A UK zoo has been forced to redouble its security following repeated break ins at its gorilla enclosure in the wake of “false information” circulating online suggesting the animals were abandoned.
Bristol Zoo Project has reported multiple break ins at its old Bristol Zoo Gardens site in Clifton, which closed in September 2022, to police following what representatives say is “false information” being disseminated online. Intruders gained access to the gorilla enclosure amid claims the animals were “abandoned”.
The charity have released a video on its Facebook page today to raise awareness of the impact the disruption is having upon the animals – including the oldest silverback gorilla in the UK – and staff, as well as to “combat misinformation that the Bristol Zoo Gardens site is empty”.
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The Bristol Zoo Clifton site closed in 2022
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Henry Nicholls SWNS.com)
In the video, keepers said the latest trespassers have not been able to get near the gorillas thanks to stepped up security measures, but added that repeated attempts to gain access to the family of primates could be “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.”
The troop of eight gorillas have remained living at Bristol Zoo Gardens location since it closed to the public in September 2022. They are 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.
The family of gorillas has been left “disturbed” by the attempts
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PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
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 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.”
The gorillas will be sent to live in a new site in Cribbs Causeway in 2026
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Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. / SWNS)
“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.”