Bosses at closed down Bristol Zoo Project deny gorillas are abandoned and say viral videos are "misinformation"
People have been entering the closed down site and posting videos of gorillas online
Last updated 18th Oct 2025
Bosses at the closed down Bristol Zoo Project are hitting back at urban explorer videos circulating online.
People have been filming themselves walking through the zoo at night, claiming that several gorillas have been left behind at the abandoned site.
Gorilla keepers are denying the animals have been abandoned and are encouraging people not to engage with videos spreading misinformation.
In a video online, the zoo said: “Our gorillas are not abandoned.
“Since Bristol Zoo Gardens closed its gates to guests, life for our gorillas has carried on as business as usual. They are still cared for in the same way and cared for by the same keepers.
“It doesn't matter to those gorillas whether there's five people watching them or 500, their lives very much go on as normal. The important thing is not the people that are here, but it's them. It's their interactions with each other, it's their family group and their relationships.
“It can be a misconception that can be quite common that gorillas look sad, but that's really just because they display completely different facial expressions than we do. If we're happy, we would smile, but a smile for a gorilla is actually a sign of aggression. So the gorillas very rarely show their emotions through facial expressions as we do. They much more convey how they're feeling through their actions, through their posture, and through their body language.
“The gorillas are having a great time foraging around outside. That's what they enjoy doing.
“Because of the risk, not only to the animals, but to the actual trespassers, we are actually having to shut these gorillas inside at night.
“Anyone who has recently visited Bristol Zoo Project will see that our new gorilla habitat is absolutely taking shape. It's very exciting. We are working really hard preparing the gorillas to the move.
“The gorillas are blissfully unaware that everything is going to change in their lives, but we're very excited to move and we're very excited for you to come along and see them in their wonderful new home.”
When touching on the videos circulating online, Bristol Zoo Project said:
“My advice for you, what you can do to help, is just don't engage with it at all. It is misinformation. It is not correct. It is not worth your time.”