Bristol Annual Review 2017 Contents Chair of Trustees’ Giraffe house build p.3 welcome Winter p.6

Spring p.8

Summer p.12

Autumn p.16

Field conservation and science p.17 What a year 2017 was for At Bristol Gardens, we Zoological Society, with exciting celebrated 25 years of our The year in figures p.21 conservation developments, volunteering scheme. We have events, births, sponsor support more than 240 volunteers who and the great work of our staff and help in many different ways and volunteers. Operating the biggest we are incredibly thankful for paid-for tourist attraction in Bristol, everything they do. and with many new developments at , we have so Our vital conservation projects much to be proud of. across the globe have also continued apace, which would not Trustees We welcomed our first guests to be possible without the ongoing as at 31 December 2017 Camp Baboon this year, offering support of our members, sponsors, a unique overnight experience partners, donors, staff and Charlotte Moar – Chair of Trustees among the animals at the heart of volunteers. We are so very grateful Wild Place Project. Guests sleep for this. Victoria Ash in luxurious cabins just a stone’s Chris Booy OBE throw from our new giraffe house Finally, I would like to extend my which opened this year following a thanks to Richard Clarke who Malcolm Broad MBE huge fundraising effort. stepped down as Chairman of Ben Cosh Trustees this year but who, I am Our conservation project for delighted to say, will remain with David Esam Kordofan giraffes in Cameroon the Society in the position of Paul Kearney continues to go from strength-to- official ambassador. I would also strength. This year we delivered like to thank Dr Bryan Carroll for Claire Ladkin training on animal surveying to his tireless commitment to the teams from four national parks in Society, as he retires after 22 Mathew Laws Cameroon and conducted large years, and wish him all the very Professor Steve Neill mammal surveys in Bénoué best for the future. National Park. We look forward to Professor Rich Pancost developing this project over the Charlotte Moar Professor Jo Price coming years. Chair of Trustees Chief Executive Officer’s welcome

Welcome to our 2017 annual the birth of a female western and I am excited to know that it review, packed full of news, animal lowland , the hatching of a will continue to develop over the arrivals and exciting developments Critically Endangered Philippine coming years. across Bristol Zoological Society. cockatoo and successful hatching of five keeled box turtles after 12 With nearly a quarter of all One of the biggest highlights of years of trying. mammal species and a third the year was the opening of our of amphibians threatened with spectacular new giraffe house at Our efforts were recognised by extinction, there is an urgent need Wild Place Project. The new exhibit the British zoo community as we to safeguard our wildlife. It is the has been a huge success and we won a number of awards from Society’s mission to protect the were thrilled to have welcomed the British and Irish Association planet’s most vulnerable animals, record visitor numbers of more of and Aquariums. We communities and and I will than 210,000 at Wild Place Project were awarded gold for a study to always be extremely proud to have this year. enhance the profile of threatened been part of that. primates, bronze for a study into The arrival of twin white-belted Sanje mangabeys in Tanzania, The continued support of the black and white ruffed at and another bronze for a breeding local community has helped Wild Place Project was another programme for medicinal leeches. immeasurably in enabling us cause for celebration. The species to achieve our mission and we is under grave threat in the wild This will be my last annual review continue to be grateful for this. I and not commonly kept in captivity, as CEO as, after more than 22 years would personally also like to thank so each birth is of huge importance working for the Society, I will be all the staff and volunteers who to its survival. retiring next year. I’ve seen many dedicate so much to the Society, and changes during those years and the board of trustees who give so At Gardens, our the Society has developed a great much of their time and experience to numerous breeding programmes deal. Not only have we expanded help make the Society the best it can continue to flourish. This year we our conservation, education and possibly be. I wish my successor all made huge progress in our new scientific research, we have also the very best in taking the Society project for Desertas spiders opened Wild Place Project – one of forward into the future. when more than 1,000 spiderlings the biggest developments in the hatched in a world first. Other Society’s 181 year history. What we Dr Bryan Carroll highlights, among many, include have achieved there is incredible CEO Giraffe House build

The world’s tallest animals made to hand-feed the giraffes, meet a three , two red river hogs South Gloucestershire their home keeper, help prepare the giraffes’ and two eland. The impressive, this year as Wild Place Project food and find out all about these two-story giraffe house features welcomed three new giraffes. long-legged creatures and what is a high-level viewing platform, Tom, Dayo and Gerry arrived from involved in their care. offering a new perspective of Holland and Germany in early the majestic animals, as well as summer, to live in a purpose- It took more than a year to develop indoor and outdoor ground-level built, £1.1 million giraffe house the 1.8 acre attraction, which is viewing areas and a one-of-a-kind and paddock in the new Bénoué also home to Wild Place Project’s conference room available for hire. National Park exhibit.

