I have visited Belfast Zoo quite a bit recently so I thought I might as well give a review of the Zoo especially since all that has happened to it in the last few years.
Belfast Zoo used to be one of the best priced Zoos in the UK but over the last few years the price has dramatically increased. Currently an adult is £13.50, Children are £6.75, and a Family Ticket is £36.75. Only about 5 years ago, I remember a Family Ticket being close to £21. The extreme bump in price can be linked to the Zoos financial issues. In 2015, there was the call by some councillors to close down Belfast Zoo as "Our Zoo is a hole in the Bucket and we cannot continue to pour water into it". The annual loses for that year was £865,000, but some claimed that it was actually much higher in excess of a million. Then in 2016, Belfast was hit badly by the EAZA report. I will not go into too much detail but I have linked an article to the whole situation below.
Belfast zoo hit by damning report by international accreditation body EAZA - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
Due to the Financial issues and bad press, Belfast has began to plan on phasing out some of the larger animals, and instead focusing on the smaller animals and the current situations of some of the enclosures.
When you first enter the Zoo through the new Entrance built in 2009, there is a new enclosure for Irish Black Honeybee showing the inside of a hive. On past this enclosure you turn left towards the Malayan Tapir enclosure. In the past this section (previously known as the avenue) used to also hold Nile Lechwe, Eastern Bongo, Blesbok, and Giant Anteater, however, this whole area is now closed. The close proximity to the Road and the steep gradient playing a factor. The Malayan Tapir are also very rarely seen. The only time I have seen them in 20+ visits is when they are being fed. This section of the Zoo could have great potential but the funds just aren't there to make it happen.
The Lower middle part of the Zoo is centred around the small Lake. To get to it you walk past the Floral Hall. This marvellous building has been left to rot away, and a fence has been placed around it with big posters about the animals at the Zoo. Its similar to Edinburgh Zoo with the once carnivore row, just posters and signs. Near the Lake is the standard Farm which also has some subpar aviaries for Barn Owls. Beside the Farm is the recently renovated Reptile house. It is a vast improvement and has a few interesting species, such as Fijian Banded and Utila Iguana. One of the newest enclosures in this area is the Red Squirrel Nook, which is one of my favourite enclosures. It has been a massive conservation success with Squirrels regularly being released into different parts of N.I. Next to the squirrels is the Lemur exhibit home to Black and White Ruffed Lemurs. In the past this exhibit held multiple different species. I remember Red Ruffed, Black and Whited Ruffed and Belted all together along with some wallabies. Around the Lake there is good enclosures for both Moloch Gibbon, Chilean Flamingos, Blesbok, as well as a South American Exhibit for Darwin's Rhea, A 15 strong group of Capybara and Giant Anteater. This is a very good enclosure, that has been created by joining three previous enclosures together. During my latest visit Last Month (August), the Capybaras were all diving and playing in the water. It was great and the water is right up against the fence which makes for great viewing. In the past those enclosures also held Sitatunga, and other antelope. The final exhibit is the famous Spider Monkey exhibit, which has been improved by connecting their Island to the Island in the centre of the Lake that was previously just for waterfowl.
Overall this Lower part of the Zoo, despite losing numerous species of Antelope, I feel has improved over the last few years.
Belfast Zoo is probably one of the toughest gradient Zoos in the UK (I would say it is worse than Edinburgh). As you start to make your way up the Hill you walk past the Andean/Spectacled Bear enclosure. This is the previous Polar Bear enclosure, and the large concrete pit is not really suited for these bears. You then walk past the Savannah and Asian Elephant exhibit which are two semi-circles that make a circle loop. The Savannah is home to a large herd of Rothschild Giraffes, Ostrich and Grant's Zebra. Both these exhibits are on the small side. The elephants are the worse, however, Belfast is a retirement home and one of the elephants has bad mental problems. You can see the star on its side from the logging company. The elephant enclosure is 2/3 of an acre. I believe the elephants are not going to be replaced in the future. The highlight in this area is the Visayan Warty Pigs that occupy the old Bacterian Camel enclosure. There is also an enclosure for everyone's favourite Meerkats that they use to share with a Crested Porcupine.
The next part of the Zoo is the Monkey Walk and this definitely the best part of the Zoo.It consists of 6 monkey enclosures that bring you along a loop, as well as the new Marmoset and Tarmarin complex built this year. The 6 monkey enclosures are currently home to Venezuelan Howler Monkey, Southern Pudu, Southern Screamer, Crowned Lemur, Red Backed Bearded Saki, Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo, Crowned Sifaka and Francois Langur. As their is indoor viewing, the only animal that may not be seen is the Sifaka, but they are normally out. Seeing the SIfaka leap from pole to pole is quite the sight. In the last 10 years it also held Javan Brown Langur, Purple-Faced Langur, and Verreaux's Sifaka. Belfast Zoo has definitely got a quite few nice rarities in its collection past and present. The new Marmoset and Tamarin complex includes Golden Lion Tamarin, Pied Tamarin, Emperor Tamarin, Cotton Top Tamarin, Common Marmoset and Red Titi Monkey. The complex is made up of about 3 enclosures, which each enclosure having two separate outdoor cages. The new development is a great improvement on the old enclosures with far better viewing of the animals.
