When Dougan brought adoring crowds to Dudley Zoo
Fifty years ago, one of the region’s best-known tourist attractions had a rare birth to celebrate – and the baby took its name from a Wolves legend
WOLVES enjoyed a successful but ultimately disappointing 1972-73 season, finishing fifth in Division 1 but losing at the semi-final stage of both the Football League Cup and FA Cup.
But for their iconic forward, Derek Dougan, there was one, more unusual, honour to come his way. This was the time of Cuddles the killer whale at Dudley Zoo, and the authorities marked the birth of a polar bear cub by naming him Dougan. Under a headline, ‘Debut day for Dougan’, the Express & Star reported the bear’s first public appearance in April 1973:
“Dougan the polar bear cub and his mother, Helga, emerged today from the special cubbing den at Dudley Zoo, where the cub has spent the first three months of his life. Looking rather dazzled by the sun and the crowds, Dougan trailed close behind his mother who romped about the enclosure and delighted parties of children.
“Dougan is only the sixth polar bear cub to be born in Britain. He will be officially named by the Wolves star at the zoo today. No one knows what sex the bear is. If Dougan turns out to be a girl, she will be renamed Miss
Looking dazzled by the sun and crowds, Dougan trailed close behind his mother
Dougan.”
Earlier, in 1970, a cub had been named after Ian ‘Chico’ Hamilton, the Aston Villa star, but shortly after Dougan arrived, Chico was sold to an organisation thought to be associated with Chipperfields’ Circus.
Dougan remained a popular attraction at the zoo until 1974-75 when he left for an unknown destination. When Dougan made his first public appearance, an Evening Mail report, headed ‘Dougan pulled in the crowds today with a sunshine debut’, read: “Dougan the bear, weighing 15lbs and worth £1,000, took a walk in the sunshine with his mother, Helga, a favourite at the zoo for nine years.
“Dudley Zoo’s three month-old polar bear cub was introduced to the public for the first time. He became an immediate hit with the children who waited to see him take his first faltering steps in the outside world. And this afternoon he was formally christened in a champagne ceremony by the man whose name he has borrowed – Wolves’ striker Derek Dougan. “Zoo publicity officer Mr John Shields said: ‘We are all proud of the new cub. It is extremely rare to breed them in captivity and this is only the sixth cub to be born in a British zoo. We hope our Doog will be as big a crowd-pleaser as Derek.’” I have been unable to find a photograph of Derek with his namesake on that day but there is a wellknown snap of him tackling Monty the chimpanzee. Different times we know, but the thought of polar bears and killer whales in tiny enclosures in temperate climes makes me shudder. As for Dougan the cub, she did prove to be a girl and was indeed renamed ‘Miss’.