Bristol Zoo unveils giant animatronic gorilla

A giant interactive gorilla sculpture has been unleashed at Bristol Zoo’s historic Clifton site.

At intervals, the mechanical creature comes to life to eat lettuce, spray onlookers with water and reveal her baby, Monty Alan.

The unveiling of Wilder kicks off the attraction’s ‘big summer send off’ ahead of its closure in September, when all operations will relocate to its sister site, Wild Place Project.

The animatronic sculpture is modelled on the western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species. Bristol Zoo is currently home to eight of these primates.

The sculpture is vast, taller than the largest giraffe on record and weighing over four tonnes. Bakehouse Factory, the Bristol-based events company responsible for its creation, spent approximately eight weeks putting the figure together.

The names of both gorillas hold significance for the Bristol Zoo with the impending move.

Hannah McGavin, creative director of Bakehouse Factory, says: “That’s why we called her ‘Wilder’: it’s about going into the wild, going to The Wild Place, and also referencing the amazing conservation work that’s been done in Equatorial Guinea.”

Monty Alannis an anglicised name drawn from national park Monte Alén, in which Bristol Zoological Society conducts conservation work.

Sleeping Monty Alan is revealed when Wilder raises her arm

Wilder and Monty Alan will also be moving to The Wild Place in September, but will be losing their mechanics to become “reclaimed” by the natural world.

The zoo’s public programme coordinator Scott Raven explains that the wooden sculpture may become “the largest bug hotel in the world”.

Sustainability was an important driving force for the zoo and team behind Wilder.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-approved wood used to create the sculpture was donated by Westonbirt Arboretum, and Raven explains that a lot of the signage and timelines celebrating 186 years of Bristol Zoo have been reused and repurposed from other projects.

Simon Garrett, Bristol Zoo’s head of PR, says gorillas are the “perfect icon to talk about the zoo’s past, present, and future”.

Finishing touches being made to Wilder ahead of public viewing

“The zoo’s got a very long history with gorillas,” continues Garrett.

“We had Alfred here, who came in 1930. Many people still remember Alfred. We had the first successful breeding of gorillas in the UK here in 1971 and we’ve got a brilliant field project in West Africa and Equatorial Guinea working with gorillas in the wild. We’re going to have gorillas in the new zoo in the future as well.”

The new Bristol Zoo is expected to open on the current site of the Wild Place Project in 2024 and will house a number of animals currently conserved in Bristol Zoo Gardens, including their western lowland gorillas.

The rest will be rehomed in zoos and conservation sites across the UK and Europe.

Bakehouse Factory creates the replica gorilla face – photo – Bristol Zoo Gardens

The Bakehouse Factory team have also created Into the Wild, an “interactive silent disco adventure into the heart of Equatorial Guinea trying to unleash people’s inner conservation heroes”.

Main photo: Megan Evans

Read more: Bristol Zoo announces closure date for historic Clifton site

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