The School Zoo

The genesis of the Bede’s Zoo can be traced back to 2008 when Paul Juniper first came to work in Upper Dicker.  As soon as he was ensconced in the school, he started to develop a small collection of animals in his lab: a snake or two, some frogs, a very nice Blue-tongued Skink - all followed, and the idea of doing this properly began to germinate. The school’s Academic Deputy Head, John Tuson, was convinced of the value that a collection of living animals could bring to Bede’s – and as someone who had previously worked in a zoo himself, and who freely admits to being obsessed with zoos and with animals, he was determined to help to develop such a collection in Upper Dicker.

In 2011, Mr Juniper, and his animals, migrated across the school campus, to their current location: what was once a large storage shed for sports equipment was converted to a classroom, an animal kitchen, and two animal rooms. Three outdoor enclosures – suitable for small carnivores – were included, as well as a few rather homemade wooden cages.

Over the coming years, further outdoor enclosures were added, as the collection grew. A Meerkat enclosure was constructed, as was a rabbit run (utilising anti-seagull netting). David Hartley, a retired Headmaster from Yorkshire who kept a large private collection of different species, donated two mongooses, some fruit bats and a skunk. The current Kinkajou enclosure was created, initially for Macaws, then,  later for our African birds. A run of smaller, lightweight, wooden enclosures was built to house Hazel Dormice, Red Squirrels, and various birds.

As the school zoo became fully established, we made the decision to expand its area, and to invest in better facilities. In the autumn of 2017, work began on what had previously been a storage yard, to the west of the existing zoo area. The site was cleared, with two substantial houses built by the school’s own estates team. Three new external enclosures were developed alongside these houses. A brick pathway and a perimeter fence were installed, while the zoo’s old, wooden enclosures were replaced by newly-built exhibits for birds, Hazel Dormice and Siberian Chipmunks. 

All of this work was undertaken by the school’s own extraordinary team of craftsmen, particularly Phil Pepper, Andy Rideout and Rupert Caine. The quality of the facilities we have is a testament to their skill, and also to their imagination and ability to find solutions to the problems that such a project inevitably presents.

Meanwhile, in order to be able to keep primates, the school applied for and received BALAI approval from DEFRA; we have also registered our collection on ZIMS, a database of captive animals covering all of the world’s professionally-run zoos.

The new facility was officially opened in September 2018, by Dr Christoph Schwitzer, then Chief Zoological Officer of Bristol Zoo, and now the Director of Dublin Zoo. 

Growth and development have continued: the arrival of our Binturongs and Grandidier’s Vontsiras are exciting recent highlights, with the 2023 rebuild of our Herptile Room the biggest physical development seen at the zoo since the 2018 construction project.

Bede’s now has a truly unique facility: a zoo which is a teaching resource, which enables pupils to learn and to pursue their interests, and which allows pupils to participate in national and international programmes for the benefit of wildlife.