Marine Mammals International: Battersea, Porthcawl, Balcpool & The Royalty Theatre

MARINE MAMMALS INTERNATIONAL

Owned dolphinariums in Battersea Park's Festival Gardens and also Coney Beach Amusement Park, Porthcawl and for one summer a show on Blackpool's sea front. Towards the end of it operations it also supplied two dolphins to Paul Raymond's 'Royalty Folies' review show in London.

BATTERSEA PARK DOLPHINARIUM: 1971 - 1973

PORTHCAWL DOLPHINARIUM: 1971 - 1974

Porthcawl Dolphinarium was originally built and owned by Joe Raber's company Marine Mammals International. The last two dolphins to be housed there were in the winter of 1974 undergoing training for the Royalty Folies show in London. The dolphinarium was then used for sea lions shows by Jervale Ltd in the summer of 1975.

ROYALTY FOLIES - LONDON- 1974

The Royalty Folies (later to be renamed The Great International Nude Show) was staged at the Royalty Theatre London in Holborn by Paul Raymond owner of the then famous Raymond's Review Bar. The animals were house in 10,000 gallon tank which weighed 65 tones. The two dolphins were called "Pixie" and "Penny" and they remain at the theatre for the 12 week run of the show from April to June in 1974. The animals were trained for the show over-winter at the Porthcawl Dolphinarium. They were relocated first to the dolphinarium at Woburn and then to the dolphinarium at Flamingo Park Zoo in Yorkshire.

There is an urban myth that the theatre which is now named the Peacock Theatre is haunted by the ghost of a dead dolphin. However, only two dolphins where ever held at the theatre and neither died during their time there. The animals were in fact bought by a company Jervale Ltd that had leased the dolphin pool at Flamingo Park (now Flamingoland) in Yorkshire from 1975 until early 1977. They were then sent on a misguide tour of the Far East to Taipei, Taiwan and returned to Flamingo Park after 9 months. Unfortunately both animals died in 1977 from a viral skin disease that vets believe they acquired in the Far East.

BLACKPOOL DOLPHINARIUM

A seasonal temporary show ran for only one summer at Blackpool in 1969 with two dolphins name "Simbad" (pictured)and "Pronto". "Simbad" was later transferred along with a number of animals from Marine Mammals International to the company who owned Margate Dolphinarium and other seasonal dolphinaria.

Photo taken from 100 Years of The Seaside: Twentieth Century in Pictures published by Ammonite Press/Press Association copyright.

	MARINE MAMMALS INTERNATIONAL Owned dolphinariums in Battersea Park's Festival Gardens and also Coney Beach Amusement Park, Porthcawl and for one summer a show on Blackpool's sea front. Towards the end of it operations it also supplied two dolphins to Paul Raymond's 'Royalty Folies' review show in London.

	BATTERSEA PARK DOLPHINARIUM: 1971 - 1973


	PORTHCAWL DOLPHINARIUM: 1971 - 1974 Porthcawl Dolphinarium was originally built and owned by Joe Raber's company Marine Mammals International. The last two dolphins to be housed there were in the winter of 1974 undergoing training for the Royalty Folies show in London. The dolphinarium was then used for sea lions shows by Jervale Ltd in the summer of 1975.


	ROYALTY FOLIES - LONDON- 1974 The Royalty Folies (later to be renamed The Great International Nude Show) was staged at the Royalty Theatre London in Holborn by Paul Raymond owner of the then famous Raymond's Review Bar. The animals were house in 10,000 gallon tank which weighed 65 tones. The two dolphins were called "Pixie" and "Penny" and they remain at the theatre for the 12 week run of the show from April to June in 1974. The animals were trained for the show over-winter at the Porthcawl Dolphinarium. They were relocated first to the dolphinarium at Woburn and then to the dolphinarium at Flamingo Park Zoo in Yorkshire. There is an urban myth that the theatre which is now named the Peacock Theatre is haunted by the ghost of a dead dolphin. However, only two dolphins where ever held at the theatre and neither died during their time there. The animals were in fact bought by a company Jervale Ltd that had leased the dolphin pool at Flamingo Park (now Flamingoland) in Yorkshire from 1975 until early 1977. They were then sent on a misguide tour of the Far East to Taipei, Taiwan and returned to Flamingo Park after 9 months. Unfortunately both animals died in 1977 from a viral skin disease that vets believe they acquired in the Far East.


	BLACKPOOL DOLPHINARIUM A seasonal temporary show ran for only one summer at Blackpool in 1969 with two dolphins name "Simbad" (pictured)and "Pronto". "Simbad" was later transferred along with a number of animals from Marine Mammals International to the company who owned Margate Dolphinarium and other seasonal dolphinaria. Photo taken from 100 Years of The Seaside: Twentieth Century in Pictures published by Ammonite Press/Press Association copyright.