Reviews - Zoos in Europe

At 186 years old, Bristol Zoo Gardens was the fifth oldest zoo in the world and the oldest outside of any capital city. It opened its gates to the public for the first time on 11 July 1836. The decision to close the Zoo was not an easy one, but it was clear to all that the 5 ha Clifton site was not suitable to create a modern, conservation focused Zoo. The Bristol Zoo Project site with its 55 ha allows for a Zoo to be built that can meet the requirements for animals to express natural behaviour in large enclosures that mimic their natural habitats.

The decision to close the Zoo was announced in November 2020 and will help the Bristol Zoological Society to focus on their mission of Saving Wildlife Together, and prioritise animal welfare and conservation at their Bristol Zoo Project site. More information available here. To fund the creation of this new conservation zoo, the Society is selling its Clifton properties.

The City’s redevelopment plans for the site, which include building 196 high-quality, sustainable homes for Bristol, will also provide free public access to the gardens for the first time in 186 years.

The plans will see the park become accessible to the public, with free daytime access. The Grade II listed entrance lodge will be retained by Bristol Zoological Society, providing a café, exhibition space, community rooms and public toilets, as well as a permanent base for the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project. A nature-inspired playground and theatre are also included – facilities not currently available near the site.

The 196 new homes will range in size to encourage different generations to live there, and they will be located mainly around the perimeter of the site.

Bristol Zoo Gardens was founded in 1835 by a group of eminent local citizens and opened to the public in 1836. It is the fifth oldest Zoo in the world, and the oldest one that is not in a capital city. There were 220 shareholders who subscribed the capital to enable the land to be bought and the Zoo to be built. Some of the descendants of these original shareholders are still connected with the Zoo to this day, but their only benefit is free admission.

In Victorian times the Zoo Gardens became a focus for social and recreational occasions for the citizens of Bristol, as well as a place of serious natural history study. There were flower shows, bands played, there were boat trips on the lake as well as tennis, croquet and archery. Zebi, the Zoo's famous elephant, was here from 1868 to 1909. She was quite a character, renowned for removing and eating straw hats! Rajah, who gave rides to children for many years, replaced her.

The Zoo entered a difficult period during and after the First World War. However an extensive building programme in the 1920s and 1930s saw a great improvement. Some of these buildings still survive - the Aquarium and the Pavilion buildings being examples.

During the Second World War some of the flowerbeds were turned over to vegetable growing and many of the animals had to be evacuated to safer areas. After the bombing of Filton, the Bristol Aeroplane Company took over the Pavilion for their staff.

The 1950s and 1960s were some of the most successful years in the Zoo's history. People had more money in their pockets and there was little competition in terms of visitor attractions and attendance soared. In 1953 the World's first nocturnal house was opened at Bristol Zoo Gardens.

Sebastian, the polar bear cub was born in 1958 and he proved to be a huge attraction, as were the white tigers that arrived in 1963. Rosie the elephant died in 1961. She had given 80,000 rides a year to children but she was quickly replaced with Wendy, an Asian elephant. In 1967, the Severn Bridge opened and attendance was the biggest ever (1,134,488 visitors).

Becoming a modern zoo and breeding successes

A programme of redevelopment in the early 1980s saw the opening of the Reptile House in 1981, the Monkey House in 1983 and the re-designed Aquarium in 1986. In 1987 the Zoo was honoured to host a conference of the Directors of all the World's major Zoos, the guest of honour being the Princess Royal, HRH Princess Anne.

In more recent years the Zoo has developed its educational and scientific roles. Full-time education and science officers are employed and great emphasis is placed on activities, which help both to educate the public and conserve wildlife.

