From cheeky chimps to porcupine Houdinis… the wild history of Aberdeen Zoo is revealed 15/12/2020, 5:30 pm
It’s not every day you come home and find a chimpanzee sitting in your armchair eating cake and chocolate biscuits after ransacking your larder… but then it’s not everyone who grew up with Aberdeen Zoo in their backyard.
The story of Humphrey, the greedy chimp, is just one of many exceptional memories Robert Leslie has of his teenage years when his father, George, was manager of the zoo at Hazlehead Park in the 60s and 70s.
Now Rob has penned a new book, Marmosets In Mastrick: A Brief History of Aberdeen Zoo, which gives a fascinating insight into this now almost forgotten attraction – along with vivid stories including marmosets traded for cigarettes, a close encounter with a snarling puma and a couple of prickly escape artist porcupines.