Belfast Zoo
| Belfast Zoo | ||
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| place | Belfast , Northern Ireland | |
| surface | 22 hectares | |
| opening | March 28, 1934 | |
| Animal species | 140 | |
| Individuals | 1200 | |
| Visitor numbers | 300,000 | |
| organization | ||
| Member of | WAZA , EAZA | |
| www.belfastzoo.co.uk | ||
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Coordinates: 54 ° 39 ′ 21.6 " N , 5 ° 56 ′ 31.2" W.
Belfast Zoological Gardens (also: Bellevue Zoo ) is a zoo near Belfast , Northern Ireland . It is in a relatively secluded spot on the northeast slope of Cavehill , overlooking Antrim Road . The zoo is therefore in a particularly quiet area, which is what makes it so attractive.
organization
Belfast Zoo is one of the top tourist attractions in Northern Ireland, with more than 300,000 visitors annually, and one of the few community zoos in the UK . Belfast City Council owns it . The city government annually spends about 1.5 million pounds on for maintenance and public relations. Operations are overseen by the Parks and Leisure Committee , made up of 20 councilors.
On 22 hectares (55 acres ) the zoo presents around 1200 animals of 140 species. The majority of the animals shown are threatened in their natural habitat and the zoo is committed to species protection by participating in 90 European and international conservation breeding programs.
history
The history of the zoo is linked to the development of public transport in Belfast. In the early 20th century, the Belfast Street Tramway Company operated horse-powered trams to Whitewell and Glengormley, and steam-powered trams at Cavehill and Whitewell.
In 1911, the tram routes were taken over by the Belfast Corporation , the predecessor of Belfast City Council . The corporation had the Bellevue Park Railway , a miniature train , a playground and a leisure garden set up at the terminus of the line to give customers an opportunity to use the train. The park was called Bellevue Gardens ("Beautiful View Garden").
In the 1920s and 1930s, this park was a popular recreational destination. In 1933 the corporation had a representative zoological collection set up. In 1934 a zoological garden was created on 4.9 hectares on both sides of the Grand Floral Staircase , where you could gradually climb the top of the hill, the so-called Bellevue Zoo .
150 men were employed to design the facility. The steps are still visible from Antrim Road today. The zoo was opened on March 28, 1934 by Crawford McCullough , Lord Mayor of Belfast. The company was endorsed by Councilor RJR Harcourt of Belfast Corporation and was co-sponsored by George Chapman, an animal dealer and circus entrepreneur.
The cost was 10,000 pounds; In the first year, 284,713 people visited the zoo.
Animal species
Recent developments
In 2007 a young Barbary lion was born, the first in Ireland. It was hand raised by animal keeper Linda Frew. In 2009 Lily the lion was given to the zoo in Hodonín , Czech Republic .
In 2008 a new rainforest house for sloths , Rodrigues fruit bats and coal turtles was opened. The temperature in the large aviary is constant at 27 ° C.
For the 75th anniversary in 2009, the enclosure for the lowland gorillas was renewed and a visitor center and a souvenir shop opened. A multimedia presentation on the history of the zoo and fauna in Northern Ireland is also shown in the light-flooded building.
The zoo received £ 250,000 from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's Tourism Development Scheme (TDS) and the city council increased the amount by £ 300,000 to allow a new visitor center to be built.
2009 several new animals were acquired, among others, the Sumatran Tiger Kabus and the only tree kangaroo in the UK, Kwikila . Over 90 young animals were born in the various breeding groups. For the first time, the number of visitors also exceeded the 302,000 mark.
In 2010 Indian otters , red monkeys and giant toucans were purchased and a female Sumatran tiger was procured for kabus .
Since 2009 there have been many successes in breeding tapirs, ring -tailed lemurs, Grantzebras, California sea lions , black-tailed prairie dogs, brown-headed spider monkeys, giant kangaroos and others.
In 2012 two bongos, a blessbock, a giraffe and a chimpanzee were born and in 2013 jumper monkeys, a sloth, a chimpanzee and lemurs were born. Two Goodfellow tree kangaroos were also purchased. This makes Belfast Zoo one of 22 zoos worldwide that show these animals.
Floral Hall
A ballroom in the Art Deco style of the 1930s, the Floral Hall, is located on the zoo grounds . It was a popular destination and during the Second World War there was blackout equipment so that the festivities could continue during the nighttime blackout period. Pink Floyd and Small Faces concerts were held in the 1960s . On April 2, 1972, the Floral Hall was closed to the public. In the 1990s it was listed as a historical monument and efforts are being made to renovate the hall.
