286:
The zoo expanded over the following years with former farm buildings converted into enclosures and neighbouring land purchased. The zoo was reorganised with ownership granted to the East
Midlands Zoological Society, a charitable trust founded by Evans and Badgham, in 1972. The zoo became renowned as
226:
Evans helped facilitate the use of the chimps by negotiating the appearance fees and contracts while Badham trained the animals. Animal rights activists criticised the advertisements as exploiting the chimps in an unnatural setting, and Brooke Bond cancelled them in 1968. However, Evans and Badham
185:
in the flat, among the first of which were two called Sue and Mickey, who were trained to eat at the dinner table and use the toilet. On one occasion Evans and Badham returned to the flat to find that the animals had thrown many of their personal belongings out of the window and into the street
180:
to Badham for £35 (equivalent to £1,562 in 2023), the first in a long line of primates the pair would look after together. Evans and Badham soon entered into a professional partnership, consolidating their businesses. The pair lived together above the pet shop in Sutton
Coldfield and kept
243:. Badham and Evans came to accept that the activity exploited the animals, ceased the tea parties at their premises, and ended involvement with Brooke Bond in 1977. PG Tips continued to feature chimpanzees, sourced from other trainers, in their television advertisements until 2002.
295:
injured in a fight. Its particular specialism was primates, with Evans and Badham recognised as experts in the field, and it developed the largest collection of these animals anywhere outside of Japan. It is now recognised as the World
Primate Centre.
211:, a form of entertainment in which chimpanzees are dressed up in human clothes and provided with food and drink, which inspired them to recreate the experience at Hints. They were soon afterwards approached by the tea company
186:
below. The pair became well known among veterinarians for taking in injured or unwanted exotic animals and soon had a sizeable menagerie. Evans and Badham looked after
Chudleigh, a chimpanzee belonging to the naturalist
202:
in 1954, buying a house which they developed into Hints
Zoological Gardens. A craze for chimps as pets in the 1950s left them with many animals from owners who could not cope with them. During a visit to
227:
claimed the chimpanzees enjoyed performing and, after sales of PG Tips fell, the advertisements were reinstated. The chimpanzees were also in high demand on television programmes such as
315:(2000). Evans and Badham continued to hand-rear abandoned chimpanzees in their house until 2000 but retired from the zoo in 2004. Badham died in 2007 and Evans died on 9 September 2016.
451:
487:
255:
into a nearby orchard caused bad relations with their neighbours. Evans and Badham decided to move to larger premises and, partly with revenue from Brooke Bond, purchased a
108:(12 June 1918 – 9 September 2016) was an English businesswoman and conservationist with a particular interest in primates. In 1963 she co-founded the
304:
140:, Leicestershire where they developed the largest primate collection outside of Japan. The Twycross Zoo became the first in the United Kingdom to breed
307:). Evans collaborated with Badham (and writer Maureen Lawless) to write two books documenting their lives and the foundation of Twycross Zoo:
406:
443:
23:
371:
223:
brand. This was very successful, and the company booked the chimpanzees for a series of television advertisements that ran from 1956.
479:
303:) and a founding member, in 1966, of the National Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland (now known as the
300:
525:
172:
for dog shows and began selling some of the animals, which allowed her to set up a pet shop in her home town. By the 1940s
112:, Leicestershire. She began her career as a dog breeder and pet shop owner before merging her business with that of rival
267:
in 1963. The Brooke Bond money helped to fund
Twycross' conservation programmes that led to the first
208:
125:
535:
299:
Evans was a member of the
International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (now known as the
287:
a centre for the care of endangered animals, with successes including a bow-legged former circus
398:
540:
363:
520:
515:
199:
117:
116:. The pair kept primates in their shared flat before moving, in 1954, to a larger house in
132:
tea company, who contracted the animals for a series of television advertisements for the
8:
530:
251:
Hints was overwhelmed by the number of visitors it received, and the escape of a large
120:
where they established the Hints
Zoological Gardens. Evans and Badham trained their
157:
56:
256:
165:
161:
268:
216:
187:
141:
509:
240:
236:
177:
19:
18:
This article is about the conservationist. For the fictional character, see
264:
173:
113:
109:
97:
480:"Secret sorrows of tea chimps: Real animal stars of TV's most popular ad"
235:, for appearances at shop openings, and even for film roles such as in a
212:
129:
204:
182:
121:
169:
276:
260:
252:
176:
had established a rival pet shop in the town. In 1949 Evans sold a
137:
220:
136:
brand. After outgrowing Hints the pair moved their collection to
133:
280:
272:
215:, who wanted to put on a chimpanzees' tea party at an event at
145:
292:
288:
271:
to be born in the United
Kingdom, in 1969, and the first
444:"Nathalie Evans, co-founder of Twycross Zoo – obituary"
305:
148:and is now recognised as the World Primate Centre.
160:, Warwickshire, on 12 June 1918. Her father was a
507:
190:, while he was out of the country for a year.
