Photo competition captures life behind the scenes at Bristol Zoo - 23/11/11
A member of staff at Bristol Zoo Gardens has won a prestigious photographic award from the British zoo community.
Graphic designer, Anna Francis, won first place in two photographic categories at the annual British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) awards.
Her close-up photo of Bristol Zoo’s male agile gibbon, called Samuel, won her first place in the category ‘life in a BIAZA collection’.
She also won best photo in the ‘behind the scenes’ category, for her photo of keepers at Bristol Zoo weighing a critically endangered Livingstone’s fruit bat.
Anna, who has been taking photos for 20 years, said: “These two pictures are part of a larger series of black and white photos I’ve been working on for the last year, entitled ‘behind the scenes at Bristol Zoo’. They are created using my old 35mm film camera. I love using black and white film, it’s always more atmospheric, and the analogue photographic process has always fascinated me.”
Anna, who has never entered a photography competition previously, studied for a degree in photography at Nottingham Trent University.
She added: “It’s very encouraging to win these two awards, it will make me even more keen to continue adding to the series in the future. I hope to have an exhibition showing the rest of the ‘Behind the scenes at Bristol Zoo’ photographs in 2012.”
The photo awards were sponsored by Wildlife Vets International and Bristol Zoo’s Director, Dr Bryan Carroll, collected the award on Anna’s behalf, from wildlife television presenter and vet, Steve Leonard, at a prestigious ceremony at Twycross Zoo.
Dr Carroll commended Anna on her award: “It’s great that one of our highly talented members of staff has been recognized in this way. Anna’s fascinating project documents the important work that goes on during the day to day life of Bristol Zoo. It is particularly interesting that these photos are taken from the behind-the-scenes perspective, which many people never get to see.”
BIAZA is a conservation, education and scientific wildlife charity, which acts as the principal professional body representing the responsible zoo and aquarium community in the UK and Ireland.
For more information about Bristol Zoo Gardens, visit the website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk
ENDS
For more information please contact Bristol Zoo’s press office:
Lucy King, T: 0117 974 7306, or email: lking@bristolzoo.org.uk
Vanessa Hollier, T: 0117 974 7309, email: vhollier@bristolzoo.org.uk
Or Zara Gaspar, Communications Manager at BIAZA, T: 020 7449 6599,
E: communications@biaza.org.uk
BristolZoo Gardens
- Bristol Zoo is open from 9am every day except Christmas Day.
- BristolZoo Gardensis 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.
- BristolZoo Gardensis 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.
BIAZA, British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums
BIAZA is a conservation education and scientific wildlife charity, which acts as the principal professional zoo body representing the responsible zoo and aquarium community in the UK and Ireland. With about 100 members, its role is to develop and spread best practice within the UK and international zoo community, combining lobbying and campaigning with the development of policy in collaboration with the government and scientific organizations. Over the last 12 months, BIAZA members have supported around 700 projects by providing financial support in excess of £9 million and by supplying skills, staff and equipment for conservation programmes worldwide.
