FAQs

• Are you open?
•  I heard on the news that Bristol Zoo Gardens was closing permanently – can you tell me more?
• What changes have you made to make sure a visit to Wild Place Project is safe?
•  What are you doing in response to the changes to Test and Trace?
• Do I need to wear a face covering when visiting?
• Are you accepting cash? 
• How long can I stay at Wild Place Project?
• When are tickets being released?
• I have a complimentary ticket / gift voucher, how do I redeem this?
• Do Members, Annual Pass Holders and Corporate Members need to book?
• What do I do if I can’t remember my membership number?
• Whilst I’m waiting for my Membership / Annual Pass numbers, can I buy timed tickets and then request a refund when I have my numbers?
• I’m an Annual Pass Holder/ Member and I’ve booked to visit on multiple occasions. Do I have to turn up for them all?
• Can I move my booking to another day or time?
• Can I have a refund if the weather is wet, too cold or too hot?
• Will I be allowed on site if I have a booking, but it’s not for the right entry time or date?
• Will the shop be open?
• Will the cafés and kiosks be open?
• What happens if I start to experience Coronavirus symptoms, or need to start self-isolating, after I have pre-purchased my ticket?
• How are you protecting the animals? Can Zoo animals catch COVID-19?
• When will Camp Baboon reopen?
• When will ‘Animal Experiences’ start again?
• What is the BZS Appeal?
• I have a further query, how do I get in contact?
• I have sent an email but haven’t yet received a reply.

 

Are you open?

Both Wild Place Project and Bristol Zoo Gardens are open.

We advise you to book your tickets on our website, in advance of your visit. A limited number of tickets are available at timeslots each day and we ask you to bring your booking confirmation number and show this to the team at admissions.

If you are an Annual Pass Holder, Corporate Member or Dual Member we advise you to also book your timed entry slot online and bring your Membership Card or Annual Pass.
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee entry if you do not prebook your timeslot.

Tickets can be booked here.

When you visit us, we ask you to respect our colleagues and your fellow visitors’ personal space and continue to take actions to protect yourself and others.

Please also check our Updates Page for all the latest news.
 
Please follow current Government COVID-19 guidelines.

What measures do you have in place as we start to “live with Covid”?

To ensure the safety of our visitors, staff, volunteers, and animals, please don’t visit if you are suffering from an infectious disease such as COVID-19 or influenza, or if you are self-isolating.

You should follow any Government guidance on testing and self-isolation at the time of your visit.

Please remember that you have a responsibility for your own safety and wellbeing.

We ask that you respect our colleagues and your fellow visitors, respect their personal space and continue to take actions to protect yourself and others.

The Government advises wearing a face covering in all indoor spaces where you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet. We therefore advise visitors to wear a face covering in all indoor spaces (unless exempt).

This includes animal houses, toilets, and our admissions and retail buildings. We also advise visitors to wear a face covering in some outdoor animal walkthroughs where we feel there may be a risk of infection to our animals.

You are advised to sanitise or wash your hands regularly throughout the day. Additional facilities are provided throughout the site.

We are asking visitors to pay by card whenever possible, and some areas including our car parks and catering outlets, are operating on a completely cashless basis.

We have enhanced our cleaning regime and cleaning checks, but please let us know if you encounter any problems or have any concerns. 

 

I heard on the news that Bristol Zoo Gardens was closing permanently – can you tell me more?

We understand that you will have many questions, and we have prepared a video, a frequently asked questions document and news release. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be sharing more details and asking people to join us in a conversation to shape a bold new future for Bristol Zoological Society and Bristol Zoo.

We know that the closure of Bristol Zoo Gardens to the public on 3 September 2022, will come as sad news and the Zoo has a special place in the hearts of many people, but we hope that you can understand why we have reached this decision. This plan will ensure that Bristol Zoo continues to exist for generations to come, offering millions more people the opportunity to experience the magic of a new Bristol Zoo.

Bristol Zoo Gardens will continue to welcome visitors until closing to the public on 3 September, and Wild Place Project will remain open throughout the development phase until it becomes the new Bristol Zoo.

Do I need to wear a face covering when visiting?

The Government advises wearing a face covering in all indoor spaces where you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet. We therefore advise visitors to wear a face covering in all indoor spaces (unless exempt). This includes animal houses, through-ways and toilets as well as our retail buildings.
Please see our map for more information.

Are you accepting cash?

We are asking visitors to pay by card whenever possible, and some areas are operating on a completely cashless basis, this includes our catering outlets.
 

How long can I stay at Wild Place Project?

Your booked time, is your arrival time at Wild Place – but you are free to stay as long as you wish until closure.

Please note: Wild Place Project closes at 5:00pm. Bear Wood closes at 4:00pm.

I have a complimentary ticket / gift voucher/ free ticket with my Animal Adoption, how do I redeem this?

Unfortunately you will not be able to redeem gift vouchers or complimentary tickets online at this time.
 
Please arrive at admissions with your complimentary ticket and a member of the team will look after you.
 
