Camperdown Wildlife Park was an essential part of growing up in Dundee.
Most Dundonians have fond childhood memories of the zoo, whether it be petting the goats or watching the two bears splash around in their pool.
The animals may have changed through the years, but the park continues to draw crowds and recently was deemed ‘first class’ in a Government inspection.
Here’s some pictures from our archive from the 70s to the 90s.
Have you made it into our gallery?
Did you know?
The park goes through the following in a year:
- 2,340kg of apples
- 3,120kg of pears and carrots EACH
- 52,000 mice for carnivores
- 10,000kg of straw for bedding
Camperdown’s Bears
The wildlife centre has held bears since the early 1970s.
The centre was home to Jeremy who had been used in the Sugar Puff adverts. She (yes, she) was the last of the bears to be used in the adverts before the company went to an animated bear. When Jeremy was first housed at Camperdown Wildlife Centre she lived in a bear pit – a typical enclosure for the time because of it’s security.
She was then moved out of the pit and into the concrete enclosure where the public were no longer looking down on her but up at her. This enclosure housed bears until 2005 when their 110sqm enclosure which when it was built was believed to be adequate for two bears with their present enclosure which is 3200 metres squared.
Unfortunately Jeremy had to be put down, aged 25, in 1991 for medical reasons, she could no longer use her back legs.
The two bears currently in residence are Comet and Star. They are 30 years and 28 years respectively.