Back in 2024, gorillas were seen banging on the glass of a zoo that had closed two years beforehand.
And their story continued to go viral towards the end of last year as people called out for a change for the animals.
But finally, with a tragic update along the way, the gorillas have finally moved to a new location. Eight gorillas remained living at Bristol Zoo Gardens after it closed to the public in September 2022.
The videos of them had gone viral after ‘urban explorers’ spotted them in the old site, while the Zoo explained the animals were still being cared for. This was as the Central African Forest habitat site was still being completed for them at the new location, set within a local British woodland.
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And marking the largest gorilla relocation ever in the UK, they are now settled into at their new home.
It was quite the move though, with more than 40 specialists including vets, animal keepers, relocation experts and armed police helping move the viral troop of gorillas across two days.
The Bristol Zoo Project features larger, natural habitats than its former 186-year-old Victorian site in Clifton.
Justin Morris, Chief Executive at Bristol Zoo Project, said: “Bristol Zoo Project is not a typical zoo. It is a conservation project with a powerful mission to protect threatened species and habitats. Rather than traditional enclosures, the site is being developed as an immersive conservation zoo, where visitors experience large, naturalistic habitats designed around the needs of wildlife.
"One of the most exciting features of African Forest is the opportunity to witness the unique interactions between species that share the same habitats in the wild. It’s their world on your doorstep.”
The gorillas’ new home
Sarah Gedan, the project’s curator of mammals told The Guardian: “It’s a larger area, four and a half times their old home.
“But the most striking aspect of it is just how much more complex it is. We’ve offered them a life among the trees here. They literally disappear into the trees.”
The troop spent some time inside while they got used to their new place before recently being allowed outside with visitors getting to see them for the first time today (1 April).
The new African Forest includes features such as a ‘gorilla gym’, ‘gorilla play nests’ and a moat.
Death of Jock the gorilla
Sadly, one silverback western lowland gorilla died days after he was moved to their new home.
The oldest male gorilla in the family at 45, Jock deteriorated 10 days after his arrival and it was announced he had been euthanised.
A spokesperson for Bristol Zoo Project said last month that this was ‘the best outcome for his welfare’, and that he had a number of ‘common’ pre-existing health conditions.
He had however apparently settled into his habitat well in the time he had there.
Jess Battison