A campaign has been launched to save Bristol Zoo and persuade zoo bosses to 'change direction and reimagine and reopen' the iconic site at Clifton.
The campaign, which is being supported by a petition already signed by more than 2,700 people, claims Bristol Zoo has misled people about the reasons it took a decision to close down and move entirely to the Wild Place site near Cribbs Causeway.
Those behind the campaign include Alastair Sawday, the co-founder of Sustrans, and National Trust council member Iain Boyd, and it is being led by local musician Tom Jones, who today unveiled a 50-page report into the zoo's finances, plans and questions the reasons for the decisions that led to the zoo's closure in September, ahead of a public meeting scheduled for tonight (Thursday, December 8) to launch the campaign. Bristol Zoo has defended its decision to move away from the Clifton site, saying it was proud of the plans for the old site, and the new site at the Wild Place would be more closely linked to its conservation work.
Read next: Bristol Zoo staff bid farewell as Clifton site prepares to close its doors for good
Last year the zoo revealed it would be closing its Clifton Zoo Gardens site and moving to its Wild Place location in the countryside on the other side of the M5 at Cribbs Causeway. The zoo finally closed its doors in early September, and the move to the Wild Place is ongoing, with a big relaunch planned in 2024.
There are controversial plans for the redevelopment of the Clifton Zoo Gardens site, with 196 flats and part of the gardens being turned into a public-access gardens. The Zoo said the development will fund the work to open an expanded site at Wild Place. The planning application was submitted in May this year, and is yet to be decided on by city council planners, although a second plan for flats on the former zoo car park across the road has been given planning approval.
But Tom Jones and the Save Bristol Zoo campaign say there is an alternative, which is that the zoo conducts a massive U-turn, drops its plans for flats and reimagines a new kind of visitor attraction. Launching his report, Mr Jones said there was 'much to questions about the Zoo's position, strategy and actions'.
"Obviously the Zoo suffered like everywhere else during Covid restrictions, but they always attracted over 500,000 each year to Covid. This is down from the heydays of the 1960s and 70s, but is more than enough to be viable. The numbers compare favourably with other zoos (e.g. Dublin) and are higher than any other attractions (e.g. We The Curious attracts about 250,000 a year)," said Mr Jones.
"The financial and visitor numbers do not support the closure. The bump of Covid seems to have had little impact. With sufficient will, there seems no good reason the Society shouldn’t continue to operate the Clifton site," he added. "The suspicion is that they have become tired of the old site and its limitations and crave the opportunities and novelty of expanding the Wild Place. Furthermore they may feel that the two sites are in competition and the Wild Place cannot succeed unless Clifton dies. But this is not true. Even among Zoos, London and Whipsnade operate in just such a compatible and constructive relationship.
"Whatever the reasoning, the sole driver seems to be financial and the belief that realising as much as £40-50m from the Clifton site will solve all their problems. It is more likely the Zoological Society will take a major reputational hit and will be viewed like those football clubs that move miles from their city roots," he added.
Mr Jones also disputed the zoo's claims that its animals would be moved to the Wild Place. Bristol Zoo hit back at the claims, and said its future was about nature conservation, and that could only be done at Wild Place.
"To deliver our mission of ‘Saving Wildlife Together’ and safeguard the future of Bristol Zoological Society, we are creating a new Bristol Zoo where around 80 percent of species will be linked to our conservation work, living in spaces more closely reflecting their natural habitats," said Brian Zimmerman, the zoo's Director of Conservation and Science.
"We have created an animal species plan to focus our work on the species that most need protecting. This means animals that aren’t threatened, like the fur seals and meerkats, won’t be moving with us. Instead they are being found new homes at other zoos and aquariums as part of well-established, cooperative breeding programmes," he added.
And the zoo also defended its plans to redevelop the Clifton site. “We are proud of the quality of the proposals submitted for the Clifton site," said Mr Zimmerman. "The design brings much needed housing for Bristol, with 196 high-quality homes - of which 20 per cent will be affordable - located mainly in areas where there are already built structures.
“These plans will secure the site as a vital community asset, so everyone can enjoy its heritage for many years to come. Approximately 80% of the site will be retained as open space and the gardens will be accessible to the public for free, for the first time since the site opened to the public in 1836. Historic England has called this ‘a significant heritage benefit’, saying there is much to admire in the proposed development which they feel, on the whole, is a sensitive response to its historic context," he added.
