Urban myth of the Bristol Zoo parking attendant
It's a story which has been circulated on the internet for months and made people around the world chuckle from behind their computer screens.
Touted as a genuine news article, the tale of a Bristol Zoo parking attendant who lined his own pockets with customers' cash for 23 years before going missing with the loot has set cyberspace alight.
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Not me, guv: The mythical Bristol Zoo parking attendant has never existed and ownership of the car park isn't in dispute
But the Evening Post can confirm the story, which has been emailed to thousands of people across the globe in recent months, is nothing more than an urban myth – and the real attendants say the joke is starting to wear thin.
Our newsroom, as well as the offices of Bristol Zoo, has been inundated with messages asking if the story is true, particularly as some versions say it has recently appeared in the Evening Post.
The story has been published on many blogs and forums on the internet and even caught the attention of the police after one person who read it made a complaint.
The story in the email being circulated states the car park at Bristol Zoo has been manned by a single attendant for the past 23 years, who had taken advantage of a mix-up between the zoo and Bristol City Council over who was responsible for the operation to collect drivers' money for himself before retiring on the proceeds.
Bristol Zoo insists there has never been any confusion over parking attendants and says it has several attendants and more than one car park – none open to coaches.
A version of the story did appear in the Evening Post two years ago – in a feature on urban myths published to coincide with April Fools' Day.
Parking attendant Cliff Smith, 58, who was on duty at the Clifton Down car park yesterday, said: "I've worked here for about five years and it was about two years ago that this email started to circulate. It was around April time, which might explain things, but we didn't really take much notice of it.
"Then in about April of this year it appeared again. Someone mentioned it to me, then a couple of zoo members said it had been circulated around their companies.
"Three days later a policeman turned up because it had gone to Bath and North East Somerset Council and someone there had told the police.
"It's getting a bit boring now but it still seems to going around."
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27 Comments
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by The Hedgehog, Horfield
Friday, March 12 2010, 8:41PM
“They were stolen by a bent parking attendant ;)”
by Nick, Napier,New Zealand
Thursday, October 29 2009, 6:15AM
“What happened to the elephants and the white tigers at the zoo.”
by Tessa, Clifton
Saturday, September 12 2009, 7:59AM
“It wasn't a myth about the Suspension Bridge toll-collectors lining their own pockets with cash, because many years ago when the bridge was manned, instead of the barriers, it was common knowledge that if you kept going slowly and just dropped half of the charge into the collectors hands, he would just pop it into his pockets and not issue a receipt.
Eventually someone reported them and they were dismissed, but it went on for years, and I know it did, because it saved me a small fortune with my regular bridge crossings, when I was in my younger "skint" days :-D”
by Greg L-W., In YOUR Web Cam. - Smile ;-)
Thursday, August 27 2009, 7:27PM
“Marney from County Down asked:
what about a competition as to who can tell the tallest (quite believable) tale/urban myth??
We do in fact have just such a competition in Britain it is called Prime Ministers Questions and all our MPs line up to ask questions writing the question on a piece of paper and dependent on how implausible it is they get a monetary payout.
These are known as 'Secondary Allowances' paid for attending otherwise known as 'Expenses'.
I hopw this clarifies the source of most urban myths as one fact is that they don't have a real job like a parking attendant as they just rubber stamp stuff that comes from our real government in Brusells.
There will be another set of PMQs shortly!
Regards,
Greg L-W.”
by Sherlock's Bones, Under The Water Tower.
Tuesday, July 07 2009, 11:14AM
“That's very interesting Riley. . I thought you might be dead by now. . It was the early eighties when you retired if you recall.”
by livin the life RILEY., mexico
Monday, July 06 2009, 6:38AM
“I'm in the clear have drink on me.”
by Sherlock's Bones, Under The Water Tower.
Sunday, July 05 2009, 9:00AM
“So many are so anxious to dismiss this enterprising episode as a joke. . . Are they all related I wonder?”
by alex, mangotsfield
Saturday, July 04 2009, 7:23AM
“Accept it for what it is worth a joke & " it's a cracker " thank god humour is alive & well & living in bristol”
by Sherlock's Bones, Under The Water Tower.
Saturday, June 27 2009, 8:37PM
“Now Dorian seems to know a lot about it.”
by dorian, uk
Saturday, June 27 2009, 5:52PM
“c'mon all of you it is a fantastic story whether it is true or not, but imagine if it was true?.....were any laws broken?.......and if so how were they broken?
Look at it this way if true, the guy was standing on a piece of land that ownership was not known, people drive onto the land and ask how much to park.....he tells them the amount.....the other person gives him the money...he has not asked for any money, no one has stopped him, no on has complained if someone gives you money you are NOT obtaining it by deception if someone asks you a question (how much to park here) you tell them an amount they give you some money i thinks it is so cool if it were ever true.... what a hero lol it is very funny”