As you begin to get closer to the top of the Hill you walk past the Chimpanzee and Western Lowland Gorilla enclosures. They may be beginning to show some age, and be a bit bare, but the animals are normally up close to the glass by the houses which gives excellent viewing of these apes. Belfast has bred both of these animals in the last 5 years. To the right of the apes is two netted and heavily planted exhibits for Fossa and Temminck's Golden Cat. These are definitely two highlights of the collection. It was originally planned for Clouded Leopards to be kept and while being held off-show in the old zoo they bred but unfortunately the male killed the female. It was then decided to change from Clouded Leopards to the Golden Cat.
On past the Gorillas is the large enclosure for Black and White Colobus Monkey which used to be home to the Lion-Tailed Macaque. In 2013, six of the Lion-Tailed Macaques escaped and then in 2015, two of them escaped again. Here's a video of when they escaped in 2013:
The next enclosure is the old Cheetah enclosure that had been revamped with new fencing in 2016 and is now home to the Maned Wolf. This enclosure is a bit of the small side. Next to it is a relatively new White-Nosed Coati exhibit which is nice and lush and on then there is the enclosure for a small herd of Vicuna. At the very top of the Zoo is the Sun Bear enclosure which is a good enclosure and the use of concrete pipes helped to create different levels for the bears. Beside this enclosure is the old RRH enclosure which on my last visit was home to a single Giant Anteater. I highly suspect in the future this will be home to RRH again or a different hog species. The final enclosure at the top of the Hill is a ring tailed Lemur exhibit which had had new indoor housing built attached to the viewing window. From the top of the Zoo their is great views right across Belfast. Their is also a War Memorial for when a plane crashed into the side of Cavehill.
As you come down the Hill there is a rather hilly enclosure for Sumatran Tigers. It is not the best but more than adequate. There is then the enclosure for a large prickle of Cape Porcupines which used to be home to the African Hunting Dogs and more recently a single Striped Hyena. It is definitely more suited to the Porcupines as it lacks enough space for a large predator. The Barbary Lion enclosure is on the small side. I am not sure what is going to happen to the Tigers and Lions at the Zoo. I have a feeling that they might be phased out but they are definitely a big crowd drawer. The old maned wolf enclosure, beside the lions, has been netted over and turned into an aviary for Sacred Ibis. On the corner is the Red Panda exhibit which is probably one of the best I have seen. There is a huge tree in the centre of the exhibit and the pandas can access all of it. Viewing is not a problem as the Pandas on most of my visits are normally very active climbing around.
There is then mediocre enclosures for penguins and the California Sea Lions. Both of the exhibits are showing signs of age and have poor underwater viewing. At the time when they were built, both exhibits had won awards. Belfast has Gentoo and Rockhopper Penguins. To the left of these is a large aviary for White-Tailed Sea Eagle. They had the first successful captive breeding in the UK in 2004, and "Hali" was released into the wild in Israel. Beside the Eagles is the otter enclosure. It has another rarity the Spot-necked Otter. It and Bioparc Valencia are the only places in Europe that its home to. Belfast used to keep Short-Clawed Otter and Smooth-Coated Otter.
The final section is the Bird Park and Rainforest House. The Bird Park boasts a great collection of birds, especially Cockatoos. There is Citron-Crested, Molucaan, Palm, Red-Tailed, and White-Tailed Cockatoos to name a few. The Bird Park is two rows of well planted aviaries back to back, as well as a few aviaries to the side. The Rainforest House was built in 2008 and is home to a group of Rodriguez Flying Fox, Linne's Two Toed Sloth and a collection of birds. It is well planted and the Sloth is always close to the path. Once you leave the Rainforest House there is an empty enclosure that until last month housed the Red Kangaroos. Next to this is the Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, and then there is a group of escapees on the grass along the back/side of the Floral Hall. There used to be a Large Walk-Through Bird Aviary that was home to various Ibis and Little Egret. Unfortunately this closed about 6 or 7 years ago due to Health and Safety issues which was a real shame.
