MOVIE • 1923

Spring Comes to the Zoo and the Children's Paradise Awakes to Life

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It's spring time at Regent's Park Zoo and "the children's paradise awakes to life", with hoards of visitors ogling the brown bears, mountain goats and a caged tiger, while the kiddies enjoy an elephant ride. But the sun isn't shining for the zoo's resident polar bear, Sam, his heart "dark with grief". Sam's mate, Barbara, had died suddenly of pneumonia two months before this was filmed. Topical Budget must have assumed that the cause of Sam's grief would be widely known by cinemagoers: the death of polar bear Barbara, "one of the favourites of London children", had been reported in the national press earlier that year. Attempts to introduce Sam to a new mate proved unsuccessful, according to the Observer: "From that time Sam has lived entirely alone, becoming more misanthropic everyday". Sam was eventually put down due to "senile decay" in August 1925, prompting Topical to film a tribute item, 'Tragedy of Sam'.