Zoo unveils new gorilla enclosure after ape death

Eight of the animals have a new home at the Bristol Zoo Project after the largest gorilla relocation ever in the UK.

It saw more than 40 specialists, including vets, animal keepers, relocation experts and armed police, help move the famous troop across two days.

The zoo is moving from its 186-year-old Victorian site into the Bristol Zoo Project, featuring larger, natural habitats.

Sadly, one silverback western lowland gorilla died days after he was moved to the new home.

Eight gorillas remained living at Bristol Zoo Gardens after it closed to the public in September 2022, while the new Central African forest habitat site was completed.

The old site in Clifton was subject to multiple break ins over rumours the animals had been "abandoned."

Gorilla Jock, 45, the oldest male gorilla in the family, deteriorated ten days after his arrival, and Bristol Zoo announced he had been euthanised.

Set within a local British woodland the new site is an African Forest habitat home to some of the world's most threatened species.

Justin Morris, Chief Executive at Bristol Zoo Project, said: “Bristol Zoo Project is not a typical zoo. It is a conservation project with a powerful mission to protect threatened species and habitats.

''Rather than traditional enclosures, the site is being developed as an immersive conservation zoo, where visitors experience large, naturalistic habitats designed around the needs of wildlife.

"One of the most exciting features of African Forest is the opportunity to witness the unique interactions between species that share the same habitats in the wild. It’s their world on your doorstep.”