Overall Belfast Zoo is home to a great collection of animals and has some of the best scenic views of any Zoo in the UK. There is real stand out enclosure or exhibit but there is no real bad enclosures apart from the Andean Bears which is an issue with their indoor housing. Belfast Zoo over the last couple of years has began to transition towards the smaller animals, expanding its reptile collection, new exhibits for Marmosets and Tamarins and a Red Squirrel Breeding Programme. Will this mean a loss of the ABC animals in the future, only time will tell.
Edit: I tried to post a picture of a map from 2006/2007 and one from 2018 but they kept linking as attachments. If I have time I will post them in the Belfast Zoo Gallery and link to this post
Belfast Zoo used to be one of the best priced Zoos in the UK but over the last few years the price has dramatically increased. Currently an adult is £13.50, Children are £6.75, and a Family Ticket is £36.75. Only about 5 years ago, I remember a Family Ticket being close to £21. The extreme bump in price can be linked to the Zoos financial issues. In 2015, there was the call by some councillors to close down Belfast Zoo as "Our Zoo is a hole in the Bucket and we cannot continue to pour water into it". The annual loses for that year was £865,000, but some claimed that it was actually much higher in excess of a million. Then in 2016, Belfast was hit badly by the EAZA report. I will not go into too much detail but I have linked an article to the whole situation below.
Belfast zoo hit by damning report by international accreditation body EAZA - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
Due to the Financial issues and bad press, Belfast has began to plan on phasing out some of the larger animals, and instead focusing on the smaller animals and the current situations of some of the enclosures.
When you first enter the Zoo through the new Entrance built in 2009, there is a new enclosure for Irish Black Honeybee showing the inside of a hive. On past this enclosure you turn left towards the Malayan Tapir enclosure. In the past this section (previously known as the avenue) used to also hold Nile Lechwe, Eastern Bongo, Blesbok, and Giant Anteater, however, this whole area is now closed. The close proximity to the Road and the steep gradient playing a factor. The Malayan Tapir are also very rarely seen. The only time I have seen them in 20+ visits is when they are being fed. This section of the Zoo could have great potential but the funds just aren't there to make it happen.
The Lower middle part of the Zoo is centred around the small Lake. To get to it you walk past the Floral Hall. This marvellous building has been left to rot away, and a fence has been placed around it with big posters about the animals at the Zoo. Its similar to Edinburgh Zoo with the once carnivore row, just posters and signs. Near the Lake is the standard Farm which also has some subpar aviaries for Barn Owls. Beside the Farm is the recently renovated Reptile house. It is a vast improvement and has a few interesting species, such as Fijian Banded and Utila Iguana. One of the newest enclosures in this area is the Red Squirrel Nook, which is one of my favourite enclosures. It has been a massive conservation success with Squirrels regularly being released into different parts of N.I. Next to the squirrels is the Lemur exhibit home to Black and White Ruffed Lemurs. In the past this exhibit held multiple different species. I remember Red Ruffed, Black and Whited Ruffed and Belted all together along with some wallabies. Around the Lake there is good enclosures for both Moloch Gibbon, Chilean Flamingos, Blesbok, as well as a South American Exhibit for Darwin's Rhea, A 15 strong group of Capybara and Giant Anteater. This is a very good enclosure, that has been created by joining three previous enclosures together. During my latest visit Last Month (August), the Capybaras were all diving and playing in the water. It was great and the water is right up against the fence which makes for great viewing. In the past those enclosures also held Sitatunga, and other antelope. The final exhibit is the famous Spider Monkey exhibit, which has been improved by connecting their Island to the Island in the centre of the Lake that was previously just for waterfowl.
Overall this Lower part of the Zoo, despite losing numerous species of Antelope, I feel has improved over the last few years.
Belfast Zoo is probably one of the toughest gradient Zoos in the UK (I would say it is worse than Edinburgh). As you start to make your way up the Hill you walk past the Andean/Spectacled Bear enclosure. This is the previous Polar Bear enclosure, and the large concrete pit is not really suited for these bears. You then walk past the Savannah and Asian Elephant exhibit which are two semi-circles that make a circle loop. The Savannah is home to a large herd of Rothschild Giraffes, Ostrich and Grant's Zebra. Both these exhibits are on the small side. The elephants are the worse, however, Belfast is a retirement home and one of the elephants has bad mental problems. You can see the star on its side from the logging company. The elephant enclosure is 2/3 of an acre. I believe the elephants are not going to be replaced in the future. The highlight in this area is the Visayan Warty Pigs that occupy the old Bacterian Camel enclosure. There is also an enclosure for everyone's favourite Meerkats that they use to share with a Crested Porcupine.