The trio were brought to the attraction in special six-wheeled trailers with elevating roofs to give the giraffes plenty of head room. The new residents were carefully unloaded and guided into their striking new home before undergoing thorough health checks by our vets and given time to settle in before meeting the public for the first time.

A spectacular new guest experience also launched this year, allowing visitors the chance to enjoy a behind-the-scenes up- close and personal encounter with the giraffes, creating memories that last a lifetime. The package includes the unique opportunity 3 Children from St. Anne’s Our gardeners have expanded CE School in Oldland their fodder production this year, Common visited Wild concentrating on crops such as Place Project to find out tree lucerne for the Lord Howe about the construction of Island stick insects and establishing the new giraffe house and evergreen fodder for large to bury a time capsule. herbivores such as giraffes.

In the wild, giraffe numbers have donated or got involved in fallen from 140,000 to less than fundraising events. 80,000 in just 15 years. There are now fewer giraffes left in the wild The arrival of giraffes at Wild Place than African elephants. We have Project is not only an exciting begun a field conservation project development for the attraction, to save one of the few populations but is also crucially important in of Kordofan giraffe left in the wild, supporting the survival of these in northern Cameroon. The species graceful animals in Cameroon. is under serious threat from loss due to huge herds of cattle present in the area and poaching for bushmeat. As a result, these iconic animals are disappearing quickly and quietly towards The outdoor paddock features a extinction. If nothing is done to waterhole and hard standing area protect them, there is a real chance for the animals and themed West they will be lost forever. African dwellings and terraced seating for guests. Fundraising activities throughout the year helped fund this important The new abode was built by new conservation project. Almost Keynsham-based construction and 300 people took part in our annual interior fit-out company, Dribuild, Wild Run event at Wild Place who are also the headline sponsor Project, raising more than £4,000 for the exhibit. Support such as this for the Giraffe House Appeal. is vital to help fund our important conservation work around the We are extremely grateful for the world, and has enabled us to begin enormous support this project a new field conservation project for has received and would like to giraffes in Cameroon, West Africa. thank everyone who supported, 4 A team from the BBC spent a day filming with our vet department and various animals including the giant tortoises, for a new CBeebies series called Fearne and Rory’s vet tales. Winter

in the ‘Best Artistic; Cultural & offering guests a fun and January Learning Experience’ category. immersive dining experience, taking inspiration from nature and We started the year with a gold various animal habitats. tourism excellence award for our luxury on-site accommodation, February The Lodge, at Bristol Zoo Gardens. The former keepers’ Work got underway on a new, March lodge was awarded gold at the 300-seater restaurant at Bristol South West Tourism Awards Zoo Gardens, called The Hide, After a two-year break, we re-started our African penguin

breeding effort, with seven chicks hatching and being successfully raised throughout the year.

A kea chick was successfully hatched and parent-reared in February. This species is Endangered so captive breeding is essential. 6 Touni and baby Ayana on Gorilla Island. Our ongoing commitment to education and research saw the Spring start of a new European College of Zoological Medicine Residency in Zoo Health Management with the University of Bristol this year.

hissing, roaring and water-spraying April May animatronic dinosaurs. It included Giganotosaurus, one of the largest The arrival of a baby western They ruled the earth for millions of dinosaurs that ever lived, the lowland gorilla marked the start of years and this summer dinosaurs ferocious feathery Utahraptor and spring at the Zoo. The baby was made a comeback at Bristol Zoo. born to Touni and named Ayana Enjoyed by tens of thousands of the universally popular T. rex. In which means ‘pretty flower’. Touni visitors over the summer months addition, guests could join in with arrived at Bristol Zoo in 2015 from and called ‘Dinomania’, the interactive dino-themed activities in a zoo in France as a new mate exhibit featured 11 huge moving, the Dino Hub. for our silverback Jock, as part of the European captive breeding programme for this Critically . Ayana is a fantastic addition to our already well-established family troop.

