Bristol Zoo Project in Bristol Bristol Zoo has been a forerunner in wildlife conservation since the Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society opened the Bristol Zoo Gardens first opened to visitors in 1836 just one year after it was formed. This twelve- acre site proved to be a great success and has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to view the animals there. During the 1960s the owners of the Hollywood Estate (grade II listed) gifted it to the Bristol Zoological Society. This 136-acre site was named the Wild Place Project and used for breeding and quarantine purposes as well as housing the society’s nurseries which still grow a lot of the food for the animals at the Bristol Zoo Project. Several years ago, the difficult decision was made to develop the larger site and move the animals there in recognition of its better suitability for the well-being of the animals and important conservation projects. The new name, Bristol Zoo Project was chosen as it represents the past and the future of the zoo. Bristol Zoo closed in 2022 and the Bristol Zoo Project opened in the summer of 2023. The huge task of creating new habitats is ongoing. Funding is being obtained by the sale of buildings on the Bristol Zoo site. Some buildings in the gardens there be retained and the gardens will once again be open to the public. Although the project is a work in progress (and will be until the 2030s) it still offers an exciting day out. Created in natural woodland, the project currently features three new habitats. Bear Wood has been designed to replicate an English forest in 800. Bears, wolverines and wolves inhabit this wood and visitors can watch the animals from an elevated walkway and a graduated, glass-fronted viewing area. Benoué National Park recreates the habitat in the park of the same name in the Cameroon. It will be used to house indigenous animals from that area that are facing extinction. Two of the seriously endangered Kordofan giraffes live here along with cheetahs and zebras. Discover Madagascar is where the lemurs, unique to Madagascar live. Visitors can stroll through the two lemur walks watching these delightful creatures basking in the sun and being fed. Animal feeding times are a good time to watch the animals and to hear the keepers talk about them. Assistance dogs are the only pets allowed here. EC
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EC Magazines | Los Angeles Edition 2025
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