As you might expect from a zoo that is ranked the fifth oldest zoo in the world, Bristol Zoo has recorded several first captive born species in the UK. These “firsts” in the UK do not track back to the Zoo's very early years, but after gaining experience Bristol Zoo shows a considerable good breeding track record, also in more recent decades. This includes: Adam the chimpanzee who was the first to be conceived and born in captivity in Europe (1934), common squirrel monkey (1952), black rhinoceros (1958), okapi (1966), western lowland gorilla (1971), Sumatran orang-utan (1971), Linné's two-toed sloth (1978), Persian leopard (1979), South American fur seal (1990). Furthermore, they had historic breeding successes with polar bears and pancake tortoises. While several bird species were bred for the first time in Britain in Bristol Zoo, such as Sulawesi ground dove, Yellow-collared macaw, Peruvian thick-knee, straw-necked ibis, Burmeister's seriema and cream-bellied fruit pigeon.

This proves that Bristol Zoo acquired relevant expertise needed to take part in sustainable breeding programmes of modern zoos nowadays, as part of their mission to protect endangered species and even reintroduction of these species into the wild. These sustainable breeding programmes, such as the Internation StudBook system and EAZA Ex situ programmes, are centrally coordinated. The Zoo has played a part in breeding numerous endangered species within these programmes, including Asiatic lions, and in 1999 Livingstone's fruit bats (the first successful breeding in mainland UK). They have also successfully bred and reintroduced two native species - the Barberry carpet moth and the water vole.

Further developments - some highlghts

1996 - Twilight World, Bug World, Main Entrance
1997 - Elephant House, Children's play area
1998 - Gorilla Island, Flamingo Pool, Activity Centre, Wallace Aviary
1999 - Conservation Education Centre, Seal & Penguin Coasts
2002 - Zona Brazil
2003 - Terrace Theatre
2006 - Monkey Jungle and Lemur walk-through
2008 - Butterfly Forest
2009 - Explorers' Creek and ZooRopia
2010 - AmphiPod
2011 - New meerkat enclosure

However, in November 2020 it was announced that Bristol Zoo Gardens would close and relocate to the site of the Bristol Zoo Project. This large site of 55 ha will make it possible to create a modern, conservation focused Zoo fit for the future. Hence, the Zoo closed on 4 September 2022, with the new Bristol Zoo Project under development.

To help funding the creation of this new conservation zoo, the Society is selling its Clifton properties.

The Bristol Zoo Project is now opened to the public, but work on expansion with landscape immersion exhibits is still progressing (September 2024).

Bristol Zoo opened its gates to the public in July 1836, which makes it one of the oldest zoos of Britain, and of the world. But unlike other 'ancient' zoos it does not have to take care of many listed buildings. Therefore, the Zoo could modernise according new ideas on enclosure design without too many barriers other than money of course.

It is a small city Zoo, which has limited space at its disposal. The ever so inevitable flamingos are kept in a pond just opposite the entrance. With on the right the enclosure for variegated or brown spider monkeys (Ateles hybridus). These new world monkeys are provided with an outdoor enclosure with wire mesh fences and rooftop, while glass window panes on public level enhance viewing experience and prevent physical contact. The animals are fairly exposed to the public in this enclosure unless they go inside of course. Lots of climbing enrichment with ropes and tree trunks. The grounds are multilevel with some rocks.

Then turning left you can walk along a wide and straight lane, the Top Terrace, which provide the nostalgic feel of the old days when the upper (middle) class came to the Zoo to see and be seen. Although Bristol Zoo is small in size, the way they designed the place with big lawns right from the Top Terrace and lakes in the centre of the garden gives it a nice spacious feel.

When you keep left you arrive at the Asian lions enclosure. The four lions - male, female and two cubs born Christmas Eve 2010 - occupy two adjacent and connected exhibits with various bottom covering materials (grass, rocks, woodchips, soil and sand), trees and shrubs. The enclosure of 50 by 20 meters is further enriched with a small waterfall, and several high level resting platforms, while it allows the lions to hide from the public easily. New enrichment features can be introduced in one of the exhibits without disturbing the environment of the adjacent exhibit. Hooks and chains on pulleys are available to hang meat or herbs in a sack. The public is separated from the animals by old-fashioned fences and viewing windows. When compared to other, more modern and larger, zoological gardens this lion enclosure doesn't seem to meet state-of-the-art requirements, e.g. space, although the Zoo invests in many enrichment features. Nevertheless, the track record regarding breeding results is good which indicates there is normal reproduction behaviour. Although keeping lions (or tigers) in such a small zoo seems not appropriate - I have seen tigers roam around on 3 hectares in 'Le Parc des Félins', France - lions are a major public attraction. And more public means more money, and more opportunities for conservation efforts.

