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Old Buddies
2 December 2004
Fifty odd years at Wellington Zoo is no mean feat. But for two Zoo friends of sorts, it's been an interesting journey well worth the ride.
Francis Cole (or Frank as he's known) began work at Wellington Zoo as a labourer on October 2nd 1954 when he was 14 years old, but for years prior he had been in and out of the Zoo as the son of the head keeper.
Frank would visit the Zoo after school when he heard that two juvenile grey gibbons had arrived in December 1949. Nippy, one of these gibbons, adopted Frank as his friend and was carried around the Zoo by an eight year old Frank as company.
Nippy, now probably 57 years old, was named after his passion for biting people. Numerous people have been bitten by the infamous Nippy but as time as passed, Nippy's habit has mellowed and since he barely has any teeth remaining now, his nips are not as effective as they once were.
Frank describes Nippy's other endearing habit. "In the early 1950's, an old man used to telephone the Town Clerk (today known as the Mayor) very early in the morning because he was woken by Nippy howling in the trees. The Clerk would ring the Zoo head keeper to 'shut the hooting thing up'".
This scenario carried on until the Zoo discovered a means of quietening the noisy gibbon. Inside Nippy's den was a totally darkened box where daylight couldn't enter. The idea was to put Nippy to bed each night in the box so he wouldn't howl at daylight. At 5 years old, Nippy was an aggressive gibbon and the keepers had to throw a net over Nippy each evening to catch him to put him to bed (food was occasionally used to tempt him too). Inevitably the keepers would end up with small injuries (a Dutch keeper had the lower half of this ear bitten off).
Finally Nippy decided to stop hooting at daylight and the box bedroom idea was discarded.
Frank's time at the Zoo has involved ordeals with other animals too. Losing his right forefinger to Jimmy the Orang-utan who he was medicating at the time was prevented from turning into a worse injury by Mr Cutler (the director at the time) going into the den to pull Frank out.
Overseas trips to import animals have resulted in the arrival of three one year old American Black Bears from Taronga Zoo in 1966 and Dee the female giraffe from Honolulu Zoo in the mid-1980's.
Several animals including Bison, Sitatunga, Blackbuck and Chimps were hand-raised by Frank, his wife Margaret and Patch the dog. Several animals including Bison, Sitatunga, Blackbuck and Chimps were hand-raised by Frank, his wife Margaret and Patch the dog. Two of the last three hand-raised Chimps still live at Wellington Zoo (Jessie and Sammy).
On one occasion after years of working at the Zoo without a holiday, Frank was required to take three months leave. Returning to the Zoo from Australia proved well worth the time away when the Chimps saw him coming and a commotion broke out in the Chimp den where they jumped up on the bars, making loud excited noises.
Frank talks about the Chimpanzee outings to local paint shops where the Chimps would appear in promotions. The animals would drive with Frank in the van in cages, then would sit to paint in the shops (usually with paint splattered everywhere!).
These times Frank describes as "good times. The keepers couldn't force the Chimps to paint, they had to be encouraged and loved and often the keepers would feel like the Chimps were training them, not the other way round".
As for Nippy and Frank, they're still best friends after 50 years at Wellington Zoo. Nippy likes to hoot again in the mornings and after talking to Frank he lies in the grass to sunbathe. Interestingly, the neighbours no longer seem to find this or other Zoo sounds a nuisance.
While Frank still works at the Zoo, Nippy enjoys visits from all the keeping staff and especially enjoys having his back scratched.
Frank says "you little bugger, you'll probably survive another summer".
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