Bristol Zoo (Closed) Whats Going To Happen To Bristol?

JamesB

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
As we all well know the national conservation park is planned to open 2012 or sometime after.

Is there any plans/idea on what will happen to bristol?
 
It's only the first phase at Hollywood Towers that opens (correction: may open) in 2012. I'm sure they will keep the Bristol site open (to generate income, apart from anything else).
I expect that the nature of the collection there will continue to change over time. I think it could become a giant children's zoo, with a few larger species as attractions.

Alan
 
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Like I posted elsewhere on the site, the idea behind the NWCP is to showcase those species Bristol Zoo would not dream of exhibitting at Bristol Zoo itself. Besides some urban zoo species will be relocated to NWCP to enable the old site to improve its siting and exhibits in the urban environment. When all is said and done in 2018-2020, Bristol will have a magnificent urban zoo side and a countryside satellite in the NWCP both complimenting the work of the scientific Society that both zoos operate under! :cool: :eek: :D
 
I believe Jelle is very right. The Bristol Zoo/Conservation Park relationship will probably be much like London/Whipsnade or San Diego/WAP.
 
The Bristol Zoo/Conservation Park relationship will probably be much like London/Whipsnade or San Diego/WAP.

When you think that Bristol Zoo purchased their country estate as far back as the 1960's, its surprising it has never been developed before now. To begin with it was their 'country estate' holding surplus animals from the zoo, principal among them being the White Tigers and Okapis, though it was never open to the Public.

Since then the site seems just to have stagnated over the years. I'm still unclear whether any animals are still living there at all, or indeed have been kept there since around the 1980's when the Tigers and Okapi groups dwindled away.

As I've mentioned before, this major development of the site- provided it gets off the ground ;) is long overdue and I hope that it happens.
 
do you think bristol will get enough profit to keep going?

comparing it with london and whipsnade they are both quite a distance from each other!
 
I believe that the Hollywood Towers estate was bequeathed to Bristol zoo .
 
I believe that the Hollywood Towers estate was bequeathed to Bristol zoo .

I think you are probably right too.

Do you know if there are still any (zoo) animals kept at Hollywood Towers or anything of its history in the last couple of decades?
 
do you think bristol will get enough profit to keep going?


Bristol Zoo have never been short of money. They've maybe had a couple of dips in popularity but have never been in any real financial trouble I don't think.

But whether Bristol(the city) can now sustain three animal collections (includes Noah's Ark at nearby Clevedon- a more 'popular' and cheaper concept) remains to be seen.
 
But whether Bristol(the city) can now sustain three animal collections (includes Noah's Ark at nearby Clevedon- a more 'popular' and cheaper concept) remains to be seen.

Not just Bristol, there is Bath, Gloucester, Cheltenham and Swindon too and a large slice of visitors from south Wales that have no zoo to call their own.
at a rough guess around 4 million in the immediate area.
 
Not just Bristol, there is Bath, Gloucester, Cheltenham and Swindon too and a large slice of visitors from south Wales that have no zoo to call their own.
at a rough guess around 4 million in the immediate area.

True, true. Bristol is also quite easy to access, current location not great but the new additional facility will be really easy to access.

I don't thnik bristol zoo will be effected to much, although its small location it is a great little place and the gardens are a fantastic site to see on their own.
 
I don't thnik bristol zoo will be effected to much, although its small location it is a great little place and the gardens are a fantastic site to see on their own.

Bristol Zoo Gardens is very much a part of Bristol's heritage and I can't imagine it ever closing its gates. Its quite easy to access from the M5 really, though the new site is even easier of course.
 
I think you are probably right too.

Do you know if there are still any (zoo) animals kept at Hollywood Towers or anything of its history in the last couple of decades?

As far as I know there has not been any animals there for a long time . I visited the estate many years ago when there were lots of okapis , white tigers , lemurs , marmosets and tamarins and black rhinos out there .
 
I960's/70's. One or more of the calves bred at the Zoo may have been moved to Hollywood. There was definately an unrelated bull bred at Hanover Zoo called 'Rupert' also kept there, living in a bullpen. He was an extremely nervous rhino and later was moved to Whipsnade.
 
Yes. I can't remember the exact year it was acquired by/bequeathed to them but someone on here may know.
 
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