Bristol Zoo Gardens, one of the UK’s oldest zoos, is set to close its doors to the public for the last time in September.
The Bristol Zoological Society has announced a closure date of September 3, 2022 for the site in Clifton, which first opened in 1836.
The zoo, which as one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions has welcomed in an estimated 90 million visitors, is set to relocate its animals to the society’s wildlife park in South Gloucestershire - the Wild Place Project - where a new zoo will be built.
The decision to sell the site was announced after the second national lockdown in England, after the zoo had already missed out on revenue from the peak spring and summer months.
The zoo had already been struggling with declining visitor numbers before the pandemic hit, with the organisation having made an operating loss in four out of the past six years.
The 12-acre Clifton site is due to be sold with planning permission to develop sustainable housing, with its gardens near Clifton Downs to be open to the public free of charge.
The children’s play area and theatre building will also be kept open as a community space for workshops and events.
The Bristol Zoological Society has planned a number of events ahead of the closing date for people to share their memories of the site, which will be announced over the coming weeks.
Dr Justin Morris, the society’s chief executive, said: “Bristol Zoo Gardens is a special place for so many people and we want to give them a chance to come, to see our animals and the gardens and to talk about their memories.”
The zoo’s famous monkey temple will be left standing after the closure, while the zoo’s entrance will be transformed into the Clifton Conservation Hub - hosting the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project.
Dr Morris said: “This is our legacy. Our way of guaranteeing that people throughout the Bristol area will still be able to enjoy the gardens for generations to come.
“They will remain an important destination for people to visit and enjoy.”
The money from the sale of the site will be used to pay for the new Bristol Zoo, which is due to open in 2024.
The Wild Place Project, which is near junction 17 of the M5 motorway, will be open to visitors as normal while the new zoo is built.
Bristol Zoological Society said that since it first opened, Bristol Zoo Gardens had helped save 175 species from extinction through its conservation programmes.
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