Belfast Zoo

Belfast Zoo
File:Belfast-zoo-logo.jpg Belfast Zoo logo
Date opened	1933
Location	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Land area	60 acres (0.243 km²)
Website	http://www.belfastzoo.co.uk

Exotic bird in the aviary

Belfast Zoo (also known as Bellevue Zoo) is a zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The zoo started as Bellevue Pleasure Gardens, a public park and recreational area, in 1911 on the slopes of Cavehill. The gardens were opened by Belfast City Tramways as an inducement to Belfast's residents to use the company's new tramway. Twelve acres of the site were redeveloped as a zoo in 1933. Initially the zoo was very popular, attracting over 280,000 visitors a year. During World War II many of the zoo's dangerous animals were put down. The decline continued into the 1960s, when the zoo's facilities fell into disrepair. Belfast City Council acquired the facility in 1962, starting a long process of renovation. Under the supervision of manager John Stronge, the new zoo eventually opened in 1978.

The zoo houses many more than 1,200 animals of 160 species including Asian Elephants, Barbary Lions, a White Tiger, three species of Penguin, a family of Western Lowland Gorillas, a troop of Common Chimpanzees, a Red Panda and several species of Langur.

Recent developments

In 2005 the zoo survived a bid to have it closed. Councillor Chris McGimpsey from the Ulster Unionist Party raised the issue, citing the zoo's annual losses of £40,000 and his opposition to animal captivity. In the next election McGimpsey failed to be re-elected to office.

In February 2006 the zoo celebrated the birth of Benny, a Malayan Tapir. Benny is the fifth calf born at the zoo, as part of a world-wide breeding program to increase the numbers of the endangered animals.

In June 2007 a Barbary Lion cub was born at the zoo. This was the first Barbary Lion to be born in Ireland. The cub was rejected by its mother and hand-reared at home by keeper Linda Frew. Lily the lion cub has been on display at the zoo since September 2007 with an Japanese Akita dog. Three baby giraffes, named Sallagh, Cotton and Moon, were born in July and August 2007. All three of the calves have been named after town names in Northern Ireland which begin with 'Bally'. Belfast Zoo's giraffes are all Rothschild's Giraffes and are part of a successful European Breeding Programme. Belfast Zoo has celebrated 28 giraffe births in the space of 12 years.

Also in 2007 the zoo celebrated the arrival of three baby Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Bekily, Antanana, Rivo), a baby Moloch Gibbon (Belle), a baby Purple-Faced Langur (Len), a baby Lion-Tailed Macaque (Ripple), a Californian Sea Lion pup (Snickers) and a litter of Saddleback Pigs.

In 2007 the zoo has celebrated a record level of visitors with 258,000 people visiting the 55 acre site.

Floral Hall

Located within the grounds of the zoo is a 1930s art deco ballroom, the Floral Hall. In the 1960s the hall was a popular venue for visiting musical artists including Pink Floyd and The Small Faces. The hall has been derelict since the outbreak of the The Troubles in the 1970s. Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust are planning to renovate the building, although Belfast City Council have yet to provide any funding. A lengthy search for a wealthy entrepreneur to fund the redevelopment of the building has so far proved fruitless.

• The giraffe and zebra enclosure
  The giraffe and zebra enclosure

In 2008 the zoo has had success by opening a new Tropical Rainforest which houses such animals as the Two-Toed Sloth, Red-footed tortoises and Rodrigues bats. The Rainforest House is a walk-through exhibition with tropical landscaping and a constant temperature of 27 degrees.

2 white-nosed Coati have recently moved to Belfast zoo as well and are soon to be placed in the old red panda exhibit.

The zoo have received funding to create a state-of-the-art visitor reception. Their new entrance pavilion will include a upgraded souvenir shop, a visitors' centre, pay booths and a covered walkway to keep visitors dry in bad weather. The refurbishment will feature high-level roofing with plenty of natural light and interpretive panels showing current zoo events. There will also be multi-lingual signs and multimedia presentations showing the history of Belfast Zoo and wildlife in Northern Ireland.

Their current Zoovenir shop will double in size as a result of the upgrade and will offer a wider range of gifts.

They have been awarded £250,000 from the Tourism Development Scheme (TDS) from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board to build the new reception area. The council has donated a further £300,000 to help them cope with their increase in visitor numbers, which topped 64,000 in April 2007. Building work on the new area began at the end of November 2007 and lasted approximately eight months. The reception area is due to open in late July 2008.

External links

• Official website
• Belfast City Council - About Belfast Zoo
• The Northern Ireland Guide - A review and pictures of Belfast Zoo