160:. However three of them, which included a breeding pair, were very dear to her, and when the cage arrived it was found to contain only two pumas, together with the tags of the other three. Chipperfield said that the three had escaped, but she later broke down and said she had released the three onto the moor, rather than give them up to another home. However 38 years later, and two years after her death, Roger Cawley, her widower, denied these claims. Nevertheless, the famous legend of the
176:' sanctuary after being repeatedly kicked, beaten and made to sleep in a tiny box. Chipperfield was found guilty of twelve counts of cruelty to animals and fined ÂŁ8,500. Many campaigners - including Animal Defenders, who brought her mistreatment of animals to the High Court - believed that the sentence was far too lenient and that Chipperfield should have been banned from keeping animals for life.
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and his wife Rose (née
Purchase; 1912–2006). The Purchase family had a long history of travelling menageries, and Rose had a lion act herself. The two shows amalgamated about two years after the couple married in 1935.
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In 1999, Mary
Chipperfield was accused of cruel treatment of some animals in her circus. In April 1998 an infant chimpanzee named Trudy had been seized by police and taken to the '
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In 1955 her father broke away from the family circus and, after a brief spell at farming and managing other shows, he and Mary began providing animals for film work.
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In the 1960s her father began to develop drive-through safari parks. Mary and her husband
Richard Cawley were actively involved in the creation of the
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in competition. This brought Mary even more into the public eye and she was featured in magazine articles and features such as a photospread in
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began almost at once after the alleged release in 1978, and has persisted with occasional reported sightings ever since.
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act. She was also known as an animal trainer, providing numerous animals for various BBC productions and the 1967 movie
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and Mary used this as a base for taming a variety of wild animals for roles in films and
Chipperfield's Circus.
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Chipperfield was married to Roger Cawley. She died on 30 November 2014, at the age of 77.
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Animal sinner or saint: The infamous circus performer who 'released big cats on
Dartmoor'
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was managed by Jimmy's father at the time and control later passed to his older brother.
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Freebmd.org.uk, England & Wales
Registers, Entry number 1b 191 for Dec 1937
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Freebmd.org.uk
England & Wales Registers, Entry Number 5b 726 for Sep 1935
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105:. Mary wrote about its creation and first year of public operation in
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335:"Infamous circus performer 'released big cats on Dartmoor'"
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shows on
Christmas Day for several years during the 1970s,
31:, 26 November 1937 – 30 November 2014) was a 1970s British
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She was born on 26 November 1937 in a circus caravan in
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269:Did You Know: Southampton Used to Have a Zoo?
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168:Conviction for animal cruelty
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362:. BBC News. 27 January 1999
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16:British circus entertainer
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360:"Abused chimp's new life"
321:Princess Tina Annual 1971
303:. London: Fontana, 1971.
248:Mary Chipperfield profile
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60:, London. Her father was
144:The Beast of Bodmin Moor
290:. London: Putnam, 1975.
214:"You Ask The Questions"
180:Personal life and death
384:. BBC News. April 1999
154:Dartmoor Wildlife Park
85:In 1961 Jimmy founded
220:. London. 9 June 1999
131:Chipperfield's Circus
67:Chipperfield's Circus
38:who specialised in a
286:Jimmy Chipperfield.
123:Billy Smart's Circus
103:Longleat Safari Park
299:Mary Chipperfield.
91:Southampton Common
62:Jimmy Chipperfield
301:Lions on the Lawn
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150:Plymouth Zoo
148:In 1978 the
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448:1937 births
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129:would show
36:entertainer
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344:13 January
309:0340148934
224:14 October
188:References
52:Early life
40:chimpanzee
339:DevonLive
388:13 April
366:13 April
109:(1971).
97:Longleat
121:showed
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156:, now
73:Career
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305:ISBN
226:2014
127:ITV
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