Nextdoor, built against Twilight World the kea aviary houses this beautiful and charismatic, but endangered mountain-dwelling parrot from New Zealand. Kea (Nestor notabilis) are famous for being playful and intelligent but notorious for their destructive behaviour. They destroy windscreen wipers and door rubbers of cars, and raide picnic tables for instance. Though the interior partly resembles its original habitat of the New Zealand alps, the aviary lacks a car for the bird to tear apart.

Twilight World, the former Ape House, is situated next to the lion enclosure along the outer edge of the garden. It comprises nocturnal species from different continents, such as the aye aye, grey mouse lemur and the giant jumping rat from Madagascar, the Linné's two-toed sloth and grey-legged douroucouli from South America, and surprisingly the sand cat which can be found through the deserts of northern Africa and southwest and central Asia. As the sand cat is the only felid found primarily in true desert, it enjoys the winter sun during the day, and to avoid the high temperatures during the hot season it becomes crepuscular and nocturnal again. In fact, in many zoos around the world cats are not kept in nocturnal houses, but in regular exhibits. For instance during my 2011 tour along zoos in South England I found the sand cats at Marwell Wildlife and Rare Species Conservation Centre (unfortunately closed since 2012) kept in regular daylight exhibits. Nocturnal houses are not my favourite, because I never manage to adapt to the darkness and see much of the animals and exhibits. In Twilight World they use spot lights to illuminate the information panels, which is a good idea from educational point of view. Unfortunately, about 20% of these spot lights were broken.

Bristol Zoo is engaged with several other zoos worldwide - Taronga Zoo, Melbourne Zoo and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo to name a few - in an ambitious project. They have taken on the challenge to save amphibians from global extinction (see More info). The AmphiPod, an elongated self contained detachable unit, opened on 3 June 2010. This high-tech facility allows Bristol Zoo to create the perfect conditions to breed two of the world's most endangered frog species - lemur leaf frogs (Hylomantis lemur) and golden mantella frogs (Mantella aurantiaca). Both species are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. During the first year the golden mantella frogs produced more than 500 offspring, and over 300 of them are now kept in other zoos and organisations in the UK. The lemur leaf frogs are much trickier to breed and have produced 56 offspring in AmphiPod's first year of existence.

In addition the Zoo tries to save another small and less notable species, the Partula faba snail - a tree snail from South Pacific islands - which is extinct in the wild (Raiatea in French Polynesia). These can be found in Bug World, which is situated on the upper level of the building that also houses the Coral Café downstairs.

The terrace in front of the Coral Café has a large canopy which was very convenient during the rain shower at noon. It was a busy day at the Zoo, so a large crowd sought shelter under the canopy and in the Café. It didn't quite fit.

From the Coral Café it is a few steps to enter Monkey World. The indoor enclosures of the black howler monkey, lion-tailed macaque and De Brazza's monkey have similar features with painted green concrete walls and woodchips bottom covering, but not much climbing enrichment. The howler monkeys share the exhibit with yellow armadillo. All monkeys have access to excellent outdoor facilities with tree trunks, long grass, shrubs, rough vegetation and rocks. But the animals are all very exposed to the public, indoors as well as outdoors. The De Brazza's monkeys are privileged, because they have the choice of mixing with the gorillas on Gorilla Island. This resembles the natural situation, as both species are found in the same rainforest habitat in West Africa.

The six western lowland gorillas, the other major public attraction besides the lions, have indoor enclosures at their disposal with concrete floors and walls, and a bit of saw dust on the floor. The enrichment consists of reinforced iron and ropes on different levels. The silverback is born in 1983. He sired some babies, but the last one born at Bristol Zoo was in December 2006. Their outdoor enclosure - Gorilla Island - is, as you may expect, surrounded by a moat filled with water and additional electrical wire to keep the gorillas on the island. The island itself is partly overgrown with shrubs, trees, grass and herbs where the gorillas can wander around and look for tasty leaves and branches. A wooden scaffolding with many ropes provide additional climbing enrichment.

