Wild Place Project Becomes Bristol Zoo Project
© Freia Turland Photography
(eap) After 186 years, Bristol Zoo in Clifton, run by the Bristol Zoological Society, closed last year. A new zoo is soon to be built on the site of the Wild Place Project wildlife conservation park in South Gloucestershire. Recently, a new name and logo were announced for the project, which will be called Bristol Zoo Project from now on. “We have been running a zoo in Bristol since 1836, so the name ‘Bristol Zoo Project’ reflects our past, as well as our future. But this is more than a zoo. It is a ‘Project’ with our visitors, partners and supporters to save wildlife together,” says the CEO of the Zoological Society, Justin Morris.
Construction is scheduled to begin next year on the 136-acres (approx. 55 hectares) park area. Work will begin on a Central African habitat to house the Western Lowland Gorillas, who currently live in the closed Bristol Zoo Gardens. The natural habitat of the great apes will be reconstructed as closely as possible. Overall, 80 percent of the future animal species will be linked to global conservation work of the Zoological Society.
In addition to new enclosures and animal species, plans call for visitor facilities, play areas and a conservation campus for students and vets. Conservation and education will be at the heart of the zoological facility’s focus, with landscape architects Grant Associates and design firm Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) responsible for planning and design. ■
