Anish Vij
Bristol Zoo's own gorilla keepers have addressed a viral video showing eight of their gorillas banging on windows three years after the zoo has been closed off from the public.
Footage has emerged of Bristol Zoo’s remaining troop of eight western lowland gorillas still living in their old enclosure, despite the public closure in 2022.
The video, filmed by an urban explorer and shared widely online, showed gorillas 'banging on the windows' of their glass enclosure.
The individual who filmed the footage claimed they 'walked straight in' through unsecured staff doors, spent several hours on site, and could have 'opened the enclosure' if they had wanted.
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They said they posted the video to raise awareness and question the zoo’s transparency about the animals’ welfare, stating: “These gorillas should never be in here.”
However, the zoo said it was forced to 'step up security' and keep the animals closed in at night following repeated trespassing incidents since its closure.
They cautioned against making assumptions about the gorillas' different facial expressions in the video - as gorillas have completely different ways of expressing emotions than humans, and a smile for them is exactly a sign of aggression.
Addressing the viral video on the zoo's TikTok page, the gorilla keepers said: "How would you feel if in the workplace you came across four men in balaclavas?
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"It's incredibly threatening and that's what we've experienced here with trespassers on the site.
"So our gorillas are not abandoned as you can see they're here, enjoying a spot of food, which is absolutely typical.
"Since Bristol Zoo Gardens closed its gates to guests, life for our gorillas has carried on as business as usual.
"They are still cared for in the same way and cared for by the same keepers.
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"It doesn't matter to those gorillas whether there's five people watching them or 500.
"Their lives very much go on as normal.
"The important thing is not the people that are here, but it's them, it's their interactions with each other, it's their family group and their relationships."
Brian Zimmerman, director of conservation and science at Bristol Zoological Society, previously explained: "Since July 2024 our former Bristol Zoo Gardens site has been targeted by trespassers. This has resulted in videos and misinformation being spread on social media. We take these incidents extremely seriously and the care and welfare of our animals is always our top priority.
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"Our heightened security has ensured recent trespassers haven’t been able to get near the gorillas, but each time it happens, and alarms are set off, it causes the troop distress.
"It is frustrating for us to see these videos. The trespassers who broke into our site, put animals at risk and have no knowledge of animal care and welfare.”