The world's oldest provincial zoo is set to close its doors for the final time. Bristol Zoo will shut for good this weekend, 186 years after welcoming its first guests.
More than 90 million people have visited Bristol Zoo Gardens at its site in Clifton since it opened in 1836. But staff are gearing up to welcome its final visitors as the impact of Covid-19 and lockdowns have taken too much of a toll.
It is the fifth oldest zoo in the world and has housed famous residents such as Roger, the first black rhino born in the UK, and Alfred the gorilla. Bristol Zoological Society, the charity which owns and operates the zoo, says they were "forced" to sell due to plunging visitor numbers caused by the pandemic.
