Belfast Zoological Gardens

Belfast Zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals and 150 species. Many of our animals are under threat in their natural habitat.

Some of the animals you can see include:

• Barbary lions
• red kangaroos
• spider monkeys
• Moloch gibbons
• Rothchild's giraffes
• Asian elephants
• Malayan sun bears.

Other highlights include:

Bird Park

Our recently refurbished Bird Park contains many exotic and endangered birds, including blue-bellied rollers, hornbills and white-crested turacos.

Giraffe and Elephant enclosure

Thanks to a successful European breeding programme, the zoo is home to a large herd of Rothchild's giraffes. A total of 33 giraffes have been born at the zoo since 1996. We welcomed a Rothschild's giraffe calf on Monday 1 September 2014. The female, who is called 'Ballymena', was born to proud parents, Neja and Finn.

Other animals you may find in the giraffe and elephant enclosure include ostriches and Grant's zebras. You can also see our meerkats, Visayan warty pigs and cape porcupines near the entrance to the enclosure.

Rainforest House

The Rainforest House is a walk-through exhibition with tropical landscaping and a constant temperature of 27 degrees.

Animals housed in the Rainforest House include:

• 20 Rodrigues fruit bats
• Fulvous whistling ducks
• Nicobar pigeons
• greater necklace laughing thrush.

Lake Side

The stunning lake side is the first main area you will see on your visit to the zoo. The area contains picnic tables, a play park and a farm. It is home to animals such as sitatunga, crowned cranes, Demoiselle cranes and Chilean flamingos.

Plants and gardens

Belfast Zoo is located on Cave Hill and offers stunning views over Belfast Lough. Our 55 acre site contains a rich variety of plants and gardens. Native trees include hawthorn, rowan, silver birch, yew and ash.

Plants are an important part of the zoo, as our animals rely on them for food and shelter. The animals also help the plants to survive, by helping with the dispersal of seeds.

Many plants have been selected for our enclosures to try and replicate the natural habitats of the animals. Our Rainforest House, for example, has dense tropical landscaping which is ideal for the species who live there.

You can find out more about our trees and plants by looking out for the special signs around the zoo.

Education

Education is an important part of Belfast Zoo. 

Our dedicated education team work to raise awareness and understanding of the natural environment and to highlight the importance of conservation, particularly amongst young people. 

You can choose from:

• full education visits (on-site)
• self-guided education visits (on-site)
• outreach service (off-site).

We can also offer:

• education talks for nursery schools
• education talks for primary schools (Key Stage 1 and 2)
• education talks for secondary schools (Key Stage 3)
• post-16 education talks.

All our programmes are curriculum-based and are suitable for all ages and abilities. They aim to help students achieve attainment targets laid out by the Department of Education.

And it's not just schools who can use our education service - all our programmes can be adapted for cross-community organisations, undergraduates and other groups.