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Past Times

Dundee’s Camperdown Wildlife Centre has been home to creatures great and small

Our latest pictorial trip back in time features Camperdown Wildlife Centre in Dundee.
Graeme Strachan
Children look at Jeremy the bear in 1986. Image: DC Thomson.
Children look at Jeremy the bear in 1986. Image: DC Thomson.

The zoo at Camperdown Park in Dundee has always been a popular attraction for city residents and visitors alike.

The DC Thomson archives team has looked out a varied and interesting selection of photographs for this memory-jogging tour.

Grab yourself a cuppa and enjoy having another browse back through the ages courtesy of The Dundonian, which appears in the Evening Telegraph every Wednesday.

Some of these photographs have not been seen for years.

Do they awaken any memories for you?


Birds of a feather

children enjoy meeting the birds
The children enjoy meeting the birds. Image: DC Thomson.

Alf Robertson was head keeper and known as the “wildlife man of Camperdown”.

He took a few birds from Camperdown Zoo to St Peter and Paul School in December 1968, including a colourful macaw.

Golden eagle

Eastern pupils with Alf Robertson, who is holding an eagle
Eastern pupils with Alf Robertson. Image: DC Thomson.

Mr Robertson brought a golden eagle to Eastern School in Broughty Ferry in May 1971 for an exhibition in connection with conservation year.

The pupils looked a little apprehensive when the bird gave a wingspan display.

Jeremy the Bear

Jeremy the Bear sitting inside a cage at Camperdown Zoo in Dundee in 1971.
Jeremy the Bear sitting inside the cage in 1971. Image: DC Thomson.

Bears have been a major feature of Camperdown Wildlife Centre since 1970.

Jeremy – who was, in fact, a female – used to advertise Sugar Puffs and later retired to Camperdown when they replaced her with a cartoon bear.

A new place to live

Jeremy pictured from above in a new zoo enclosure in 1974.
Jeremy in a new enclosure in 1974. Image: DC Thomson.

Jeremy exchanged her cage for a bear pit in July 1974.

Sadly, Jeremy also found infamy in 1986 when she bit the hand and arm off then 10-year-old Ross Prendergast who had sneaked into the closed centre.

Feathered friend

Alf Robertson with a swan.
Alf Robertson with a swan. Image: DC Thomson.

Throughout his life Mr Robertson, awarded the British Empire Medal in 1978, looked after birds of prey, kept bees and bred rare poultry.

In 1981 he was nursing a swan back to health that had been handed in to Camperdown after being found on the beach.

Donkey work

Two young children beside two donkeys at Camperdown Zoo
Donkeys enclosure at Camperdown. Image: DC Thomson.

David and Susan Herd make friends with the donkeys at Camperdown Park in 1982.

They were certainly listening with full attention!

How the park looked in 1985

A family queuing up to enter Camperdown.
A family queuing up at Camperdown.

A family queuing up at the turnstile entrance in February 1985.

It has always been the perfect place for a family day out and people were queuing up to see Jeremy in his new enclosure, which had just opened.

Fun in the mud

A member of staff beside the two little pigs
There were 20 name suggestions given to staff. Image: DC Thomson.

Dundee’s two little pigs arrived in August 1986.

They were named Bubble and Squeak following a public appeal for suggestions.

Lynx cubs

Two Lynx cubs in the enclosure at Camperdown Zoo
Lynx cubs in the enclosure. Image: DC Thomson.

Lynx cubs cuddled up together in July 1987.

The arrival of the two bears, the baby lynxes and the eagle owls were great crowd-pullers with attendance records being broken during the year.

Siberian wolf

A Siberian wolf lying on the grass and relaxing at Camperdown Zoo in May 1988.
Siberian wolf in 1988. Image: DC Thomson.

A Siberian wolf lying on the grass and relaxing in May 1988.

You could have got your name on a plaque about the enclosure after the wildlife centre gave the public a chance to adopt every animal in the zoo.

Camperdown owls

Two Snowy owls.
Snowy owls. Image: DC Thomson.

Snowy owls sitting together in April 1990.

What was your favourite animal at Camperdown when growing up?

Brown bear

A bear eating some food in 1995. Image: DC Thomson.

Camperdown’s bear enclosure was subsequently enlarged, eventually housing the always admired browns Comet and Star.

They were loved by everyone who visited the centre.

Australian visitor

A wallaby is given a pat by Councillor Charles Farquhar
A wallaby was pictured during the summer. Image: DC Thomson.

Camperdown Wildlife Centre was offering guided tours in June 1995.

A wallaby was given a pat by Councillor Charles Farquhar as events were promoted which included treasure hunts, guinea pig show and a falcon display.

It was part of celebrations to mark 21 years since the zoo changed its name to the Camperdown Wildlife Centre and birthday events took place all summer.

It is the final image in our gallery.

Did our pictorial trip back in time jog any memories for you?

Let us know.

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