Animal Crackers

The British are crazy about their animals: Molly drinks tea with her chimps, Sylvia dyes her tiny poodle pink and Malcolm sings to his pigs.

Sue Jay takes a gentle look at some Midlanders who have a keen interest in animals. While a bird eating spider, that was considered to be an unusual pet back in 1975, is now quite common, Sylvia Wise's dyed pink toy poodle and Molly Badham's chimps (allegedly they get a sharp slap if they step out of line) belong to an age that is long gone.