Welsh Mountain Zoo celebrates 60 years of animal magic
Six decades and still going strong
These photographs chronicle some of the special moments at a North Wales zoo as staff celebrate its 60th anniversary. The Welsh Mountain Zoo in Upper Colwyn Bay has become one of our most loved tourist attractions, welcoming 170,000 visitors on average a year to the picturesque site with over 80 species.
The story of the Zoo began in 1962 when Robert Jackson, his wife Margaret and their three sons moved from their home in Cheshire to Colwyn Bay. Through the coldest winter in living memory, they began building what he named the "Welsh Mountain Zoo and Botanic Gardens".
Robert Jackson, and the Mayor of Colwyn Bay officially opened the Welsh Mountain Zoo on May 18, 1963. The Zoo has evolved over the years, becoming a charity in the 1980s. Although the Jackson family gave up ownership of the private zoo company, members of the family remain on the charity’s board to this day.
Meeting a tapir
Diana Hughes and schoolchildren look at a tapir at the Welsh Mountain Zoo on July 16, 1969
1 of 10Footballers help out
Welsh stars Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones and Ian Rush feeding an elephant in the 1980s. Photographer unknown
2 of 10Zoo's joint founder
Margaret Jackson, pictured in November 1981, with an Indian python, on the occasion of her retirement as managing director of the zoo which she and her late husband opened in May 1963. Photographer unknown
3 of 10What a racket
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You cannot be serious! In July 1981 the Welsh Mountain Zoo staged an unusual tennis match, involving baby elephant Zimba, which was nicknamed Miss McEnroe after the men's Wimbledon champion John McEnroe, because of her jumbo-size tantrums rather than any great sporting ability. Photographer unknown
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