Belfast Zoo's last two Sumatran tigers, Kabus and Kinabalu, departed in 2018 as part of a European endangered species breeding programme. Kabus moved to NaturZoo Rheine in Germany, while Kinabalu transferred to Le Pal Zoo in France. The zoo does not currently have tigers, focusing instead on other species.
Belfast Zoo stopped keeping elephants because its enclosures failed to meet modern standards, lacking features like a pool and requiring modernization, prompting the zoo to move its two elderly Asian elephants, Dhunja and Yhetto, to a specialized retirement facility in the Netherlands in July 2024 for better geriatric care. The decision was based on inspections that found shortcomings, leading the zoo to phase elephants out of its future collection plan to prioritize animal welfare and conservation efforts for other species.
Did the Belfast Zoo keeper get locked in with lions?
The individual who was left with the lions – for a duration that is unclear – was understood to be part of a Northern Ireland training scheme for young people and unemployed people aged 50 to 64, the Belfast Telegraph reported. It quoted a source who expressed shock at the incident.
You see, Peter died aged 30 at Belfast Zoo in 1972, the bloodiest year of our conflict. But he expired on an extremely rare day in Northern Ireland at that time.
“A male Bengali tiger has escaped from its enclosure in Belfast Zoo and a search is currently being undertaken. It is recommended that homeowners in the vicinity remain calm and lock windows and doors. Please safely lock up any pets.”
Sheila the Elephant - Belfast Zoo (Northern Ireland) - BBC - 4th May 2016
Why was Inuka put down?
An earlier health examination on 3 April had revealed that Inuka suffered additional problems due to his ailing limbs, which were unable to properly support his over 500kg frame. As a result, this had caused ulcerations on his pads that led to deeper infection between his toes.
Belfast Zoo has a history of animal escapes. Most recently, several chimpanzees were filmed using wood from fallen trees in their enclosure to create a makeshift ladder and climb up the concrete wall of their enclosure.
It was with great sadness that in December, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee announced the sudden and unexpected passing of African elephant Donna, age 44, on December 24.
I was devastated to wake up this morning and learn of the sudden passing of Cicip the Malayan Tiger, him and Sahaja were the only pair in the UK and he was truly a stunning and magnificent cat who I had the pleasure of hand feeding twice. Thoughts go out to all his keepers. Dream big now Cicip! RIP.
Belfast Zoo is closed after E. coli was found in a water sample from the site. The zoo closed on Tuesday as a "precautionary measure", operators Belfast City Council said, while the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the council's environmental health team carry out more sampling.
Anything remaining will be cremated, including even the tiniest of animals. “Everything from guppies to elephants is incinerated,” says Neiffer. While burials were once commonplace at zoos, very few bury their animals anymore.
Buddhist monks, however, are forbidden from eating elephant meat. Hindus also strictly avoid any contact with elephant meat due to the importance of the god Ganesha who is widely worshiped by Hindus.
After crawling forward to get as close as possible, he fired but the projectile bounced off the Tiger so he did not fire again. By this time, supporting Churchill tanks had arrived and a shot by a Churchill from either the 142nd Regiment RAC or 48 RTR jammed the turret, forcing the Tiger crew to abandon their tank.
The main threats to tiger populations today are habitat loss/fragmentation and poaching. Habitat Loss and fragmentation occurs when land is modified for agricultural purposes, logging, and land conversion for grazing domestic animals.
In the first incident, a zookeeper was bitten on the arm during a public feeding. In the second incident, one person was killed and two others were injured before police shot and killed Tatiana on the scene.
This World Elephant Day, we remember Mali, dubbed the "World's Saddest Elephant," who lived a lonely life at the Manila Zoo until her passing in November 2023.
Princess Diana's last words, uttered to a French firefighter at the scene of the Paris car crash, were reportedly, "My God, what's happened?" followed by groans and possibly "Leave me alone" as she became agitated, before she went into cardiac arrest and later died from internal injuries. Firefighter Xavier Gourmelon administered CPR and thought she would live, only to be devastated to learn she had died in the hospital, notes The Sun and Daily Record.
They said that the experienced employee then left the paddock. The gate was locked and the animals were free to move around – meaning the person was “locked in” with the lions with “nowhere to go”. Belfast Zoo is home to a pride of Barbary lions once native to North Africa, but now extinct in the wild.
Belfast zoo was once home to a Polar bear named Peter in the 1970's, unfortunately he passed away quite a while ago however still lives on as a taxidermy sculpture in the Ulster Museum today! For more information on Peter visit: https://www.nmni. com/our-museums/ulster-museum/Things-to- see/Peter-the-Polar-Bear.
A kick from a zebra can kill — and these creatures are responsible for more injuries to American zookeepers each year than any other animal. Pity the poor human, therefore, who might try to domesticate a zebra in the wild. During the colonial era, some adventurous Europeans tried to harness this African horse.
Arturo was a polar bear who lived in Mendoza Zoo in Argentina, and for years he became known worldwide as the “world's saddest polar bear.” He spent his entire life in captivity, far from his natural Arctic home, enduring sweltering heat in an enclosure that lacked the space and environment a polar bear needs.
The results showed Inuka was not improving despite extensive treatment. Singapore Zoo decided not to revive him from anaesthesia and he was subsequently put down on 25 April 2018 at around 9:30am.
The Polar Bear Holding Facility, colloquially known as the Polar Bear Jail is a special building in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada where polar bears that are considered troublesome or dangerous are isolated until they can be relocated.
