'Distressing' fate of gorillas left behind after zoo closed two years ago
A troop of eight gorillas have remained living at Bristol Zoo Gardens since it closed to the public in September 2022, with intruders breaking in to their enclosure
A tragic fortunes of a group of gorillas left behind after a zoo closed two years ago has been revealed.
The troop of eight gorillas - Jock, Touni, Kera, Kala, Afia, Ayana, and toddlers, Hasani and Juni - have remained stuck living at Bristol Zoo Gardens' Clifton location since it closed to the public in September 2022.
Sadly, the troop has been left tormented and traumatised by a series of break-ins after the Bristol Zoo Project said "false information" was disseminated online.
The charity released a video on its Facebook page to raise revealing how the animals - including Jock, the oldest silverback gorilla in the UK - have suffered.
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In the video, keepers said the latest trespassers had not been able to get near the gorillas thanks to increased security, but added that repeated attempts to gain access to the family of primates are "really distressing" for them. Imogen, one of the zookeepers, said loud alarms and sounds are triggered during each attempt.
She said: "Although it is good news that our stepped up security has managed to keep the trespassers away from the gorillas, it does mean that every time somebody comes onto the zoo grounds, the alarms and sounders go off, which are quite loud - and that's actually really distressing for the gorillas."
Gareth, another zookeeper, added the break ins, when described in "human terms", are comparable to "someone snooping around a family home outside". He explained: "The residents of that house will be worried and scared. The gorillas feel those emotions as well - especially the young, like Hasani and Juni, and the elderly, like Jock.
"We've had issues immediately after the break ins the next day, doing basic husbandry routines because Jock in particular is so tired he just doesn't want to move." Hannah Windross, Director of People and Public Engagement, Bristol Zoological Society, said their former Bristol Zoo Gardens site has been targeted by trespassers on several occasions since July 2024.
She explained: "This has resulted in videos and misinformation being spread on social media. Unfortunately, each time the videos are re-shared, we experience new break-ins at the site, where our Critically Endangered western lowland gorilla troop is being cared for by our expert keepers."
"Our heightened security has ensured recent trespassers haven't been able to get near to the gorillas, but each time it happens, and alarms are set off in the middle of the night, it causes the troop distress. We take these incidents seriously. The care and welfare of our animals is always our top priority.
"Our experienced keepers and dedicated welfare team have continued to care for the gorillas since the closure of Bristol Zoo Gardens, just as they did when the site was open to the public. We hope our supporters will help us raise awareness of the harm these continued break-ins are causing to our animals and combat misleading information that the site is empty.
"It has been well publicised that the troop are still living in the Clifton site, and work is underway to create a new African Forest habitat at Bristol Zoo Project, which they will move into. There, they will be joined by many other of the world's most threatened species."
Wildlife charity Born Free said it was "deeply concerned" for the health and safety of both individuals gaining access to the former zoo site, as well as the welfare implications for the gorillas which remain.
"The presence of strangers and the loud noise from unpredictable alarms could be highly stressful for the gorillas and such chronic stress could pose short and long-term health risks; especially when combined with the many health and welfare issues great apes already experience in zoos," Chris Lewis, Born Free's Captivity Research and Policy Manager, told the Mirror.
"More widely, it once again raises questions around the confinement of great apes, and whether the keeping of such profoundly intelligent and sentient animals can be ethically justified in today's society."
The troop is now due to move a new Central African Forest habitat at the Bristol Zoo Project site near Cribbs Causeway this summer, ahead of its opening to the public in 2026.
A spokesperson for Bristol Zoo said: "The gorilla troop will move across to their new habitat at Bristol Zoo Project in the summer of 2025 and the cherry crowned mangabeys, who will be sharing their habitat, will be carefully introduced. Time has been set aside for them to integrate and acclimatise to their new homes. Our African Forest habitat is due to open to the public in spring 2026."
The Central African Forest (CAF), which will be located at the Bristol Zoo Project near Cribbs Causeway, was originally planned to be open in the summer of 2025 but has been delayed until spring 2026. Work on the new habitat began in June 2024 after planning permission was granted in January. However, the discovery of swallows and wrens, two species of nesting birds, have been located within the old Okapi Stable, which was due to be demolished as part of the development.
The nesting birds are protected so the demolition of the stable was delayed until the birds were able to fly in late summer last year. This meant that construction of the new Crocodile and Parrot House, within the CAF, was delayed.
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