Belfast Lord Mayor Alderman, Frank McCoubrey, has paid us a visit to thank staff for their hard work during lockdown and meet our newest zoo residents!
Our new arrivals since lockdown include Ronan, an endangered Rothschild's giraffe calf, a Southern pudu (the world’s smallest deer), a maned wolf pup and two Scottish wildcat kittens.
We introduced a number of safety measures before reopening to the public on Sunday 5 July, including limiting the number of daily visitors, a one-way system and social distancing signage, hand sanitiser stations, the zoo café offering take-away service only and protective screens at all public contact points.
The Lord Mayor said: “I’m so impressed at the team’s commitment to keeping visitors, staff and of course the animals, safe. They’ve continued to work incredibly hard since lockdown started – so it’s fantastic to see people of all ages enjoying visiting the animals again – and meeting the new additions. Belfast Zoo offers a fun, memorable day out and I’d encourage people to get online and book a slot to visit.
“You’ll find the experience a little bit different to before, as most of the indoor animal houses are still closed at present, but with such a beautiful setting, the walk around the zoo is really impressive.”
Zoo manager Alyn Cairns added:
It’s wonderful to be able to reopen our gates and welcome visitors again, thanks to our team’s hard work. Pre-booking sales have been extremely busy and we’re over the moon that so many people are excited about coming to see us.
There are two visitor sessions per day: 10am – 1.30pm (last admission 11.30am) and 2.30pm – 6pm (last admission 4pm).
Book your tickets online before arriving or call us on 028 9077 6277.
Belfast Zoo Members do not have to pre-book and can gain admission at the zoo when they arrive, but must present their membership ID.