LeftLion's resident urban myths expert Matthew Blaney tackles the legend of Hucknall Zoo...
A long time ago, in the north Notts mining town of Hucknall, there was once a zoo. Whilst I have scoured over ancient forums, infiltrated Facebook groups and even entered some uncharted territory in ‘Zoo Chat’ (the zoo enthusiasts answer to Reddit), I have concluded that everyone seems to remember walking past a zoo in Hucknall’s Broomhill Park during the early 70s. Yet, few seem to remember stepping foot inside. The only lived experiences come from their uncles and distant cousins who have now been buried with the ghost of Sherwood Zoo.
However, there definitely was a zoo in Hucknall, home to lions, tigers, elephants and according to one Facebook user, a polar bear. Owned by a chap called Martin Lacey, prior to setting up Sherwood Zoo, he was involved with Chester Zoo and Flamingo Land, and was responsible for training tigers in Esso TV adverts during the 70s.
Sadly for Lacey, following a fallout, his suppliers of exotic animals infiltrated the zoo to repossess their animals around 1974. After this, the zoo only lasted for two more years, as the public became unwilling to pay for tickets to see empty lion’s dens. What was left was just local blokes dressed up as flamingos and penguins. That final sentence may be slightly untrue, but Sherwood Zoo did close, with numerous claims of animal cruelty now permeating the internet forums. Years later a Premier Inn stands in its place (now closed down indefinitely), with The Bowman pub next door.
Despite the questionable ethics and evident challenges in upkeep of Sherwood Zoo, in 2019, a resident of Strelley called Reece Oliver took up the ‘Tiger King’ mantle by adopting some of his own exotic animals.
I reckon that any family lucky enough to own a pet would agree that our pets become a part of the family. Growing up, we always had dogs in the house which meant that my mam could justify hanging up one of those awful signs around the house featuring some twist on an ancient proverb like ‘home is where the dog is’ or ‘live laugh woof.’ (Thankfully I had them burnt on the sly when she was out walking said woof). Most people tend to draw the line at a hamster or a snake - ideally not in the same cage - but Reece Oliver has disrupted the status quo for ‘acceptable furry friends.’
Whilst Oliver does have dogs and hopefully no awful signs brandishing cheesy proverbs, he also has *inhale* one tapir, eighteen horses, a tribe of monkeys, a wallaby, two penguins (which he assisted the Nottinghamshire police in rescuing and returning to a Cumbrian Zoo), some lemurs, one puma, and two lions granting him the nickname – Lion King.
Oliver is engaged in wildlife conservation work and provides care for all his animals, most of which he rescued. His two lions, Rocky and Rora, were rescued from an organisation in the Czech Republic who planned to euthanise them if he hadn't driven all the way there to rescue them.
Whilst my biggest inconvenience caused by my neighbours is the odd football flying over my fence, Oliver has faced objections from Strelley residents, pressure from councillors and multiple petitions against the ownership of exotic animals as pets. However, despite all the backlash, Oliver is still the proud owner of this menagerie. So if there is one thing to take from this month’s Truth or Legend it is this: don’t annoy your suppliers and if you do, just set up a zoo in your own back garden. Ideally don’t do it in Strelley, unless you enjoy a row with the council.
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