Located on a 55 acre site, the Zoo offers a natural woodland experience that is home to over 1200 animals in award-winning enclosures and habitats including the new Rainforest House. The Zoo now cares for 138 species and takes part in 94 international breeding programmes designed to save endangered animals from extinction.
Elephants, 'big cats’, primates and an African enclosure with giraffes, zebras and elephants share this spectacular Cavehill setting with penguins, sea lions and a fantastic array of birds. Other members of the Zoo family include the Fossa, a lemur-hunting carnivore from Madagascar and the Nile Lechwe, a rare antelope from southern Sudan.
The Chimpanzees and Gorillas may hold your attention, but look out for the purple-faced Langurs from Sri Lanka and the Francois Langurs from North Vietnam: two unusual Asian monkeys that are now thriving and breeding in this unlikely setting. At the smaller end of the primate order, the Zoo also holds a marvellous collection of Marmosets and Tamarins, including the rare Pied Tamarin.
Plans for the Zoo's future development include an entrance pavilion with £600,000 visitors centre, souvenir shop, pay-booths and payment systems, and that ever welcome feature in these parts - a covered walkway for wet weather shelter. [...]