Close to the gorillas the only three larger ungulates can be found: the okapi, the pygmy hippo and the Brazil tapir. This has not always been the case. In former days elephants and giraffes were part of the animal collection, but wisely the decision has been made to move those extremely large animals elsewhere and settle for other smaller species. Species that, considering the available space at Bristol Zoo and new standards for enclosure design, are more suitable to provide fit-for-purpose exhibits. So, the old elephant and giraffe house has been turned into a gorilla and okapi house. The three okapi have their own separate small meadow outside, while inside (the former giraffe enclosure) the walls have cushions and a jungle painted on them.

The neighbouring pygmy hippos are better off I would say. Their indoors is more or less just a pool with a low ceiling and vegetation which gives it a nice touch. Outside, the hippos have got a pool as well, although small, in addition to a large area to roam around.

The lemur walk-through, which is situated behind Monkey Jungle, offers close encounters with ring-tailed lemurs and mongoose lemurs (Eulemur mongoz). I only spotted two specimens of the latter species (mother and son), which is one of only two species of lemur found on the islands surrounding Madagascar. The exhibit is nice, perhaps a bit small, with rocks, trees (including palm trees!), and much foliage.

And then I was in for a big surprise a few steps away from the lemurs, the Seal & Penguin Coasts exhibit. As conservation of genetic diversity is - and should be - one of the main goals of zoos, I am not in favour of keeping species that are not endangered. Therefore, most seals including the species at Bristol Zoo - the South American fur seal - do not require to be kept in a zoo and will be better off in the wild. Most of the seal species that are not endangered and listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ show an increasing population size as a trend, by the way. But I have to admit, seals are fun to watch. Moreover, the Zoo created a very interesting exhibit with a marine habitat and two different enclosures. The walk-through aviary with African penguins, Inca tern and common eider duck, has nice features with its large pond and rock piles. Most appealing is the size of the enclosure, because this allows the Inca tern to fly around. From the elevated boardwalk the visitor has excellent view at the animals. Continuing the visit in the adjacent fur seal enclosure, where until 1992 polar bears were kept, is a great experience. The diversity of what is offered to the seals and the visitor is appealing. There's a device that generates artificial waves, and together with the rocks, sea weed and tunnel for underwater viewing the marine 'feel' is complete (see Video). The tunnel is also a nice way to shelter from the rain.

The several monkey islands in the lake harbour primate species from different continents: agile gibbons, squirrel monkeys, saki monkeys and red ruffed lemurs. The islands, though small, are a good example of the modern way zoos have these primates on display. The lush vegetation resembles the jungle and the enrichment to support climbing looks sufficient. The Lac Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis) of Bristol Zoo take part in the EEP (EAZA Ex situ Programme) and is one of the most endangered species of lemur in their native habitat, Madagascar. Both their indoor and outdoor enclosure are accessible for observation and outside it is crammed with vegetation and looks great. But strangely, the exhibits are a bit tucked away behind the enclosure for the North American river otter.

At various locations aviaries can be found with species that take part in EEPs (see More info). And there is the odd cassowary.

As you may expect in this small zoo the majority of the animal collection consists of small species. The collection is grouped according habitat similarities in different geographical locations, except Zona Brazil where several species from just the Brazil region can be found. Of the two major public attraction, the Asian lions and the gorillas, the lions deserve a larger enclosure in my humble opinion. All in all, it is easy to enjoy the visit to Bristol Zoo, where much information is provided about their conservation efforts, ex-situ as well as in-situ. And I suppose that the children's entertainment and play areas are serving their purpose, including the Activity Centre (for face painting and much more), Explorers's Creek, ZooRopia and the lorikeet feeding in the walk-through aviary in the centre of the Zoo.

Finally, it is noteworthy to mention that Bristol Zoo's (endangered) primates collection is impressive.