If you are coming with complimentary tickets in a group of more than 10 people, please contact us in advance by emailing info@wildplace.org.uk with details of your voucher/ticket and your preferred time and date of visit.
 
Please be aware that the number of timed tickets available is strictly limited, and we are unable to process requests at short notice, so please contact us well ahead of your preferred date.

Do Annual Pass Holders and Corporate Members need to book?

If you are an Annual Pass Holder, Corporate Member or Dual Member we advise you to book your timed entry slot online and bring your Membership Card or Annual Pass.
 
A limited number of tickets are available at timeslots each day, and so we are continuing to recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.
 
A dedicated Members booking page is available here.
 
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee entry if you do not prebook your timeslot.

What do I do if I can’t remember my Membership or Annual Pass number?

Please make sure you have the Annual Pass numbers for all your group before starting to book your tickets.

If you don’t have the Annual Pass numbers of those you’re trying to book for, please email us on info@wildplace.org.uk. To help us process your email quicker please send us the full names of all Annual Pass Holders, and first line of your address. This helps us to find the numbers you need.

We are receiving a high number of email enquiries, and are responding to them as quickly as we can. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
 

Whilst I’m waiting for my Membership / Annual Pass numbers, can I buy timed tickets and then request a refund when I have my numbers? I don’t want to lose out.

Please do not ‘hold’ a time slot by buying tickets and then asking us for a refund after you have all the Membership numbers you need.
Please only book your timed entry slot once you have all your Membership numbers.
Our tickets are non-refundable.
 

I’m an Annual Pass Holder/ Member and I’ve booked to visit on multiple occasions. Do I have to turn up for them all?

Yes, we ask that you turn up for all your booked slots. If you book and do not visit then you are unfortunately stopping others from visiting and limiting the revenue we can generate to care for the animals and carry out our conservation work.
 

Can I move my booking to another day or time?

Due to the number of enquiries we receive, and the need for our team to welcome and manage visitors on site, we are currently unable to move bookings to an alternative date or time.
 

Can I have a refund if the weather is wet, cold or hot?

Our tickets are non-refundable and we won’t issue refunds if the weather is 'too wet, cold or hot'. We are confident that you can have a wonderful time, whatever the weather!
 

If it is raining, will I still be able to see the animals?

All of our animals have off-show areas they can access at any time if they wish, so we cannot guarantee that you will see a particular animal. If you cannot see an animal first time round, we recommend that you pop back later to see if you can spot it then.

Will I be allowed on site if I have a booking, but it’s not for the right entry time or date?

We ask visitors to arrive at your allotted time slot – you can arrive any time within the slot, but not before or after. If you arrive at a different date / time from your booking and allocated timed entry slot, we are unable to allow people to enter with tickets for the wrong date or time.
 

Will the shop be open?

Yes, the shop will be open. 

Will the cafés and kiosks be open?

Are we allowed to bring in food to have a picnic?

Yes, if you wish to bring a picnic we have a number of picnic tables around the site that you can use. Please note we are unable to provide storage facilities, and barbeques are not permitted.

​What happens if I start to experience Coronavirus symptoms, or need to start self-isolating, after I have pre-purchased my ticket?

If you start to display symptoms of Coronavirus, or begin a period of self-isolation after you have booked your ticket, we will happily rearrange your visit for an alternative date and time. Email us at info@wildplace.org.uk with your booking confirmation number and your name.

 

How are you protecting the animals? Can Zoo animals catch COVID-19?

None of our animals are displaying any symptoms of Coronavirus. To date there has been no evidence to suggest that the majority of zoo animals are susceptible to COVID-19.
 
However, as a precaution, we have been taking additional biosecurity measures with certain animals including big cats and non-human primates as well as some other animals in our care. In some cases, we have moved barriers to increase the distance between animals and visitors.

We are liaising with other zoos to ensure we have the latest information available and will continue to monitor the situation. No animals at Bristol Zoo or Wild Place are showing any evidence of having contracted Coronavirus and our veterinary team will remain vigilant.

We also advise visitors to wear a face covering in some outdoor animal walkthroughs where we feel there may be a risk of contaminating our animals.

When will Camp Baboon reopen?

Given the ongoing uncertainty caused by Coronavirus, we made the decision to not open Camp Baboon.
 
We have contacted those who were planning on staying with us, but if you had a booking and have not received our email or have any questions regarding your booking please contact campbaboon@wildplace.org.uk.
 

When will ‘Animal Experiences’ start again?

 

What is the BZS Appeal?

The support of our friends, donors and funders is vital to realise the vision for Bristol Zoological Society and enable us to fully reach our conservation, sustainability, education and outreach ambitions for the future.
​
To find out more, please see our BZS appeal page and contribute if you can.

I have a further query, how do I get in contact?

Please email the team on info@wildplace.org.uk with your query and contact details, and we will come back to you as soon as we can.

I have sent an email but haven’t yet received a reply.

Thank you for contacting us, but please bear with us as we endeavour to work through these unusual times. We will be in contact as soon as we can, and in the meantime thank you for your patience and understanding.