The next part of the Zoo is the Monkey Walk and this definitely the best part of the Zoo.It consists of 6 monkey enclosures that bring you along a loop, as well as the new Marmoset and Tarmarin complex built this year. The 6 monkey enclosures are currently home to Venezuelan Howler Monkey, Southern Pudu, Southern Screamer, Crowned Lemur, Red Backed Bearded Saki, Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo, Crowned Sifaka and Francois Langur. As their is indoor viewing, the only animal that may not be seen is the Sifaka, but they are normally out. Seeing the SIfaka leap from pole to pole is quite the sight. In the last 10 years it also held Javan Brown Langur, Purple-Faced Langur, and Verreaux's Sifaka. Belfast Zoo has definitely got a quite few nice rarities in its collection past and present. The new Marmoset and Tamarin complex includes Golden Lion Tamarin, Pied Tamarin, Emperor Tamarin, Cotton Top Tamarin, Common Marmoset and Red Titi Monkey. The complex is made up of about 3 enclosures, which each enclosure having two separate outdoor cages. The new development is a great improvement on the old enclosures with far better viewing of the animals.
As you begin to get closer to the top of the Hill you walk past the Chimpanzee and Western Lowland Gorilla enclosures. They may be beginning to show some age, and be a bit bare, but the animals are normally up close to the glass by the houses which gives excellent viewing of these apes. Belfast has bred both of these animals in the last 5 years. To the right of the apes is two netted and heavily planted exhibits for Fossa and Temminck's Golden Cat. These are definitely two highlights of the collection. It was originally planned for Clouded Leopards to be kept and while being held off-show in the old zoo they bred but unfortunately the male killed the female. It was then decided to change from Clouded Leopards to the Golden Cat.
On past the Gorillas is the large enclosure for Black and White Colobus Monkey which used to be home to the Lion-Tailed Macaque. In 2013, six of the Lion-Tailed Macaques escaped and then in 2015, two of them escaped again. Here's a video of when they escaped in 2013:
As you come down the Hill there is a rather hilly enclosure for Sumatran Tigers. It is not the best but more than adequate. There is then the enclosure for a large prickle of Cape Porcupines which used to be home to the African Hunting Dogs and more recently a single Striped Hyena. It is definitely more suited to the Porcupines as it lacks enough space for a large predator. The Barbary Lion enclosure is on the small side. I am not sure what is going to happen to the Tigers and Lions at the Zoo. I have a feeling that they might be phased out but they are definitely a big crowd drawer. The old maned wolf enclosure, beside the lions, has been netted over and turned into an aviary for Sacred Ibis. On the corner is the Red Panda exhibit which is probably one of the best I have seen. There is a huge tree in the centre of the exhibit and the pandas can access all of it. Viewing is not a problem as the Pandas on most of my visits are normally very active climbing around.
There is then mediocre enclosures for penguins and the California Sea Lions. Both of the exhibits are showing signs of age and have poor underwater viewing. At the time when they were built, both exhibits had won awards. Belfast has Gentoo and Rockhopper Penguins. To the left of these is a large aviary for White-Tailed Sea Eagle. They had the first successful captive breeding in the UK in 2004, and "Hali" was released into the wild in Israel. Beside the Eagles is the otter enclosure. It has another rarity the Spot-necked Otter. It and Bioparc Valencia are the only places in Europe that its home to. Belfast used to keep Short-Clawed Otter and Smooth-Coated Otter.
The final section is the Bird Park and Rainforest House. The Bird Park boasts a great collection of birds, especially Cockatoos. There is Citron-Crested, Molucaan, Palm, Red-Tailed, and White-Tailed Cockatoos to name a few. The Bird Park is two rows of well planted aviaries back to back, as well as a few aviaries to the side. The Rainforest House was built in 2008 and is home to a group of Rodriguez Flying Fox, Linne's Two Toed Sloth and a collection of birds. It is well planted and the Sloth is always close to the path. Once you leave the Rainforest House there is an empty enclosure that until last month housed the Red Kangaroos. Next to this is the Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, and then there is a group of escapees on the grass along the back/side of the Floral Hall. There used to be a Large Walk-Through Bird Aviary that was home to various Ibis and Little Egret. Unfortunately this closed about 6 or 7 years ago due to Health and Safety issues which was a real shame.
Overall Belfast Zoo is home to a great collection of animals and has some of the best scenic views of any Zoo in the UK. There is real stand out enclosure or exhibit but there is no real bad enclosures apart from the Andean Bears which is an issue with their indoor housing. Belfast Zoo over the last couple of years has began to transition towards the smaller animals, expanding its reptile collection, new exhibits for Marmosets and Tamarins and a Red Squirrel Breeding Programme. Will this mean a loss of the ABC animals in the future, only time will tell.
Edit: I tried to post a picture of a map from 2006/2007 and one from 2018 but they kept linking as attachments. If I have time I will post them in the Belfast Zoo Gallery and link to this post
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