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Molly Badham
[edit]Molly Winifred Badham MBE (18 May 1914 - 19 October 2007), co-founder of Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, was a conservationist who was known around the world for her efforts to protect endangered species.
Career
[edit]Molly Badham, co-founder of Twycross zoo, trained some of the chimpanzees that appeared in PG tips advertisements.[1]
She attended Town School in Sutton Coldfield and went on to breed dogs and run a boarding kennel, before setting up a pet shop in Sutton Coldfield[1]. She joined forces with rival pet shop owner Nathalie Evans and they shared a flat above the pet shop. Sue and Mickey, two chimpanzees, also lived with them[1].
In 1954, they moved to a bungalow in Hints near Tamworth, and used part of their garden to open their first zoo. In 1962 they bought a Victorian house with 12 acres of land in Twycross, Leicestershire: this would become Twycross Zoo. It was around this time that Badham provided and trained the chimpanzees for the PG tips advertisements[1].
The zoo became the East Midlands Zoological Society in 1972 and undertook vital work in caring for endangered animals - not just primates but elephants, birds, reptiles, and other animals. At this time, the zoo was also made into a charitable trust[1].
In 1982, Leicestershire University awarded her a BSc degree in recognition of her contribution to animal welfare and the zoo community[2]. With Nathalie Evans and Maureen Lawless, she published two books entitled Chimps with Everything (1979) and Molly’s Zoo (2000). In 2002, Molly Badham was appointed an MBE, and in 2004, she became director emeritus of Twycross.[1]
She was also a founder member of the National Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland and a member of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens.
She died aged 93 on 19 October 2007.[1]
References
[edit]- GB1752.LIB/Social and economic history/105. 'Chimps with everything: The story of Twycross Zoo' - Item
- "Miss Molly Badham MBE - People Bereavements". News and Events Archive - University of Leicester. Le.ac.uk. <https://www.le.ac.uk/ebulletin-archive/ebulletin/people/bereavements/2000-2009/2007/10/nparticle.2007-10-23.html> [Accessed 19 October 2020]
External links
[edit]- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7053198.stm
- ^ a b c d e f g "Molly Badham - Obituary". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ ""Miss Molly Badham MBE - People Bereavements"". University of Leicester News and Events Archive. 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
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