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Bowmanville Zoo, A Major Attraction BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO, JULY 4, 1979 SECTION TWO A long way from the sand dunes, Portland, the camel takes life easy at the Bowmanville Zoo. She's used to Pygmy donkeys from South Africa take time out for lunch. ai having her picture taken, In addition to being photographed by some of the over 100,000 visitors per year at the Bowimanville Zoo, Portland has been photographed in the movie Lawrence of Arabia and has served as a model for a cigarette commercial. The young camel in the background is a new arrival. That's far enough, this buffalo seems to be telling the photographer. Most animals at the zoo are friendly enough to pet but the unpredictable buffalo are one exception. The Bowmanville Zoo has had over 100,000 visitors each year since 1967. It is the home of about 2,500 birds and animals ranging from dainty ducklings to brawny bears and buffalos. Its pens and paddocks and cages contain 110 different kinds of animals. But Alan Connell, son of zoo- owner Keith Connell, explained last week that many of the visitors to the Bowmanville Zoo are from Toronto and other distant places. "We're better known in Toronto than in Bowmanville, it seems", he said in an interview with the Statesman last week. This page is intended to introduce a few of the stars of the Bowmanville Zoo and jog the memory of any person who may not have visited the site for a few years. But the only way to really enjoy the zoo is to visit the animais and birds and see them for yourself. Alan Connell, who has grown up with the zoo from childhood, explains that the zoo's rarest animal is the father David Deer of which only about 100 exist in the world. Its biggest animals would have to be the fierce-looking buffalos or the haughty camels. But many visitors probably find the baby animals most interesting. Mr. Connell explains that now is one of the best times to see the zoo's new arrivais. There are young fawns, baby llamas, and baby zebras, ducks, geese and pheasants. In addition, more baby llamas are expected any day now along with another camel, a buffalo calf and a young monkey. A few of the animals could tell very interesting stories if they had the gift of speech. Take Portland, the camel, for example. The 25-year-old dromedary was once a movie star, having been photographed as Lawrence of Arabia's camel and having served as a model in the Camel cigarette commercial. She was originally purchased from a movie studio. The Bowmanville zoo has one of the best camel herds anywhere, explains Mr. Connell. He adds that there is a waiting list of zoos willing to buy baby camels raised in Bowmanville. At one time, the zoo had a bear that drank orange crush which wasn't exactly a bad dietary habit since bears are supposed to consume a lot of sugar' The zoo's resident bears also have a sweet tooth. Another interesting anecdote concerns a Giant African Porcupine which very nearly gave birth in a department store. This incident occurred one year ago when the Bowmanville Zoo was operating a petting zoo at a Toronto shopping mall, Mr. Connell explains. The porcupine escaped to a nearby Eatons store where it very nearly gave birth to a bouncing baby daughter before being located. "The people at Eatons claim it was because they had better baby clothes", Mr. Connellrecalls. One of the most unique things about the Bowmanville Zoo is the fact that most animals are very friendly and can be approached by visitors. While some people find the cage and pens distasteful, Mr. Connell says that the animals thrive in their environment and on the average they live between one and one-half times and two times longer than their regular life- span. After 25 years as a local business, the Bowmanville Zoo is continuing to improve and expand. The restaurant and snack bar area has been,mpodernized and enlarged. There are plans to expand the zoo entranee and souvenir store. All in all, the Bowmanville Zoo, nestled in the Soper Creek Valley is a local attraction worth seeing. And when you drop in for a visit, don't forget to take along the kids. Wind Halts Canadian Tire Balloon The Canadian Tire balloon was a big attraction in Bowmanville during the holiday weekend. Unfortunately, high winds prevented the craft from getting airborne. However, the fully-inflated balloon was an unusual sight in the Darlington Automotive Centre across the road from the Canadian Tire store on Saturday morning. The balloon in this photo is worth between $16,000 and $18,000. The envelope which holds the hot air weighs approximately 400 pounds and the entire craft stands 63 feet high and 55 feet in diameter. Volunteers on the ground help to manoeuvre the balloon. Inside of the balloon is inspected while it is partially inflated.