Size: 12 acres

County: Bristol

Animal species: About 300

Opened: 1835

Located in the suburb of Clifton, Bristol Zoological Gardens is amongst the oldest zoos in the world today - opening in July of 1835. As was the case for several other zoos of the time, Bristol's zoo was a small one - only 12 acres in size. And similar to other archaic zoos, several structures of Bristol Zoo have been either left as artifacts, or have been renovated for new life. The terrace, one of the oldest parts of the zoo, still holds lions, as it did almost 200 years ago, though it now also holds Kea, a rare parrot of New Zealand.

The zoo's founder, Henry Riley, was not a zoologist, but a physician, but had a vested interest in allowing the people of Bristol to observe the form and habits of the animal kingdom, and also allow for 'rational amusement'. The zoo would open its gates on July 22nd, 1835, and much like other zoos of the time, the animals to be observed were kept in metallic, barren cages. As the zoo's native city, Bristol, was a functioning port at the time, this gave the zoo an advantage of accessibility to animals that could arrive at the port. The years to follow would see the zoo expand in size, gaining a range of animals from foreign lands. Some animals would also become revered characters of the zoo - such as Zebi, an Asiatic Elephant, who was known for eating straw hats of passing visitors, who arrived at the zoo in 1868. Similar to other large zoos of the time, the zoo also operated rides on its resident camels and elephants.

The dawn of the 20th century would see the construction of other buildings - including a new house for lions, albeit still much of a cage, and the zoo's amusements would be greatly beneficial to the zoo during the First World War. 1928 would see the construction of perhaps one of the most endearing buildings in the zoo - the Monkey Temple - an avant-garde temple in the centre of a dry moat, which made a rather novel viewing of a large colony of Rhesus Macaques, the residents of the Temple. The Temple, of course, had roots in both Colonialism, and the separation of man and beast. 1930 would see the arrival of Alfred, the first gorilla to live in the zoo, especially popular during the Second World War. It is said that the gorilla would, in the winter, make snowballs, and it was not uncommon to see him being walked around the zoo on a lead. Up till the 70's, the zoo would become a hub of activity, with births of such animals as chimpanzees and polar bears major attractions. Large animals, such as giraffes, elephants, and rhinoceros, also lived at the zoo at this time.

The 80's would see the zoo morph into something more like the zoo is today - with the construction of a Reptile House, and a renovation of the existing Aquarium, which had been built around 1930. There was also the addition of the Seal and Penguin Cove, a large exhibit where visitors could observe the antics of fur seals and penguins. In lieu of the Monkey Temple, a more standardised Monkey House opened in 1983, as well as the addition of Twilight World, the first zoo-based building devoted to showcasing nocturnal animals. At the dawn of the millenium, there was the opening of Zona Brazil - an exhibit showcasing various animals of South America, and a walkthrough fruit bat enclosure. The millenium would also see the death of the last elephant in the zoo, Wendy, as well as the renovation of the zoo's Monkey Temple into “Smarty Plants”, an exhibit of the zoo, in which as opposed to animals, plants became the main exhibit. In some ways, one could see the shift in character of Bristol Zoo during the 21st Century as a progress from the cravings of exoticism, to the persuit of ecological education. 2013 saw the opening of a sister site, located about 7 miles north of the Zoo - 'Bristol Wild Place', based on a much larger site of 136 acres. Lacking the historical buildings of its historical counterpart, the Wild Place site puts an emphasis on the preservation of the natural world.

Planning for the future of Bristol Zoo was interrupted greatly by the contemporary COVID-19 pandemic, which halted progress made at the zoo, and had a large financial impact. However, this was perhaps not too sudden for Bristol Zoo, as the Zoological Society had made an operating loss in the last four years, and was struggling to raise sufficient capital income for two zoos. To add, Bristol Zoo Gardens is small in size - only 12 acres. For comparison, London Zoo is 60 acres in size, and Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, located near the zoo, almost 100 acres. And so, this led the zoological society to make the decision in 2020 to sell the Clifton site in 2022, instead dedicating their resources to the creation of a new Bristol Zoo, located on the site of the current Wild Place.

At 136 acres, the Wild Place site is over 11 times larger than the classical zoo, and is already home to a range of animals, including megafauna such as giraffes and bears. Such features make the Wild Place site an ideal place to dedicate efforts towards, an ideal location for a new zoo, fit for the new millenium. Selling the Clifton site, whilst distressing to many, will result in much captial investment for the development of the new Bristol Zoo of 2024, and also allow for more investment in opportunities for conservation and education. For now, however, the old site still remains open as it has for over 185 years, and will remain open until the 3rd of September, 2022, when it will close for good. Afterwards, some animals will be moved to the new site, located on the Northern fringe of Bristol, or move to other zoological institutions elsewhere. After the Gardens close, several celebration events will occur to acclaim the long-lasting legacy of Bristol Zoo Gardens. In the long-term, redevelopment of the site will occur, with much of the zoo's site becoming a housing estate. Elements of the zoo's early years, such as the Monkey Temple, will remain on site, as will the gardens. The new site will allow for natural biodiversity to flourish, and will be open to the public free of charge.

Later on, 2024 will see the debut of the new Bristol Zoo, on a site which has allowed for a number of natural habitats to flourish - a far cry from the city environment of the older site. Such features will allow not only for zoological stories to be told, but also present the interconnectedness of humans and the natural world. The new Bristol Zoo will also allow visitors to experience the thrill of chance encounters with animals in a naturalistic setting, and experience wildlife without imposing barriers. In some respects, it will resmble San Diego Zoo, a world-class zoo which has already implemented more naturalistic enclosures, in a vegetated setting. Although an exhaustive list of species has not been announced for the new zoo, species seen in the mood-board include gorillas, gibbons, tigers, wisent, and Przewalski's horses. The zoo will not just be an evolution from its predecessor, but would potentially be revolutionary for zoos of the United Kingdom as a whole. In several regards, the legacy of Bristol Zoo, both past and future, heeds Attenborough's words - in that “no one will protect what they don't care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.”