Global amphibian extinction crisis and ex-situ conservation

The current extinction crisis is mainly due to climate change and man's destruction of amphibians' natural habitats, but amphibians across the globe now also face an even bigger and deadlier threat - a fungal disease called 'amphibian Chytrid'.
This killer fungus is steadily spreading over the world. One third to one half of all amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction, with more than 160 species thought to have been lost in recent years. The threat is so serious that the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has said that the only hope for many species is to hold them in captivity until the disease can be tackled in the wild.
As a result, priority amphibian species are being taken into dedicated facilities at zoos, aquariums, and other institutions around the world for safekeeping and breeding. Until a solution is found to stop the fungus continuing to spread in the wild, the safekeeping and captive management of threatened amphibians is the only way to ensure their long-term survival.

(Source: website Bristol Zoo)

Bristol Zoological Society helps release new guidance to predict penguin rehabilitation success

A first-of-its-kind model, which provides guidance on the survival likelihood of abandoned penguin chicks in southern Africa, has been developed by researchers from Bristol Zoological Society, the Universities of Bristol, Exeter and Cape Town and The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).

Juvenile African penguin being checked over.
Image credit: Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.

Large numbers of abandoned African penguin chicks are hand-reared each year by SANCCOB before being released back into the wild as part of the African penguin 'chick bolstering project'. Hand-rearing chicks that are unlikely to survive naturally has the potential to significantly contribute to the conservation of threatened bird species, such as the African penguin.

Bristol Zoological Society has been working with SANCCOB since 2006 to hand-rear abandoned chicks and offer rehabilitation to chicks that have been oiled.

The new study, published on 15 February 2017 in the journal Animal Conservation, shows that analysing the chicks' body condition index, other structural measurements and its sex can help predict individual rehabilitation outcome and guide colony managers on when best to remove chicks for hand-rearing.

Dr Christoph Schwitzer, Bristol Zoological Society's director of conservation, said: “We have known for a number of years that hand-rearing and releasing abandoned penguin chicks can be a very important contribution to the conservation of this species. However, it has always been difficult to decide when to classify a chick as 'abandoned' and when best to remove the abandoned chicks from a colony, so as to give them the best chances of survival. This study helps us enormously, as it provides quantitative guidance for colony managers to figure out the ideal point of time for chick removal.”

This tool could be useful, not just to the endangered African penguin, but other species where chicks can be successfully hand-reared

Joanne Morten, lead author, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, and Bristol Zoological Society, UK >>

Chick abandonment is often seen if the adults start to moult before their chick fledges, meaning the adults are not waterproof anymore and are unable to feed their young. Scarcity of prey leads to slow growth rates and can result in chicks not fledging in time. Often it is the case that abandoned chicks do not survive without intervention.

Globally the use of rehabilitation for conservation is growing, with many research papers monitoring the success of individuals post-release.

The 'chick bolstering project', which came up with this new model, is an important conservation action for these endangered birds, as it aims to bolster the African penguin population while methods to establish new colonies near sites of high prey abundance are developed.

Decisions of whether to and when to remove animals from the wild rarely use quantitative criteria. Where such criteria are assessed, there have been few studies to investigate their efficacy to predict rehabilitation outcomes. Lead author of this study, Joanne Morten from the University of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences said: “Using data from over 1,400 chicks rescued over six breeding seasons, we identified clear body condition thresholds that colony managers can use to prioritise the removal of chicks. These thresholds also allow the rehabilitators to rapidly identify individuals in need of critical attention.”

African penguin colony managers are currently using the body condition index to guide removal. This study demonstrates its effectiveness, with only 2.3 percent of chicks admitted with a body condition index so low that there was a less than 50 percent chance of survival.

Morten added: “The body condition thresholds identified in this study can be used to guide future management strategies, and can be rapidly incorporated. The body condition index uses mass and bill length, two measurements that are easy and quick, minimising handling stress. This is an extremely useful guide which, when used in conjunction with nest monitoring, can effectively identify chicks that have been abandoned. This tool could be useful, not just to the endangered African penguin, but other species where chicks can be successfully hand-reared.”

(Source: Bristol Zoo Gardens news, 17.02.2017)

Some additional information, such as contact details and involvement in breeding programmes.

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