South West
Bristol Zoological Society's conservation-focused wildlife park.
Ayana will relocate to Zooparc de Beauval in France in mid-November as part of the EAZA Ex-situ Programme, where she will join a new troop and potentially breed. The move supports conservation of the Critically Endangered western lowland gorilla by maintaining genetic diversity in captive populations.
Jock, a 42-year-old western lowland gorilla and the oldest silverback in the UK, died two weeks after being relocated to Bristol Zoo Project. A postmortem revealed he suffered an aortic dissection, a tear in one of the main arteries carrying blood to his heart.
Bristol Zoo successfully moved its troop of eight Critically Endangered western lowland gorillas from Bristol Zoo Gardens to their new home at Bristol Zoo Project over two days in August 2026. The operation required years of planning, custom-built transport crates, and specialized handling to accommodate individual health needs and behavioral concerns.
FeaturedBristol Zoological Society is contributing specialist knowledge to a national £1.5 million programme led by The Wildlife Trusts to recover the UK's only native freshwater crayfish, which has declined by up to 80 per cent in recent decades. The society has been working to protect white-clawed crayfish since 2008 and will help strengthen populations, restore freshwater habitats and secure the future of this globally Endangered species.
FeaturedBristol Zoological Society has secured funding to lead the Living Limestones project, protecting nine priority species including plants and invertebrates found nowhere else in the UK through habitat restoration in the Avon Gorge. The two-and-a-half-year project will work with the National Trust, Bristol City Council and University of Bristol Botanic Garden to restore habitats for species including Bristol rock-cress, Bristol onion, White's whitebeam and the silky wave moth.
FeaturedSix young European grey wolves have arrived at Bristol Zoo Project's Bear Wood habitat from Parc Zoo du Reynou in France. The brothers, named Rowan, Aspen, Thorn, Holt, Bramble and Bracken, arrived as part of the European grey wolf EEP breeding programme to maintain genetic diversity across European zoos.
Loki and Faolin, two 13-year-old European grey wolves at Bristol Zoo Project, were euthanised following veterinary assessment of chronic medical conditions. The decision was made to prevent further suffering, as the wolves had exceeded the typical wild life expectancy of six to eight years.
FeaturedBristol Zoo Project has discovered that only one Konia eisentrauti cichlid is recorded in accredited zoos worldwide and is appealing globally to find breeding partners for the species. The fish is endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo in Cameroon, where habitat loss threatens its survival, and establishing a breeding programme could create a safety population.
Bristol Zoo Project runs conservation programmes for red river hogs in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and also works to protect the related Visayan warty pig in the Philippines through community engagement. The zoo's educational article about red river hogs emphasizes how hunting threatens wild populations and how alternative livelihoods can reduce pressure on these species.
Five critically endangered cichlid species from Lake Barombi Mbo have been moved to a new African Forest habitat at Bristol Zoo Project, where they are now on display to visitors. The cichlids live alongside a critically endangered slender-snouted crocodile in the crocodile house.
FeaturedBristol Zoo Project has discovered that only one Konia eisentrauti cichlid is recorded in accredited zoos worldwide and is appealing globally to locate more individuals to establish a breeding programme. The species is found naturally only in Lake Barombi Mbo, a volcanic crater lake in Cameroon, where habitat loss and deforestation threaten its survival.
FeaturedNkoumou, a new silverback Western lowland gorilla weighing over 200kg, has arrived at Bristol Zoo Project to lead the zoo's gorilla troop. The animal keepers are gradually introducing him to the three adult females, one adolescent female, and two juvenile males already in the group.
A UK zoo is offering a limited-time Family Saver ticket with 15% discount, valid for 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children until 1 September 2026. The ticket costs £84.15 with a conservation donation or £76.50 without, with no promo code required.
FeaturedBristol Zoological Society has received National Geographic funding to advance conservation work in Kimboza Forest Nature Reserve in Tanzania, focusing on protecting the Critically Endangered turquoise dwarf gecko. The project, delivered in partnership with Sokoine University of Agriculture and Tanzania Forest Service Agency, will run throughout 2027 and aims to remove 50,000 invasive cedar trees, restore 50 hectares of forest, and train 150 university students in conservation skills.
Bristol Zoological Society Secures National Geographic Funding To Protect Critically Endangered Turquoise Dwarf Gecko In Tanzania
New Aqua Bronze Award For Highbridge Angling Association
FeaturedNkoumou, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, has arrived at Bristol Zoo Project from Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve as part of an international conservation breeding programme. The 180kg silverback will lead the zoo's troop of six gorillas and replaces Jock, who died earlier this year aged 42.
Jock, the oldest male gorilla in the UK, has died at Bristol Zoo Project aged 42 after leading the zoo's gorilla troop for more than two decades. His death prompted the arrival of Nkoumou to maintain the stability and future of the troop.
Bristol Zoological Society has begun a conservation project in Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park, Philippines, working with Indigenous communities to understand traditional forest use and combat illegal hunting threats. The initiative, funded by the Woodspring Trust and partnering with PhilinCon, aims to integrate Indigenous knowledge into park management while supporting community livelihoods.
Bristol Zoo Project has opened a new interactive visitor experience called Shaun's Wildlife Mission, featuring character Bitzer leading guests through conservation-themed challenges along a trail. The experience educates visitors about real conservation work, including bioacoustics research in Madagascar, and culminates in completing missions at Wallace and Gromit's Wildlife-3000.