Jacko

Jacko Synopsis

When Mick rescues an injured baby jackdaw in the park, little does he know that the bird is about to change his childhood for ever. Jacko soon recovers, and Mick teaches him how to fly. It's not long before Jacko becomes a beloved member of the community, amusing the punters in the family pub and guiding the trains into the station.

As Jacko's adventures gain greater fame, Mick has to face whether he can ever bear to say goodbye to his beloved pet jackdaw...

The True Story Behind Jacko - Jean Willis
"In October 1964, the real Mick Carman in this true story flew the nest. He left school and inspired by a certain jackdaw and a programme called Zoo Time on TV, he wrote to London Zoo asking for a job. He began work at the zoo in the Small Mammal Department, where he cared for civet cats, coypus, lemurs and Tasmanian devils to name a few.

In 1965, he was transferred to the Ape and Monkey House, where he looked after the zoo’s most famous resident, Guy the gorilla, for twenty-three years. Mick became Head Keeper in 1985, a position he held until he retired in 2008.
"Mick is my neighbour and came to the rescue when I ran out of fruit flies to feed my pet praying mantis nymphs.

He had some spare after feeding his tree frogs and as we chatted, he mentioned that he’d rescued a baby jackdaw years ago and wondered if it would make a good story. Mick had kept Jacko’s press cuttings in a box and suddenly this wasn’t just a story about a jackdaw earning his wings – there were two flight paths to navigate.

Shortly after, I went with Mick to Teddington to visit the Railway Hotel where the story began. We went up to the function room where Jacko learned to fly, we stood at the bar where he held court and drank in the yard where his cage used to be. Afterwards, we peered into the station master’s garden, stood on the bridge and watched the trains Jacko used to escort.

In the afternoon, we wandered through the chestnut trees in Bushy Park, where Mick found him as a fledgling. The rest is history. There are a few places where I had to use guesswork, no one can recall everything that happened over half a century ago, but the things that matter are true. I’m indebted to Mick for sharing his story with me."