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Bristol Zoo making ‘groundbreaking’ advances with new species habitat
Bristol Zoo Project has taken a significant step towards its conservation goals with the start of construction on a new Central African Forest habitat.
This development aims to “transform the zoo experience” and protect some of the world’s most endangered species.
The new habitat will welcome western lowland gorillas, cherry-crowned mangabeys and slender-snouted crocodiles.
is needed now More than ever
This unique combination of species will be brought together in a UK zoo for the first time.
“Central African Forest will not only give our animals a space that closely mirrors their natural habitats but also raise awareness about the threats these species face globally,” said Dr Justin Morris, chief executive of Bristol Zoological Society – photo: Bristol Zoo Project
The Central African Forest habitat will make up most of the wooded area of Bristol Zoo Project’s 136-acre site, located near J17 of the M5 motorway.
Zoo bosses say this covers an area four and a half times larger than the gorillas’ enclosure at the former Bristol Zoo Gardens.
It has been designed to evoke a sense of the dense forest and landscape of Equatorial Guinea where the society runs one of its largest conservation projects.
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“This is an incredibly exciting moment for us,” said Dr Justin Morris, chief executive of Bristol Zoological Society.
“Central African Forest will not only give our animals a space that closely mirrors their natural habitats but also raise awareness about the threats these species face globally.
“Our goal is to increase the percentage of threatened species in our care from 78 per cent to 90 per cent by 2035.”
Speaking about the future of the Clifton site, Morris said: “Well, that’s the other big milestone.
“We obviously had a planning application approved at planning committee last April.
“Since then, we’ve been working with the council to agree conditions attached to that planning consent, but also the section 106 agreement, which is essentially the legal document that enshrines the application in law.
“Those things have now been agreed, and we’re expecting the decision notice.”
He went on to say: “In the meantime, we’ve also been getting on with the sale of the site.
“So, we went to the open market last year and we were really pleased at the response that we got. We’ve been working with a preferred bidder, to finalise the sale contract, and we’re still in the process of doing that, but hopeful of being able to exchange contracts and sell the site this year.
“So, it’s been quiet about the Clifton site for a while since that decision last year. But a number of things are now kind of coming together.
“And I really mean this when I say this, the reason that we chose to develop the application ourselves, rather than just selling the site to a developer, was because we really wanted to ensure that the site would still be accessible to visitors to the public.
“And what comes with are the gardens which will remain the same size that they are now – a new conservation hub.
“So, we’ll actually still be there on the site because we’ll be running that conservation hub and a cafe and some playgrounds.
“But importantly, people will be able to come and go from the site for free.”
Bristol Zoo left its site in Clifton in 2022 after 185 years – photo: Martin Booth
The Central African Forest is part of a broader plan to develop Bristol Zoo Project.
Future phases include the creation of the Central African Savannah habitat, home to black rhinos and red-necked ostriches, alongside existing giraffes, zebras, and cheetahs.
A new Conservation Campus will also be built, providing state-of-the-art facilities for conservation education, veterinary medicine, and animal breeding.
In September 2022, the zoo closed after 186 years in Clifton, moving to what was then Wild Place Project.
The move was welcomed by conservation groups, including Born Free who said the site had “become outdated and wholly inadequate to cater for many of its inhabitants”.
The Central African Forest is expected to open in spring 2025.
Main photo: Bristol Zoo Project
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