Belfast Zoo

Belfast Zoological Gardens (also known as Belfast Zoo) is a zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is in a relatively secluded location on the northeastern slope of Cavehill, overlooking Belfast's Antrim Road. Opened in 1934, it is the second-oldest zoo in Ireland, after Dublin Zoo, which opened in 1831. Belfast Zoo is one of the top fee-paying visitor attractions in Northern Ireland, receiving more than 300,000 visitors a year. Located in north Belfast, the zoo's 55-acre (22 ha) site is home to more than 1,200 animals and 140 species. The majority of the animals in Belfast Zoo are in danger in their natural habitat. The zoo carries out important conservation work and takes part in over 90 European and international breeding programmes which help to ensure the survival of many species under threat. The zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

The story of Belfast Zoo begins with the city's public transport system. At the beginning of the 20th century, passengers from Belfast were transported to the villages of Whitewell and Glengormley by horse-drawn trams belonging to the Belfast Street Tramway company and steam tramways from Cavehill and Whitewell. In 1911, the tram line was taken over by Belfast Corporation, now Belfast City Council. The corporation decided to build a miniature railway, playground, and pleasure gardens. The area was named Bellevue, meaning 'good or pretty view'. During the 1920s and 1930s, the gardens were a popular destination for day trips. In 1933, the corporation decided to install a representative zoological collection on the site. Then, in 1934, 12 acres (4.9 ha) on either side of the Grand Floral Staircase, a series of steps designed to reach the top of the hillside, were laid out as Bellevue Zoo. It took 150 men to build the site and the steps can still be seen from Antrim Road today. The zoo was opened on 28 March 1934 by Sir Crawford McCullagh, the then Lord Mayor of Belfast. The venture was supported by Councillor RJR Harcourt from Belfast Corporation and was partnered by George Chapman, an animal dealer and circus entrepreneur. It cost £10,000 (approximately £700,000 in today's money) to build and a total of 284,713 people visited the zoo in its first year.

Belfast Zoo is owned by Belfast City Council. The council spends over £2.5 million every year on running and promoting the zoo, which is one of the few local government-funded zoos in the UK and Ireland. The zoo's work is overseen by the council's Parks and Leisure Committee. The committee is made up of 20 locally elected councillors.

Western lowland gorilla Pygmy marmoset White-belted ruffed lemur Red-bellied lemur Ring-tailed lemur Crowned lemur Red titi monkey Black and white colobus Pied tamarin Moloch gibbon Golden lion tamarin Francois langur Emperor tamarin Colombian spider monkey Common chimpanzee Cotton-top tamarin

Citron-crested cockatoo Red-tailed black cockatoo Palm cockatoo Bali starling Von der Decken's hornbill White-tailed sea eagle Barn owl Chilean flamingo Indian peafowl Nicobar pigeon White-crested turaco Gentoo penguin Rockhopper penguin Sunbittern Ostrich Darwin's rhea Tawny frogmouth Coscoroba swan Southern crowned pigeon Southern screamer Laughing kookaburra Pied imperial pigeon

Zoo data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).