Belfast Zoo

Belfast Zoo sits on the steep slope of Cavehill, a basalt hill overlooking the Antrim Road in north Belfast. Opened in 1934, it is the second-oldest zoo on the island, after Dublin Zoo. The 55-acre site is reached by the Grand Floral Staircase, a long flight of steps built by 150 men in the 1930s. The zoo was opened by the Lord Mayor Sir Crawford McCullagh and supported by Councillor RJR Harcourt and animal dealer George Chapman. More than 300,000 people visit each year to see the collection spread across the hillside. The zoo keeps over 1,200 animals from 140 species, most of which are threatened in the wild. It takes part in more than 90 European and international breeding programmes to help species survive. The zoo is a member of BIAZA, EAZA and WAZA, working with zoos worldwide. Conservation is central to its purpose, with staff caring for animals that would struggle outside protected care. Visitors can see primates, birds, reptiles and domestic farm animals in carefully designed enclosures. Paths wind through the landscaped grounds, leading to the Rainforest House where a constant 27 °C shelters sloths, bats and tortoises. The zoo has added new enclosures for gorillas, chimpanzees, giraffes and elephants in recent years. A modern Visitors’ Centre opened in 2009 with natural light and displays on the zoo’s history. From the hilltop, views stretch across Belfast to the surrounding hills, linking the zoo’s setting with the city it serves.