Bristol Zoo responds after viral social media video claims to show ‘abandoned gorillas’ at former Clifton site

The footage, which has more than 700k views on TikTok, shows two men walking around the public viewing area of the old gorilla enclosure and expressing concerns for the animals’ welfare.

But Bristol Zoo says the site has been targeted by trespassers in an ‘extremely serious’ incident which has been reported to the police.

It adds that it is well-publicised that the troop are still living on the site in Clifton and that its keepers have continued to care for the gorillas since the closure of Bristol Zoo Gardens on September 1, 2022.

The critically-endangered western lowland gorillas are due to eventually move to Bristol Zoo’s new site, the Bristol Zoo Project, where work has recently started on their new enclosure which is set to open in spring 2025.       

In the TikTok video, the uploader films the gorillas as he says: “Mate, this is ****** up. How Bristol Zoo still got these ******* animals in here. Look, they're so unhappy.”    

A second video has also been uploaded, showing the men appear to take apples, bananas and water for the animals. 

The first video has also been shared by an account on Facebook, who wrote: “Bristol Zoo has been closed down for god knows how long and there’s still animals in there and by the state of it no one's been there for a while.       

“Why aren’t they at the Bristol Zoo Project like the rest of the animals?” 

Brian Zimmerman, the director of conservation and science of Bristol Zoological Society, said: “Our former Bristol Zoo Gardens site has been targeted by trespassers who managed to gain access to the public area of the gorilla house.

“We are aware that they filmed a number of short videos, which have been circulating on social media. 

“We take this incident extremely seriously and it has been reported to the police.

“The care and welfare of our animals is, and always has been, 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.”

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He added: “It has been well publicised that the troop are still living on the site in Clifton, and work is underway to create a new Central African Forest habitat at Bristol Zoo Project, which they will move across to, next year.

“The gorillas have access to a large outside area, and multiple indoor spaces, and the temperature of their habitat is carefully managed to reflect the warm temperatures of Equatorial Guinea, where they would live in the wild.

“We are currently investigating this break in and reviewing CCTV footage to determine exactly what happened.

“We are also reviewing our site security to see where improvements can be made.

“This is now a police matter, and we will provide any support they need as part of their investigation.”         

Avon & Somerset Police said it does not have a statement on the incident, as trespass is a civil matter.

This week, council chiefs formally agreed to give planning permission to develop the former Bristol Zoo Gardens site into 196 new homes, a conservation hub and open public gardens - but a legal challenge is expected from campaigners against the project.