more spacious surroundings. The remaining large animals include giraffes, tigers, lions, reindeer, wallabies, and three snow leopards, the latest being born in May 2013. Primates are well represented, and there are several aviaries and a reptile house. The zoo has over 1,000 animals from over 200 species; most of these are endangered and are the product of captive breeding programmes.

There was a time where the Dudley Zoo housed polar bears. It was once home to Cuddles, a male orca, or killer whale. He was housed at the zoo from 1971, until his death in February 1974. The dolphin and whale pools were modified seal and sea lions pools with the walls being built up to create more depth. However, these plans fell foul of the local planning laws and the zoo was ordered to return the pools to the original state. As the zoo was not prepared to invest in new purpose built pools the whale Cuddles was put up for sale, but died before being moved, from long-term gastro-intestinal problems. The pools were returned to their original design and now house sea lions.^[4]

The zoo is currently expanding its education department with a variety of workshops available for schools.

Mammals

Big cats

Primates

Architecture

One of the modernist structures at Dudley Zoo

The zoo buildings include twelve listed buildings, seven Grade II and five Grade II*, erected in 1937 by Berthold Lubetkin's Tecton Group which employed, among others, structural engineer Ove Arup. Most of the zoo buildings are art deco in style.^{[7][8][9][10]}

In 2011, the zoo announced refurbishment and renovation plans for the zoo's listed buildings and parts of the zoo itself; totalling £1.15 million. Initial funding for the project has been met by the Heritage Lottery Fund.^[11]

In January 2013, newly released construction proposals indicate the entrance to the zoo will connect with the Black Country Museum and the Dudley Canal Trust, creating a single entrance for the three attractions.^[12] The new entrance was completed in September 2015.^[13] Focus will then shift to the bear pits, which zoo officials say will be renovated to provide "a dramatic backdrop in the landscape".^[14] This was the subject of an investigation by the Born Free Foundation in 2012.^[15]

Artistic connections

Tropical Bird House, Dudley Zoo (c. 1939, by Percy Shakespeare)

A painting by Percy Shakespeare, Tropical Bird House, Dudley Zoo (c.1939), is in Dudley Museum and Art Gallery.^[16]

In 2015, 89-year-old artist Rama Samaraweera, who was inspired to paint while a keeper at Dudley Zoo, donated three original oil paintings to the zoo to express his gratitude. His painting Clouded Leopard was a best-selling print in America in the 1970s.^[17]

Castle

Access to Dudley Castle, a Grade I listed building built in the 11th century, is included in the zoo entrance fee.

Chairlift

A visitor chairlift was erected between the zoo's entrance and the castle in 1958. It was taken out of use in 2000 due to health and safety concerns. In August 2012 the chairlift was reopened after a 12-week, £117,000 restoration which included returning it to its original light cream colour.^[18][19]

References

External links

• Media related to Dudley Zoo at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website