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Fascinating photos show what life was like at Chester Zoo from the 1930s to 1980s

ByReport2

Jul 31, 2022

Fascinating photos show what life was like at Chester Zoo from the 1930s to 1980s

From children washing a giraffe to a chimpanzee building a wall – life at the zoo has certainly changed since it opened in 1931

Student Angela Cobley with Noel the baby gorilla at Chester Zoo, July 1962
Student Angela Cobley with Noel the baby gorilla at Chester Zoo, July 1962

Chester Zoo opened in 1931 and has gone on to become one of the North West's most popular attractions.

Founder George Mottershead was said to have been inspired to open the zoo after taking a trip to Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester when he was boy. He went on to collect animals for several years, and as seen in the photos below, his family and animals helped him to make his dream a reality.

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Chester Zoo has been the topic of a few television shows over the years, including the Granada documentary series Zoo Days in 2007 and the BBC drama Our Zoo in 2014 which told the Mottershead family's story. Channel 4 has had great success with its documentary series The Secret Life of the Zoo which first aired in 2014 and follows the dedicated keepers and loveable animals at Chester Zoo.

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Many animals, members of staff and visitors have passed through the zoo's gates over the last nine decades. We've delved through the archives and found some fascinating photos that show what life was like at Chester Zoo between the 1930s and 1980s.

From children washing a giraffe to a chimpanzee building a wall, there are many quirky things that happened at the zoo over the years. We certainly wouldn't see most of the below when wandering around the attraction these days.

Which photo of Chester Zoo is your favourite? You can now comment below each individual photo, or let us know in the comments section below.

For beautiful, historic images from the past have a look at memorylane.co.uk/ and see what you can discover.

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  1. Mary the chimpanzee helps George Mottershead build a new lion enclosure at Chester Zoo, August 1937.

    Mary the chimpanzee helps George Mottershead build a new lion enclosure at Chester Zoo, August 1937

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  2. June Mottershead with 10-week-old lion cubs Romeo and Juliet at Chester Zoo, September 1937.

    June Mottershead with 10-week-old lion cubs Romeo and Juliet at Chester Zoo, September 1937

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  3. Muriel Mottershead, Supervisor at Chester Zoo and daughter of founder George Mottershead, feeding the animals, June 1950.

    Muriel Mottershead, Supervisor at Chester Zoo and daughter of founder George Mottershead, feeding the animals, June 1950.

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  4. Joe the chimpanzee having a cigarette at Chester Zoo, September 1955.

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  5. Robert McCann, grandson of George Mottershead, Director at Chester Zoo, playing with a baby chimpanzee, a baby orangutan and a wooly monkey, May 1960.

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  6. Playing in the Children's Corner at Chester Zoo, June 1960.

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  7. Barbara Burrows, 11, and Beryl Simpson, 11, both from St. Helens, holding some of the husky puppies born at Chester Zoo, June 1960.

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  8. A 12 inches tall Guillemot bird with keeper Jim Murray, March 1961.

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  9. Two chimpanzees give a lioness cub a kiss at Chester Zoo, 1962.

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  10. Student Angela Cobley with Noel the baby gorilla at Chester Zoo, July 1962.

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  11. Fashion models pose with a camel at Chester Zoo, July 1962.

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  12. Chester Zoo Keeper Kathy Jones with two chimpanzees, July 1962.

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  13. Irene Green with a hungry George the giraffe at Chester Zoo, May 1963.

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  14. Director of the North of England Zoological Society, George Mottershead, inspects a pelican's throat at Chester Zoo, March 1966.

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  15. Bar Bar the elephant snatching Ann Evans' handbag at Chester Zoo, November 1966.

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  16. Chad the baby chimp and Natalie Daniels at Chester Zoo, 1966.

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  17. A Scout group washing down a giraffe at Chester Zoo, April 1968.

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  18. Baby chimp Freddie shortly after his arrival at Chester Zoo from West Africa where he was reared in a home, December 1969.

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  19. Maxie the pygmy hippo entertaining children at Chester Zoo, 1975.

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  20. Chester Zoo's Elephant House Keeper, Les Hill, and the thirty loaves which make up the daily diet of the three adult elephants, September 1977.

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  21. Juno the Harlequin Great Dane meets Wally T Wallaby who is being hand-reared by his owner at Chester Zoo, April 1978.

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  22. Chester Zoo excursion bus driver Ray Webster and tiger cub Ranee who was hand reared at the zoo, July 1979.

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  23. Amber the boxer dog plays mother to abandoned lion cubs at Chester Zoo, January 1986.

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  24. Santa with Chester Zoo's Prince the Reindeer, November 1989.

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