King Kong Merrily on High arrives at Bristol Zoo - 25/11/11
The festive season is in full swing at Bristol Zoo as a special visitor arrived for Christmas today.
‘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 175thbirthday this year.
The new arrival was revealed by Santa this afternoon (November 25th2011) and is an impressive new addition to the Zoo.
The Santa-inspired, life size gorilla sculpture is the creation of Bath-based artist Tony Hitchcock, who previously painted two other Wow! Gorillas - Guerilla Tourist and Hubert – and created the giant stovepipe hat for the school-sized version of Gorisambard which Bristol Zoo presented to HRH the Earl of Wessex last month.
Tony spent almost two weeks creating King Kong Merrily on High behind the scenes at Bristol Zoo. “There is something about these gorilla sculptures that gets under your skin,” he said.
“I jumped at the chance to produce the Christmas gorilla and I'm very proud to have been involved in the Wow! Gorillas project, both for the amount of money raised for charity and for the excellent work that has been done in raising awareness of the plight of gorillas in the wild, through this project.”
From today, Bristol Zoo will be lit-up by spectacular animal-shaped lights, to kick-off Bristol Zoo’s Christmas celebrations.
Bristol Zoo’s Santa’s grotto will open this weekend (Saturday, November 26), then every weekend until December 17, after which time it will be open every day until December 23. The cost is £4 per child.
Visitors can also take a ride around the Zoo on the Santa Express which journeys every day 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.
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.
