It’s not every day that a closed zoo becomes the center of a viral controversy, but that’s exactly what’s happened at Bristol Zoo Gardens. Since shutting its doors to the public in 2022, the historic Clifton site has become the unlikely stage for a heated debate over animal welfare, security, and social media sensationalism, all centered around its remaining gorilla colony. As the gorillas await their move to a new, larger habitat, a string of break-ins—and the subsequent online uproar—have left zookeepers and conservationists scrambling to defend their care of these endangered animals.
According to BBC News, the trouble began when a video surfaced online, filmed by intruders who had managed to enter the closed zoo and record footage of the gorillas. The video, which quickly went viral, showed the animals "banging on windows" of their enclosure and appeared to support claims circulating online that the gorillas were lonely, abandoned, and suffering. The individual who filmed the footage claimed, “Bristol Zoo: what are you hiding? What is it you don’t want everyone to know? These gorillas should never be in here.” The trespasser added, “We could get access to the gorillas—if I had wanted to we could have opened the enclosure. I have a lot of sympathy for animals.”
The zoo, for its part, has firmly rejected these accusations. In a statement on TikTok and to the press, the Bristol Zoological Society emphasized that the gorillas remain under the constant care of an experienced team of keepers, veterinarians, and support staff. “As well as their team of keepers, the gorillas see vets, other zoo staff, students, researchers and zoo supporters throughout each week,” a spokesperson told the BBC. “When they are moved over to their new African Forest home, we will be gradually introducing visitors to get them used to seeing the general public again.”
But the online speculation has had real-world consequences. The zoo reports that since the closure, and especially since the viral video, there has been a marked increase in break-ins. Each incursion triggers the zoo’s intruder alarms, which in turn distresses the gorilla troop. “It often leads them to miss sleep, which disrupts their routine and leaves them groggy and lethargic. This is interrupting the training our team is providing to get them ready for their move to Bristol Zoo Project in a few months’ time,” the zoo explained to BBC News. The gorillas, who are normally allowed to move freely between their indoor and outdoor spaces, are now being shut in overnight for their own safety. Mammal keeper Sarah Gedman lamented, “That isn’t normal and it takes away the control from the animals who can usually come and go as they please. It’s disappointing we have to compromise on the animals’ well-being because of the impact of others.”
Director Hannah Windross of the Bristol Zoo Project expressed the emotional toll this situation has taken on the staff. “It’s distressing I think particularly for the keepers because they spend so much time working with these animals, they love and care for these animals for years,” Windross told the BBC. “So to see people saying they’re miserable and they’re abandoned is just so hurtful when, as a wildlife and conservation charity, the protection of animals is what we exist to do.”
Despite the heightened security, the zoo acknowledges that trespassers have managed to access the grounds on multiple occasions. Some have claimed that security was so lax they could simply walk through staff doors without resistance. One urban explorer told local media, “We spent an hour and a half in there and even came back two days later. If anyone is trying to say we broke in or climbed over, it’s not true. We simply went to the staff doors, pushed them open and walked straight through.” The zoo, however, maintains that its current security measures have prevented anyone from getting close to the gorillas themselves, even if the presence of intruders is still disruptive.
This is not the first time the zoo has faced criticism for its handling of the gorilla colony. Wildlife charity Born Free has previously raised concerns about keeping great apes in captivity, especially in an environment not open to the public. In a recent report, Born Free stated, “Great apes also pose a serious safety risk when they are kept in unnaturally close proximity to humans in zoos. Despite closing its doors in September 2022, the former Bristol Zoo site in the UK has continued to house western lowland gorillas while work on their enclosure at the new Bristol Zoo Project awaits completion. Since the old site’s closure, there have been a series of public break-ins, putting the health and safety of both the intruders and the gorillas at risk. The repeated disturbances and loud alarms have reportedly had ‘really distressing’ impacts in the gorillas.”
For their part, zoo officials stress that the gorillas’ current enclosure is far from a neglected holding pen. The animals have access to a large outside area, multiple indoor spaces, and a carefully regulated temperature. The move to the new Bristol Zoo Project, formerly known as Wild Place Project, is expected to take place in a few months from October 19, 2025. The new African Forest habitat will be four and a half times the size of their current home, offering a significant upgrade in space and environmental complexity.
Brian Zimmerman, director of conservation and science at Bristol Zoological Society, spoke to the core of the issue: “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. 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.”
Looking ahead, the zoo plans to gradually introduce the gorillas to visitors in their new home, allowing them to reacclimate to the presence of the public after years of relative seclusion. The hope is that, in the larger and more naturalistic African Forest setting, the gorillas will thrive—and that the controversy will fade as the facts become clearer.
For now, the Bristol Zoo’s gorilla saga serves as a reminder of how quickly misinformation and curiosity can collide, sometimes to the detriment of the very animals so many claim to care about. The staff’s commitment, the animals’ welfare, and the public’s right to transparency remain at the heart of the ongoing debate, as everyone waits for the day when the gorillas can finally settle into their new home.