Other springtime arrivals included two ring-tailed lemurs, an African pancake tortoise and four Visayan warty piglets.

8 A crowned was born at Bristol Zoo to mum Tiako and dad Loko, a boost for the captive breeding programme for this Endangered species. 9 After fighting for his life at birth and being saved by keepers, a tiny red titi monkey thrived after a team of keepers hand-reared him around- the-clock following the death of his mother after giving birth.

A pair of Bourret’s box turtles hatched in the Reptile House, followed by a second pair in August. This is a Critically Endangered species and Bristol Zoo is the only zoo in Britain that breeds them.

June

Twin white-belted black and white ruffed lemurs were born at Wild Place Project to parents, Ihosy and Hebus. The births are of huge significance to the species which is at high risk of extinction in the wild and rarely kept in captivity. this summer. More than 1,000 One of the rarest spiders on earth Desertas wolf spiderlings hatched bred at Bristol Zoo in a world first in Bug World. It is hoped that some of the spiderlings can be returned to their native island near Madeira, Portugal to boost dwindling numbers in the wild.

At Wild Place Project a trio of Kirk’s dik-diks arrived and successfully bred later in the year.

10 This summer we welcomed the first guests to Camp Baboon, our new luxury overnight experience at Wild Place Project which offers guests the chance to sleep in wood cabins and enjoy unique animal experiences and private twilight tours after closing time. An evening of circus acts, live music, magic and a silent disco Summer took place at Bristol Zoo Gardens as we held our first adults-only pop-up festival, raising more than £7,000 for our conservation projects.

Bugeja and Harry and Chris, along July with local comedian Mark Olver.

We celebrated the 25th anniversary The first of five turquoise dwarf of Bristol Zoo’s volunteering gecko to be born this year, hatched scheme this year, with three in the summer. dedicated volunteers receiving awards for 25 years’ service. We continue to be very grateful for the enthusiasm and commitment of all September our valued volunteers. The Zoo’s botanical gardens won Animal births this month included a Bristol in Bloom award for the a Critically Endangered Philippine 17th year running. Our team of cockatoo chick and armadillo twins. the Zoo grounds as we hosted gardeners, who have more than our annual Giggle event. The 350 years’ experience between event saw top comedians take to them, carried off the gold the stage, including Ed Gamble, award for the best commercial August Matt Forde, Rose Matafeo, Steve landscape garden. Our pair of Endangered Visayan hornbills successfully bred for the third year in succession. Among the many other animal births this summer were mouse lemur twins born in Twilight World, golden- headed tamarin triplets, a drill baby and two tiny electric blue geckos. A new pair of Malagasy giant jumping rats also joined the Zoo this month.

A night of comedy took place in 12 A called Peter arrived at Wild Place Project this summer as a new mate for our zebra mare, Florence.

13 Our busy programme of events throughout the year included outdoor productions of Pride and Prejudice and Wind in the Willows at Wild Place Project, and open-air cinema screenings, Halloween ‘Fright Nights’ and Christmas film showings at Bristol Zoo, along with ‘Friday Twilight’ late openings.

Our horticulture team continued After a 12-year wait, we hatched to refill their plastic water bottles the successful Bristol Community five keeled box turtles in the instead of throwing them away, Plant Project, working with groups Reptile House this autumn, in by offering visitors the chance to and schools across the city to grow what is believed to have been a fill up their bottles at water points different varieties and species European first. There are just nine across the Zoo. We also intend to of marigolds (Calendula), with keeled box turtles in zoos across install drinking fountains and water the objective of establishing a Europe and only 54 recorded in refill stations. dispersed collection of plants to captivity in the world, of which six achieve ‘National Plant Collection’ are now in Bristol. We became the first zoo in the status. We also hosted a United Kingdom to breed eastern celebratory reception at the Zoo for Bristol Zoo joined the growing quolls this year after a new all those involved in the project. revolution aimed at getting people breeding pair, called Schwarz and Sirius, arrived in March. The pair, who live in Twilight World, had six babies. Eastern quolls are native to Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania but their numbers have drastically declined.

