FORMER ISLE OF WIGHT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: THE LOST ARK OF APPLEY – RYDE’S ILL-FATED ZOO

In the 1960s, Appley Park in Ryde was home to a small children’s zoo – a now-forgotten attraction known for exotic animals, basic enclosures and a dramatic bear escape.

The zoo opened in 1961 under the name ‘Zoo and Pets Corner’, and was owned and operated by Vernon Winkworth, a local resident who lived nearby on West Hill Road.

The small zoo was set up near the lifeboat station and rowing club at Appley and reflected a style of informal animal attraction common in British seaside towns of the era.

Article continues below this advertisement

Among the early attractions were goats, ferrets, rhesus monkeys, marmosets, a raccoon, lambs, kids and piglets – some of which children were allowed to handle. There was also a mouse town, a rabbit village, and a porcupine known as Porky, remembered fondly by locals.

Enclosures were basic, and by modern standards, animal welfare and safety practices were poor.

In August 1965, concerns were raised when a two-year-old boy was bitten by a monkey at the zoo. He required an operation, prompting questions about the risks posed by close public contact with the animals.

Then, on 6th January 1966, the zoo made national headlines when 2x 10-month-old Russian bear cubs, Nikita and Valentina, escaped from their enclosure. Over the next 12 days, they evaded capture and made their home in woodland near what is now Nodes Point Holiday Park.

The incident drew wide attention. Around 40 people, including police, RSPCA officers, London Zoo staff and reporters, joined the search. The cubs were eventually found in woodland near the Priory Hotel, where RSPCA officer Mr Harold Slater used bananas to lure them in until they could be tranquillised by a marksman from London Zoo.

Article continues below this advertisement

After recapture, the bears were relocated to Sandown Zoo.

One local resident recalled:

“Mr Harold Slater, the Island’s bear-defying RSPCA officer, tracked down the bears, fed them with bananas and left more hoping to keep them in the area until an expert from London Zoo arrived with drugged darts.”

The bear incident wasn’t isolated. Others recall monkey escapes and troubling animal welfare issues:

“Cages and wellbeing of the animals left a lot to be desired. I got chased by monkeys when they escaped with my two friends. There was a mum, dad and baby. Because nobody could catch them, they all got shot.”

There was also an escaped wallaby seen loose on the beach, later captured and returned to the zoo.

Opinions of the zoo’s operator, Vernon Winkworth, were not positive. One resident commented:

“I don’t think the man that ran the zoo was an animal lover — it was an awful zoo.”

In 1966, it is believed that Mr Winkworth went bankrupt, leaving animals behind. Several locals stepped in to care for those left on site, one recalling:

“The animals were in a dreadful state after the owner went bust. Went in and fed some of them, including huskies sinking in the mud.

“Many were put down. Many of the birds were still in their cages. Despite their dire straits the huskies were friendly and ate the food after we managed to open some tins for them.”

The RSPCA is understood to have ordered the zoo’s closure later that year. Some animals were rehomed, possibly including those sent to the now Wildheart Animal Sanctuary (then Sandown Zoo) in Yaverland. Others were sadly euthanised due to their condition.

The site was later converted into a cafe before being fully reabsorbed into the surrounding park. Today, no visible evidence remains of the zoo or its enclosures.

Although it now appears to have been largely forgotten, the children’s zoo at Appley reminds us of an era when animal attractions operated with minimal oversight and how changing attitudes towards welfare and ethics ultimately brought about its end.

Do you remember the Children’s Zoo at Appley? Let us know in the comments…