438:
436:
434:
432:
430:
428:
426:
424:
24:Natalie Evans, Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
473:
471:
469:
421:
358:
356:
354:
352:
350:
348:
259:and 12 acres (4.9 ha) of land near
346:
344:
342:
340:
338:
336:
334:
332:
330:
328:
301:World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
508:
466:
393:
391:
389:
374:from the original on 25 November 2016
263:, Leicestershire. This was opened as
399:"Co-founder of 'TV chimps zoo' dies"
325:
193:
477:
279:, essential for safe breeding, for
13:
386:
275:in 1994. It also funded the first
14:
552:
490:from the original on 15 June 2020
454:from the original on 14 June 2020
409:from the original on 15 June 2020
156:Sarah Nathalie Evans was born in
88:Businesswoman and conservationist
478:Lee, Adrian (10 January 2015).
246:
1:
318:
151:
526:People from Sutton Coldfield
164:engineer and veteran of the
7:
128:, which was noticed by the
10:
557:
198:Evans and Badham moved to
17:
92:
84:
76:
64:
38:
31:
309:Chimps with Everything
209:chimpanzees' tea party
450:. 23 September 2016.
405:. 22 September 2016.
370:. 24 September 2016.
200:Hints, Staffordshire
118:Hints, Staffordshire
106:Sarah Nathalie Evans
43:Sarah Nathalie Evans
22:. For the peer, see
126:act out tea parties
219:to promote their
207:they witnessed a
194:Hints and PG Tips
103:
102:
548:
500:
499:
497:
495:
475:
464:
463:
461:
459:
440:
419:
418:
416:
414:
395:
384:
383:
381:
379:
364:"Nathalie Evans"
360:
158:Sutton Coldfield
71:
68:9 September 2016
57:Sutton Coldfield
52:
50:
29:
28:
556:
555:
551:
550:
549:
547:
546:
545:
536:Animal trainers
506:
505:
504:
503:
493:
491:
476:
467:
457:
455:
442:
441:
422:
412:
410:
397:
396:
387:
377:
375:
362:
361:
326:
321:
257:Victorian house
249:
196:
166:First World War
162:Royal Air Force
154:
142:colobus monkeys
69:
60:
54:
48:
46:
45:
44:
34:
27:
12:
11:
5:
554:
544:
543:
538:
533:
528:
523:
518:
502:
501:
465:
420:
385:
323:
322:
320:
317:
269:colobus monkey
248:
245:
217:Olympia London
195:
192:
188:Gerald Durrell
153:
150:
101:
100:
96:Co-founder of
94:
93:Known for
90:
89:
86:
82:
81:
78:
74:
73:
72:(aged 98)
66:
62:
61:
59:, Warwickshire
55:
42:
40:
36:
35:
33:Nathalie Evans
32:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
553:
542:
541:Zoo directors
539:
537:
534:
532:
529:
527:
524:
522:
519:
517:
514:
513:
511:
489:
485:
484:Daily Express
481:
474:
472:
470:
453:
449:
448:The Telegraph
445:
439:
437:
435:
433:
431:
429:
427:
425:
408:
404:
400:
394:
392:
390:
373:
369:
365:
359:
357:
355:
353:
351:
349:
347:
345:
343:
341:
339:
337:
335:
333:
331:
329:
324:
316:
314:
310:
306:
302:
297:
294:
290:
284:
282:
278:
274:
270:
266:
262:
258:
254:
244:
242:
241:Peter Cushing
239:picture with
238:
237:Hammer Horror
234:
230:
224:
222:
218:
214:
210:
206:
201:
191:
189:
184:
179:
178:woolly monkey
175:
171:
168:. Evans bred
167:
163:
159:
149:
147:
143:
139:
135:
131:
127:
123:
119:
115:
111:
107:
99:
95:
91:
87:
85:Occupation(s)
83:
79:
75:
67:
63:
58:
41:
37:
30:
25:
21:
20:Natalie Evans
16:
492:. Retrieved
483:
456:. Retrieved
447:
411:. Retrieved
402:
376:. Retrieved
367:
312:
308:
298:
285:
283:and chimps.
265:Twycross Zoo
250:
247:Twycross Zoo
232:
228:
225:
197:
174:Molly Badham
155:
114:Molly Badham
110:Twycross Zoo
105:
104:
98:Twycross Zoo
70:(2016-09-09)
53:12 June 1918
15:
521:2016 deaths
516:1918 births
313:Molly's Zoo
311:(1979) and
213:Brooke Bond
183:chimpanzees
130:Brooke Bond
122:chimpanzees
77:Nationality
531:Zoo owners
510:Categories
319:References
229:Blue Peter
205:London Zoo
170:dachshunds
152:Early life
49:1918-06-12
368:The Times
277:studbooks
488:Archived
452:Archived
407:Archived
403:BBC News
372:Archived
261:Twycross
253:antelope
138:Twycross
494:15 June
458:14 June
413:14 June
378:14 June
291:and an
281:gibbons
221:PG Tips
146:bonobos
134:PG Tips
80:English
273:bonobo
233:Tiswas
293:otter
496:2020
460:2020
415:2020
380:2020
289:lion
231:and
144:and
65:Died
39:Born
124:to
512::
486:.
482:.
468:^
446:.
423:^
401:.
388:^
366:.
327:^
498:.
462:.
417:.
382:.
51:)
47:(
26:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.