14 Bangaii cardinals are listed as Endangered due to large numbers being taken from the wild for the pet trade. We successfully bred our Bangaii cardinalfish towards the end of the year. Celebrity farmer Gareth Wynn-Jones visited Wild Place Project to film a Autumn video for Honda UK, which this year donated an off-road Pioneer and an all- terrain vehicle to Wild Place Project.

October December

More than 200 animals had to A redundant incubator for be temporarily moved out of the premature babies was donated to Reptile House to clear the way the Zoo by St Michael’s Hospital. for a major refurbishment of the Now it is playing a vital role in enclosures and improvements to incubating lizard and eggs the water quality controls. in the Reptile House.

TV presenter Carol Vorderman and Five Endangered Chinese Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies crocodile lizards arrived at Bristol joined hundreds of people at Bristol Zoo Gardens for the first time in Zoo’s Big Christmas Sing-a-Long. its 181 year history. There are More than 1,500 people braved the fewer than 1,000 of these lizards cold to listen to local choirs and join left in the wild in their native in with a host of festive favourites. Southern China so the breeding programme in zoos is crucial to The year ended on a high as the the species’ survival. first clutch of third-generation eggs was laid by our Critically Endangered Lord Howe Island stick insects. Four squirrel monkeys were born November at Bristol Zoo over the autumn months, taking the total number in Two extremely rare, small A new giant tortoise the group to 23. marsupials called brush-tailed arrived at the Zoo just bettongs arrived at the Zoo in time for Christmas. Our sixth pink pigeon of the season this year, 15 years after we last was successfully foster-reared at kept them. It is hoped that this 20-year-old Mike joined the Zoo, from eggs originally laid by Critically Endangered species will Helen, Twiggy and Biggie a pair at Wild Place Project. breed in future. in the Reptile House. 16 Field conservation and science

Cameroon Tanzania

This year we initiated our Kordofan In 2017 we began the first giraffe field conservation project in survey of the Endangered Sanje northern Cameroon. We undertook mangabey in over 17 years. a survey to map the distribution of This work was undertaken by a Kordofan giraffe and ran a training Bristol Zoological Society/Cardiff workshop on the use of technology University PhD student funded in conservation for the eco-guards by the NERC Case Industrial and conservators of the four Partnership Funding Programme, national parks in Cameroon that alongside our Tanzanian field still have these giraffes. The team team. Preliminary results show found that the sub-species still the animals are still well protected exists throughout Bénoué National inside the national park but Park, but in very low numbers. numbers are declining outside this protected area. golden-headed langurs on the island of Cat Ba in Ha Long Bay, North Vietnam. The report was Global conservation launched at the Primate Society of Great Britain’s 50th anniversary The latest report on the world’s conference in London. We hope it 25 most endangered primates will draw attention to the plight of was revealed, co-edited by our each of the 25 highlighted species director of conservation, Dr and the severity of the situation for Christoph Schwitzer and lecturer many primates in the wild. in conservation science, Dr Alison Cotton. It highlights the plight of species such as the recently Native species described James’ sportive lemur, now reduced to just a handful We were successful in securing of individuals, and the 50 or so 1.2 million Euros for Alien Invasive 17 White-clawed crayfish & Downs - Wildlife Project - Bristol

