Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo is a major
UK tourist attraction in the city of
Bristol in
Southwest England.
Because of increased awareness of the need for
plant and
animal diversity, and in response to the rapid destruction of many of the earth's
ecosystems, Bristol Zoo's aim is to conserve endangered
species for the benefit of future generations. The work carried out by the zoo and its partners was acknowledged publicly when Bristol was named '
Zoo of the Year' in
2000.
Opened in
1836 by the Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society, Bristol Zoo is the world's oldest provincial zoo and also the fifth oldest internationally. It is a
Victorian walled
zoo located between
Clifton Down and
Clifton College, near Brunel's
Clifton Suspension Bridge; it covers a small area by modern standards, but with a considerable number of
species. In the
1960s the zoo came to national prominence by appearing in the
UK television series,
Animal Magic, hosted by the comic animal 'communicator',
Johnny Morris.
The zoo's official name is Bristol Zoological Gardens ('Bristol Zoo Gardens' for commercial purposes). This is not in recognition of the flower displays for which the zoo can be justly proud, but recognises the first use of that title at the
Regent's Park Zoological Gardens. Bristol, like its earlier London counterpart, includes several original buildings which have been praised for their architectural quirks, despite being unsuitable for the care of animals; the (former) Giraffe House joins the main entrance lodge and the south gates on Guthrie Road as a Grade II
listed building.
Most of Bristol Zoo's larger animals have been removed. For example, there is no longer an
elephant,
giraffe,
tiger,
camel,
hippopotamus (although they do have a pair of
Pygmy hippopotamus),
bear or
zebra. This is because the zoo authorities felt that large animals were not happy in the very limited space that had been allocated to them in the past. However, the zoo does have 300
mammals in its collection, representing 50 species (from a total of over 4,300
mammal species on earth); these include a pair of
asiatic lions,
okapi,
red panda,
capybara and a variety of
primates.
The zoo also has the world's first 'Twilight' zone, as well as
insect and
reptile houses, an
aquarium, several
aviaries and a world-class
seal and
penguin ‘coast'.
Ducks swim on the lakes, while the lake islands are home to
gorillas,
monkeys,
lemurs and
pelicans .
Seal and Penguin Coasts
This major attraction at the zoo was opened in
1999 and allows
South American
fur seals,
African penguins and
Gentoo penguins to be watched both above and below the water. The two pools contain 145,000
gallons (two thirds of a million
litres) of salt water, with waves (made by a wave machine), waterfalls, rocks and pebble beaches to simulate their natural habitat. The attraction is netted over the top to allow
Inca terns to be kept in the same enclosure.
Gorilla Island
The four western lowland
gorillas are the largest animals kept at Bristol. As well as an indoor enclosure, they have an island to themselves. Although they are very strong with vicious-looking teeth, gorillas are
herbivores and are not aggressive. Nevertheless, their keepers do not enter their island home because zoo policy is to keep the animals' captive environment as similar as possible to that of their natural African habitat.
An extensive redevelopment of the nearby Monkey House, opening in July 2006, will give access to the gorilla island for a new colony of De Brazzas monkeys.
Bug and Twilight Worlds
Bug World, the zoo's collection of
invertebrates (animals without a
backbone) includes
insects such as
locusts,
grasshoppers and
leaf-cutting ants. Ninety-five percent of the earth's species are invertebrates, including
insects,
spiders,
worms,
snails,
crabs,
jellyfish and
corals.
Bristol Zoo's Twilight World was the first such exhibit to offer the daytime visitor the chance to view the twilight behaviour of
nocturnal animals. By exchanging night and day, the animals (which are awake during their 'night') can be observed during daylight hours. Computer-controlled lighting ensures a natural transition from night to day and vice versa. Animals that can be seen include
fruit bats, sand cats,
sloths, blind fish and Naked Mole Rats (Bristol's smallest
mammal species).
Fish, Reptiles and Amphibians
|
The South East Asia tank in the zoo aquarium. |
The Aquarium has over 70 species of
fish. It shows three main watery habitats:
coral reefs; the
Amazon River; and the lakes and rivers of
Africa. The Reptile House has
lizards,
snakes,
iguana,
turtles and dwarf
crocodiles, as well as
frogs (
amphibians). Visitors can see reptile
eggs incubating, this helping to maintain a sustainable captive population.
Wallace Aviary & "Zona Brazil"
Most of the species in the walk-through Wallace Aviary are from the
Philippines where they are threatened with
extinction through loss of
habitat, hunting and killing for food. "Zona Brazil", which featurs a variety of South American animals, is another popular walk-through exhibit.
Wendy the Elephant
Wendy the
Asian Elephant had to be
euthanized, because of
arthritis, in
2002 at the age of 42. The zoo authorities say they will never again house large animals, including elephants, at their Bristol site. Wendy's enclosure has since been redeveloped and the area is now occupied by the
okapis and the
gorillas.
Bristol Zoo supports
wildlife conservation and education, and takes part in local, national and international breeding programmes. For example, Bristol works with other zoos around the world to breed
lemurs in captivity. Native to
Madagascar, the lemurs are critically
endangered because their
forest habitat is being destroyed. Closer to home, the zoo has been instrumental in helping to reintroduce the
water vole to parts of Southern England.
A number of mammals are kept on an additional ‘green-field' site to the north of Bristol. Plans are afoot to relocate many more species to the Hollywood Tower estate near
Cribbs Causeway, as part of a second zoo.
Image:Asiatic.lioness.arp.jpg|LION ENCLOSURE: Asiatic lionessImage:Bristol.zoo.lion.yawns.arp.jpg|LION ENCLOSURE: Asiatic male lion Image:Redpanda_bristolzoo_0001.jpg|Red Panda: Ailurus fulgerus Image:bristol.zoo.dwarf.mongoose.arp.jpg|TWILIGHT WORLD: Dwarf mongooseImage:bristol.zoo.collared.and.western.chuckwallah.arp.jpg|REPTILE HOUSE: Collared Lizard and Western Chuckwallah lizard Image:red-knobbed.starfish.arp.jpg|AQUARIUM: Red-knobbed sea starImage:bristol.zoo.dead.leaf.mantis.arp.jpg|BUGWORLD: Dead Leaf mantis, an astonishing example of camouflageImage:bristol.zoo.underwater.tunnel.arp.jpg|SEAL AND PENGUIN COASTS: the "underwater" tunnel. A South American fur seal is passing Image:bristol.zoo.western.lowland.gorilla.arp.jpg|GORILLA ISLAND: Jock, a male Western lowland gorilla in his early twentiesImage:bristol.zoo.capybara.arp.jpg|ZONA BRAZIL: Capybara, the largest living rodent Image:bali.starling.arp.jpg|WALLACE AVIARY: the very rare Bali Starling Image:Bzflamingos.JPG|Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) greets visitors at the main entrance*
Bristol Zoo official site
