Auction of Wow! Gorillas to be streamed live via webcam - 28/09/11
The auction of Bristol Zoo’s Wow! Gorillas sculptures will be broadcast live via a webcam tomorrow.
Tickets to the charity auction have now sold out, but fans of the brightly coloured sculptures will be able to watch the bidding of their favourite gorillas on Thursday evening by logging on to Bristol Zoo’s website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/auction.
It is still possible to bid for a gorilla even if you do not have a ticket to the auction, by telephone or proxy bidding. For more information, or to register, contact Judy Tucker in advance, at jtucker@bristolzoo.org.ukor phone 0117 974 7329. The deadline for proxy/phone bidders to submit their paperwork is 1pm tomorrow (Thursday September 29).
There will also be a live blog from the auction that members of the public can follow and contribute to, and a game allowing readers to vote for how much they think each gorilla will fetch at auction. Whoever gets the most correct answers will win a family ticket to Bristol Zoo (in the event of a tie, winner will be picked at random).
The webcam and blog will start as the auction gets underway at 7.30pm. The auction will raise vital funds for Bristol Zoo’s gorilla conservation projects and Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal, the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Auctioneer Andrew Morgan said: “These wonderful gorillas have been a spectacular success and I am delighted and honored to be asked to auction them. Anyone lucky enough to acquire one will, not only be directly supporting two excellent charities, but will be acquiring a lasting and valuable work of art.”
The 101 small gorillas which have also appeared around the city this summer will be returned to the schools and nurseries which sponsored and decorated them.
Dr Bryan Carroll, Director of Bristol Zoo, said: “Wow! Gorillas has been enjoyed by so many residents from Bristol and beyond this summer and I’m sure many people will miss seeing them around Bristol.
“However the auction of the sculptures will raise vital funds for our gorilla conservation projects, as well as Wallace & Gromit’s Echocardiogram Appeal which will help save the lives of sick children at Bristol Children’s Hospital.”
Bristol Zoo is also holding a raffle offering the chance to win limited edition Wow! Gorillas prizes. First prize is an unpainted, small gorilla, the same size as the schools’ gorillas.
Second prize is a small piece of a Formula One Marussia Virgin racing car engine in a presentation display box. Earlier this summer the Wow! Gorillas logo featured on the nosecone of the Marussia Virgin Racing Formula One team car at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Third prize is a limited edition, small ceramic Wow! Gorilla, painted in the style of one of the 61 Wow! Gorilla designs.
Raffle tickets cost £1 each, available from Bristol Zoo until Friday, October 28, when the winners will be drawn. Tickets are also available online at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/win-a-wow-gorilla
Wow! Gorillas has been created by Bristol Zoo Gardens in partnership with Bristol City Council and Wild in Art which promotes art through the use of unique animal sculptures as three dimensional artist’s canvas.
To find out more about Wow! Gorillas visit the website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/auction. To bid for a gorilla by telephone or proxy bidding contact Judy Tucker in advance, at jtucker@bristolzoo.org.ukor phone 0117 974 7329.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
BristolZoo’s Wow! Gorillas’ project
- Wow! Gorillas formed a mass public art trail across the streets of Greater Bristol this summer in celebration of Bristol Zoo’s 175th birthday year.
- Each of the gorilla sculptures was sponsored by organisations, businesses and charities from across the region, and decorated in their own unique style by talented local artists.
- Bristol Zoo’s gorilla sculptures were created by Wild in Art, which promotes art through the use of unique animal sculptures as three dimensional artist’s canvas.
- As well as showcasing the wealth of creative talent the city has to offer, this eye-catching public exhibition aimed to attract tourists to Bristol, while encouraging Bristolians to be tourists in their own city.
- The trail also aimed to engender civic pride, stimulate the local economy and create a fun event for everyone to enjoy.
- During the 10-week trail period this summer, members of the public picked up 75,000 Wow! Gorillas trail maps and over 35,000 copies of the map were downloaded from the Zoo website.
- The Wow! Gorillas Facebook page now has over 13,000 fans and is increasing daily.
BristolZoo Gardens
- BristolZoo Gardensis a conservation and education charity and relies on income from visitors and supporters to continue its important work.
- This year 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 the year Bristol Zoo will be bringing 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
- The Zoo will be focusing its efforts on raising funds and awareness in support of gorilla conservation and will be supporting theEuropean Association of Zoos and Aquaria Ape Campaign.
- The EAZA Ape 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. www.bristolzoo.org.uk/conservation-campaigns.
- Bristol Zoo has supported and been actively in gorilla conservation in Cameroon since 1998.