Silky wave moth Mangabey - Bristol - Tanzania

Desertas wolf spider Negros bleeding heart - Madeira dove - The Philippines

Lemur leaf frog Lord Howe stick insect - Costa Rica - Australia

Partula snail Livingstone’s fruit bat - French Polynesia - Comoros

Primates Lemurs & sacred ibis - Cameroon - Madagascar

Giraffe African penguin - Cameroon - South Africa

Species control in England 11,170 people engaged with the will benefit our animals. under the EU-funded Rapid project’s education programme, Life programme. We have also through walks, talks, courses, This year we initiated Lemur expanded our wildlife monitoring educational visits and family or Boot Camp, a crowd-funded on site at Wild Place Project with community events. project aimed at examining the bird, bat and invertebrate surveys, cognitive skills and behavioural in order to understand how native flexibility of captive lemurs in an species are using the landscape Zoo-based research effort to determine the feasibility and co-existing with development. of reintroducing captive animals This summer we concluded into the wild. We also undertook the first phase of important guest research, investigating how Avon Gorge and Downs research investigating the effect Zoo visitors are moving about our Wildlife Project of sound on animal behaviour sites and the impact of ranger-led and welfare by logging sounds activities on visitor experiences. Co-founded by Bristol Zoological and vibrations in the Zoo over a Society, this project works 23 hour period throughout the to protect, manage and raise summer in some enclosures. This The Philippines awareness of one of the most research, in collaboration with the unique and important botanical University of Exeter, has led to We established a research sites in the UK – the Avon recommendations for changes to base in the Mantiquil Forest on Gorge. This year more than the auditory environment which Negros Island in order to facilitate 18 Our conservation team set up a new research station in the forest on Negros Island in the Philippines. We enrolled 44 budding conservationists onto our evening courses this year and 38 youngsters joined our Zoo Conservation Academies.

studies on the Visayan warty pig and Negros bleeding heart dove living in remote and previously inaccessible areas of the forest. Our camera traps also caught footage of the elusive Visayan leopard cat, an indication that the remaining forests are still healthy in this region.

Madagascar

World-leading landscape architects from Grant Associates and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios in Bath, visited our field site in northwestern Madagascar. They are working with us to redesign A new study led by Bristol More than 300 new our research centre in Sahamalaza- Zoological Society revealed and returning higher Iles Radama National Park, which that lemurs are using cocoa will be of huge benefit to our lemur plantations to help them survive. education students conservation project. Our scientists spent six months were welcomed to our working with a team from the Institute of Conservation Princess Anne also visited our University of the West of England, Madagascar field station this setting camera traps, carrying out Science and Learning at year and met our director of night surveys, tracking the lemurs Bristol Zoo Gardens. conservation, Dr Christoph and using specialist equipment to We teach on six degree Schwitzer. The Princess was identify their calls. The research programmes run with shown around and ventured into was funded by Conservation the surrounding primary forest International working with four higher education where blue-eyed black lemurs live. Madecasse Chocolate and Vanilla. partner institutions. 20 The year in figures

Money generated via Bristol Zoo’s website £2,054,013.19 Visitors to Bristol Zoo’s website 1,818,059 Cost of building the new giraffe enclosure at Wild Place Project £1,100,000 Money raised by our development team £653,287.16 Total guests to Bristol Zoo (including under 2s) 561,940 Visitors to the Wild Place Project website 422,398 Money generated by Wild Place Project’s website £347,851 Total guests to Wild Place Project (including under 2s) 210,918 Guests who joined a Zoo ranger talk this year 111,927 Number of Bristol Zoo fans on Facebook 59,647 Students taught by the Zoo education team 37,967 Guests who attended a Zoo Animal Encounters session 21,128 Visitors to Bristol Zoo’s Friday Twilight openings 13,621 During the summer Faces painted by Zoo volunteers 8,656 months our rangers Students taught in learning sessions at Wild Place Project 4,478 hosted interactive games and activities in the Seal Children who visited Santa in the Zoo grotto this year 3,054 and Penguin Coasts’ Visitors to Bristol Zoo’s Dinomania launch event (members) 2,496 tunnel to engage guests Hours volunteered by corporate partners at Wild Place Project 1,860 with the diversity of sea Number of birds hatched at Bristol Zoo this year life and encourage them 155 to help reduce human Number of Lord Howe Island stick insects hatched 44 impact on the oceans. Baby born 1 21 Where our money More than 1,100 people joined us for a giraffe comes from house warming event in the summer.

Admission income Gift Aid and gate donations Annual membership Higher education Other income generating activities (car parks, events etc.) Miscellaneous Investment and property income Catering commission Where the money Fundraising and voluntary income is spent Retail sales and commission Grants and donations for field conservation and research Conference facilities

Animals Field conservation and research projects Marketing and costs of generating income (shops, catering costs, fundraising etc.) Education Gardens, estates, maintenance and running the Zoo Wild Place Project operating costs Administration, HR, overheads etc.

22 Bristol Zoological Society would like to thank its staff, volunteers, members, partners, sponsors, donors and other affiliates who have supported us throughout 2017. Front cover image: a Nicobar pigeon

Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Ltd Registered Charity No. 1104986 Registered in England No. 5154176