Gorillas finally move into vast new home in largest relocation of its kind in UK

A troop of endangered gorillas has finally moved into a vast new home – in what’s being hailed as the biggest relocation of its kind in the UK.

After years of careful planning, the seven apes are now roaming freely beneath a dense tree canopy in their new habitat.

The African Forest exhibit has opened at Bristol Zoo Project, near junction 17 of the M5.

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The sprawling enclosure is four times the size of the space the gorillas had at the zoo’s former Clifton site, which closed more than three years ago, as reported by Whats The Jam.

The new habitat is designed to mirror their natural environment and support conservation efforts for the critically endangered western lowland gorilla.

The African Forest is also home to a range of other threatened species.

These include endangered cherry-crowned mangabeys, critically endangered slender-snouted crocodiles, endangered African grey parrots and several highly threatened west African freshwater fish.

A spokesperson for Bristol Zoo Project said: “The opening of our African Forest habitat is a momentous occasion that has been years in the making.

“One of the biggest moments on this journey was moving our troop of gorillas, a project that involved every single one of our teams in some capacity, and which was an undertaking that had never been done on this scale before for a UK zoo.

“We can’t describe how proud we are of our teams, and how excited we are to share African Forest with the public.”

Chief executive Justin Morris added: “Bristol Zoo Project is not a typical zoo.

“It is a conservation project with a powerful mission to protect threatened species and habitats.

“Today, most of the animals in our care are both threatened in the wild and part of targeted conservation programmes.

“Every visit supports vital work in the UK and overseas – helping to safeguard species for future generations.”

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