‘King Kong Merrily on High’ is on his way to Bristol Zoo - 23/11/11

Submitted by lucy on Wed, 2011-11-23 16:10

The festive season begins at Bristol Zoo this week as a special visitor arrives for Christmas. 

‘King Kong Merrily on High’ is the final gorilla sculpture to be unveiled as part of Bristol Zoo’s Wow! Gorillas project, in celebration of its 175th birthday this year.

The new arrival will be unveiled by Santa at 3pm on Friday afternoon (November 25, 2011) and the Zoo will be lit-up by spectacular animal-shaped lights, to kick-off Bristol Zoo’s Christmas celebrations.

Bristol Zoo’s Christmas grotto will open this weekend, then every weekend until December 18. The grotto will open every day from December 17-23. The cost is £4 per child.

Visitors can also take a ride around the Zoo on the Santa Express which journeys every day from Saturday November 26 until December 28.

Sustainable, locally-sourced Christmas trees will also be on sale in the Zoo’s West car park, in College Road, from this Saturday (November 26) until Christmas eve.

The magic really begins from Saturday December 17 when Santa’s reindeer fly in for the Christmas season. Visitors will be able to get up-close to Jingle and Belle, stroke their velvety noses and feed them their favourite food, every day until December 28 (excluding Christmas Day when the Zoo is closed).

The Zoo is also offering two magical evenings of festive frolics at its Fantabulous Christmas events on Monday, December 19 and Tuesday, December 20 from 5.30pm – 8pm.

Visitors will be able to join in with carol singing, meet and feed Santa’s reindeer,listen to a merry brass band and be entertained by the Snowball Sprites and the Lost Elves as they roam around the Zoo. There will also be spectacular ice sculpting demonstrations, offering visitors the chance to have a go themselves.

As well as enjoying the festivities, visitors will be able to meet Santa in his grotto, listen to story-telling around the bonfire and visit the animals in the heated Aquarium, Reptile House and Bugworld.

Tickets for Bristol Zoo’s Fantabulous Christmas are available in advance from £5 for a child to £20 for a family ticket.Discounts apply for Zoo members and groups of more than 10. Tickets are available online via the Zoo website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/whats-on or by phoning 0117 974 7300. Please note that demand for tickets is likely to be high and there is an extra charge for visiting Santa’s Grotto.

 

Unique Christmas gifts

Bristol Zoo also offers unique gifts and stocking-fillers, either from the gift shop at the Zoo or at the new pop-up Zoo shop in The Mall at Cribbs Causeway.

The pop-up shop has opened on the ground floor near John Lewis and will be open every day (excluding Christmas day) until Saturday January 7, 2012.

The Zoo shops offer a variety of Christmas present ideas for animal lovers or the friend who is difficult to buy for - from Zoo tickets and membership, to animal adoptions, toys, teddies and unique animal experiences.

Gifts that allow you to get up-close to the animals include ‘keeper for the day’ and ‘junior keeper for the day’. The Zoo also offers unique ‘animal experience’ gifts that include getting hands-on with meerkats, seals, penguins or lemurs.

Visitors to the shop will also be able to submit sealed bids to buy an unpainted Wow! Gorilla sculpture which is currently on display inside the shop.

Sealed bid forms can be collected from the Zoo shop at The Mall and from the Zoo gift shop at Bristol Zoo. Forms can also be downloaded from the Zoo website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/win-wow-gorilla. The deadline to submit a sealed bid is Thursday, January 5th 2012. 

For more information about unique animal gifts and experiences, or to buy zoo products, visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk/web-shop. Please order your Christmas gift early to ensure you receive it in time for Christmas.

ENDS

For press enquiries please contact the Bristol Zoo Gardens press office:

Lucy King, T: 0117 974 7396, E: lking@bristolzoo.org.uk

Vanessa Hollier, T: 0117 974 7309, E: vhollier@bristolzoo.org.uk

 

Notes to editors

  • Bristol Zoo is open from 9am every day except Christmas Day. 
  • Bristol Zoo Gardens is a conservation and education charity and relies on income from visitors and supporters to continue its important work. 
  • In 2011 Bristol Zoo celebrates its 175th anniversary and wants to do more than celebrate.
  • Over that past 175 years, the Zoo has brought six generations of Bristolians closer to wildlife, helped save over 175 species from extinction, established over 30 field conservation and research programmes   all over the world, showed 40 millionschool aged children the wonder of nature and given more than 90 million visitors a wonderful day out.
  • Throughout 2011 we’re bring people, businesses, charities and wildlife together to share amazing experiences that raise awareness and funds to save threatened wildlife and places. To find out more, visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk/whats-on
  • Throughout 2011 we will be focusing our efforts on raising funds and awareness in support of gorilla conservation.
  • Throughout 2011 Bristol Zoo will support theEuropean Association of Zoos and Aquaria Ape Campaign.The campaign aims to make a significant and lasting contribution to the continued survival of apes and their habitats, and is being led by Dr Bryan Carroll, the Director of Bristol Zoo.
  • To find out more about the EAZA Ape Campaign visit the Zoo website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/conservation-campaigns.
  • Bristol Zoo is involved with more than 100 co-ordinated breeding programmes for threatened wildlife species. 
  • Itemploys over 150 full and part-time staff to care for the animals and run a successful visitor attraction to support its conservation and education work. 
  • Bristol Zoo supports – through finance and skill sharing - 15 projects in the UK and abroad that conserveand protectsome of the world’s most endangered species.
  • In 2010 Bristol Zoo Gardens set up a Conservation Fund to raise vital funds to help care for threatened animals and plants – both in the Zoo and through the conservation work we do in the UK and around the world.
  • Bristol Zoo Gardens is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums. BIAZA represents more than 90 member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums.