Goodbye Gorillas – last chance to see all 61 ‘Wow! Gorillas’ - 22/09/11
Bristol Zoo’s brightly coloured gorilla sculptures have proved a hit with the public this summer, and now fans have the chance to see all the gorillas in one place from this weekend.
All 61 of the unique, life-size gorillas will be on display at Bristol Zoo as it holds a ‘Goodbye Gorillas’ event from this Saturday, September 24th, until Wednesday 28th.
The Wow! Gorillas are free to view with normal Zoo entry prices, between 9am and 5.30pm. Guerilla Tourist, which was on display in Birmingham during the 10-week Wow! Gorillas trail, will be outside the Zoo’s main entrance, for people to visit free of charge. The other 60 gorillas will be on the Zoo’s main lawn.
On Tuesday September 27th, the Zoo will stay open until 7.30pm (with last entry at 7pm) and visitors can enter the Zoo for £5 after 4pm. Some of the Zoo’s animal houses will also be open late.
Following ‘Goodbye Gorillas’, the sculptures will be auctioned at the Victoria Rooms in Clifton on Thursday September 29th, to raise vital funds for Bristol Zoo’s gorilla conservation projects and Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal, the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Wendy Walton, Bristol Zoo’s head of commercial operations, said: “Wow! Gorillas has been a fantastic hit this summer and we believe well over 200,000 people have visited them and completed the Wow! Gorillas trail map. The support for this project has been brilliant and everyone can be very proud of what the city has come together to create.
“Now, as the auction approaches, we hope people will come and bid the gorillas a fond farewell and perhaps consider bidding for a Wow! Gorilla to keep for themselves or their business!”
Wendy added: “The sculptures are absolutely brilliant to look at, and a lot of hard work went into producing them. As well as being unique pieces of art, Wow! Gorillas memorabilia has become huge collectors’ items, as well as helping to raise funds for very important causes.
“The successful Wow! Gorillas bidders will not only have a one-of-a-kind piece of art, they will also own a piece of Zoo history,”
Tickets for the auction of the gorillas have now sold out, however it is possible to bid for a gorilla by telephone or proxy bidding by contacting Judy Tucker in advance, on jtucker@bristolzoo.org.uk or phone 0117 974 7329.
Lauren Vincent, Fundraising Manager from Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal, The Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “The Grand Appeal is delighted to have been part of the Wow! Gorillas project and it has been so exciting to see the Gorillas all over Bristol in all their glory this summer.
“We are very much looking forward to the auction of the Gorillas next week, which will raise vital funds for our 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 from this Saturday, September 24, until Friday, October 28, when the winners will be drawn.
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/wow-gorillas.
For more information on how to bid for a gorilla by telephone or proxy, contact Judy Tucker in advance, on jtucker@bristolzoo.org.uk or phone 0117 974 7329.
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’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.
- Over 100 small gorillas have been sponsored by schools and nurseries and these will be returned to the schools after the summer trail.
- 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.
Bristol Zoo Gardens
- Bristol Zoo Gardens is 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.
