Lord Mayor Visits Bristol Zoo Gardens’ Goodbye Gorillas event - 26/09/11
The Lord Mayor of Bristol, Geoffrey Gollop, is due to visit Bristol Zoo Gardens today (Monday September 26) to bid farewell to the eye-catching Wow! Gorilla sculptures that have brought so much excitement to the city’s streets this summer.
The unique, life-size gorillas are currently on display at Bristol Zoo as it holds a ‘Goodbye Gorillas’ event until Wednesday 28th.
The Wow! Gorillas are free to view with normal Zoo entry prices, between 9am and 5.30pm. Guerrilla 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.
Tomorrow (Tuesday September 27) the Zoo will stay open until 7.30pm 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 29) to raise vital funds for Bristol Zoo’s gorilla conservation projects and Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal, the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
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: “We are delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress to Bristol Zoo to see the fantastic Wow! Gorillas. The project 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, we are now looking forward to the auction of the sculptures on Thursday which will raise vital funds for our gorilla conservation projects, as well as Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal which raises money for their Echocardiogram Appeal which will help save the lives of sick children at Bristol Children’s Hospital.”
The Lord Mayor of Bristol added: “Wow! Gorillas has proved a fantastic success across Greater Bristol this summer and I'm sure everyone will miss them, but it's great to have the opportunity to see them all at Bristol Zoo before the auction, which will raise funds for two very worthy and important causes."
Tickets for the Wow! Gorillas auction 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.ukor phone 0117 974 7329.
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. To bid for a gorilla by telephone or proxy bidding 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
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.
