Security has been stepped up at at a UK zoo that has seen repeated break ins at its gorilla enclosure. Bristol Zoo Project said the surge in trespassers was due to “false information” online suggesting the primates had been abandoned.
The old Bristol Zoo Gardens site in Clifton closed to the public in September 2022, however the troop of eight gorillas- including the oldest silverback gorilla in the UK – still live there, the Mirror reports. They are due to move a new habitat at the Bristol Zoo Project site near Cribbs Causeway this summer, ahead of its general opening in 2026.
Keepers have now released a video on the zoo’s Facebook page today to make people aware of the impact the disruption was having upon the animals and staff. They were also keen to “combat misinformation that the Bristol Zoo Gardens site is empty”.
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Updated security measures have ensured trespassers have not been able to get near the gorillas, but the repeated attempts to gain access could be “really distressing” for them as loud alarms and sounds were triggered during each attempt.
Zookeeper Imogen 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.”
Her colleague, Gareth, said the break ins, when described in “human terms”, were comparable to “someone snooping around a family home outside”. He continued: “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 at the Bristol Zoological Society, said the site has been targeted by trespassers on several occasions since July 2024. “This has resulted in videos and misinformation being spread on social media,” she said.
“Unfortunately, each time the videos are reshared 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.”