Bristol Zoo was previously criticised by a charity for continuing to house the western lowland gorillas in the closed facility while the new enclosure remains unfinished
The “world’s loneliest troop of gorillas” have been “discovered banging on the walls” of their UK enclosure by urban explorers. Bristol Zoo closed its doors in 2022 but eight of the large apes remain trapped in its grounds.
The animal park was previously criticised by a charity for continuing to house the western lowland gorillas in the closed facility while the new enclosure at a different site in the city remains unfinished. The zoo said the break ins put the safety of the gorillas and “intruders” at risk and had “stepped up security”.
A visitor, who recorded footage that went viral, said they “walked straight in” to the zoo and “could have gone and opened the enclosure” if they had wanted to. The individual added they went into the zoo with the objective of “finding the animals and spreading awareness” after claiming to have spent several hours there.
The urban explorers ‘discovered’ the apes(Image: SWNS)
They said the visit was prompted by interest in what was happening to the animals in the closure. In the video they said: “Bristol zoo: what are you hiding?
“What is it you don’t want everyone to know? These gorillas should never be in here”. The individual added: “I, like many others, didn’t understand what was going on.
“Bristol Zoo aren’t very transparent at all. It’s in the public interest to be transparent that’s why there is so much public attention – no one could care if they were honest. They are telling me there is no other animals in there – but I know there are birds and gorillas.
“We could get access to the gorillas – if I had wanted to we could have opened the enclosure. I have a lot of sympathy for animals.”
The film-maker said they were able to simply “walk” into the zoo with no problems as there was no security. They said: “There was no security. We spent an hour and a half in there and even came back two days later.
“If anyone is trying to say we broke in or climbed over, it’s not true. We simply went to the staff doors, pushed them open and walked straight through.”
The urban explorers said they ‘walked in’(Image: SWNS)
The video showed different parts of the zoo – from the old aquarium, to various habitat enclosures and a big building with glass windows, where a gorilla can be seen looking out and tapping the glass. The zoo has confirmed that the troop is due to move “in a few months” to their new African Forest habitat in the new Bristol Zoo Project, which is awaiting completion.
Their new site, formerly known as Wild Place Project, will be four and a half times the size of their current home. Bristol Zoo said it did not want to comment on the latest video.
Brian Zimmerman, director of conservation and science at Bristol Zoological Society, said previously: “Since July 2024 our former Bristol Zoo Gardens site has been targeted by trespassers. This has resulted in videos and misinformation being spread on social media. We take these incidents extremely seriously and the care and welfare of our animals is always our top priority.
“Our heightened security has ensured recent trespassers haven’t been able to get near the gorillas, but each time it happens, and alarms are set off, it causes the troop distress. It is frustrating for us to see these videos. The trespassers who broke into our site, put animals at risk and have no knowledge of animal care and welfare.”
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