Jeremy (bear)
 Jeremy in April 1985 | |
| Species | Eurasian brown bear |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Born | c. 1966 |
| Died | 1991 (aged 24–25) Dundee, Scotland |
| Residence | Camperdown Wildlife Centre |
Jeremy was a captive female Eurasian brown bear who lived at the Camperdown Wildlife Centre in Dundee, Scotland.
Life
[edit]Jeremy starred in Sugar Puffs adverts in the 1960s before the cereal brand replaced her with a cartoon version of herself.[1][2] She briefly lived at Cromer Zoo in Norfolk where she was notably visited by future Rector of the University of Dundee Stephen Fry when he was a child.[2] Fry wrote in The Fry Chronicles that Jeremy was the first celebrity he ever saw in person.[2] Jeremy was later moved to Camperdown Wildlife Centre in Dundee, where she became the centre's main attraction.[2] In July 1974, she was moved from a cage to a bear pit.[3]
Jeremy made headlines when she bit 10-year-old Ross Prendergast from Ardler in 1986.[4] The boy, who had entered the centre after closing time with his brother, Mark, and a group of friends, was injured after placing his hand through the bars of the enclosure.[4][1] His arm was severed at the elbow, and he sustained severe injuries to his chest and shoulders.[1] Dundee Royal Infirmary reported that Prendergast was in satisfactory condition.[1] The centre's conservation officer George Reid stated that it was the first time that Jeremy had been involved in an incident and that she was "not normally aggressive".[1]
Jeremy lived at the centre until her death in 1991, when she was euthanised for medical reasons at the age of 25.[5]
References
[edit]
- 1 2 3 4 5 MacCormick, Alex (September 2011). The Mammoth Book of Predators. ISBN 9781780334035. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 King, Brian (7 January 2020). Rediscovered Dundee. Troubador Publishing Ltd. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-83859-192-2.
- ↑ Strachan, Graeme (18 July 2024). "Dundee's Camperdown Wildlife Centre has been home to creatures great and small". The Courier. Archived from the original on 15 July 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Size of bear enclosure set to be increased". The Courier. 3 August 2004. Archived from the original on 14 October 2004. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ↑ Hall, Amy (23 February 2024). "Memories of animals and visitors at Dundee's Camperdown Wildlife Centre". The Courier. Archived from the original on 27 March 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- 1966 animal births
- 1991 animal deaths
- Animal attacks in Europe
- Animal deaths by euthanasia
- Animals exhibited in zoos
- Bear actors
- Bear attacks
- Bear mascots
- Cereal advertising characters
- Eurasian brown bears
- History of Dundee
- Individual bears in England
- Individual bears in Scotland
- Individual brown bears
- Real-life animal mascots