Belfast Zoo: Apologies after zoo customers face long Easter queues

Belfast Zoo reopened to the public last April during the Covid-19 pandemic

Complaints have been made after long delays meant some customers queued for hours at Belfast Zoo on Easter Monday.

Alex Smith, who went with his two children, told BBC News NI "he turned and went home" after waiting hours, despite pre-booking in advance.

Police confirmed they were there to manage traffic.

Belfast Zoo acknowledged the "frustration of those who had to queue for some time" and apologised for the inconvenience.

A spokeswoman said zoo management would be reviewing the visitor experience to see "what lessons can be learned for future busy periods, and to consider whether any further action may be required".

She added that a large number of people had arrived without tickets and, to "avoid disappointment", a decision was taken to release remaining tickets for sale on the day.

This resulted in 6,000 visitors, which was within previous Easter attendance levels, the zoo said.

In a social media post on Tuesday, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said Belfast Zoo had experienced another busy period.

Mr Smith travelled from England to visit his two children in Belfast and intended to take them to Belfast Zoo on Monday.

"I went online and they had allocated one hour slots," Mr Smith said.

"It [website] said something like you can book and this is the only time you can get admitted but once you are in you can stay for as long as you want basically."

Alex Smith planned to take his two children to Belfast Zoo on Monday but left after a long wait

On Monday, Mr Smith said the main road leading to the zoo was "bumper to bumper with traffic", and he waited for about one hour.

When he reached the front of the queue he said police were marshalling traffic and operating a one-in one-out system due to the large crowds.

'It was a death trap'

When it was Mr Smith's turn to enter the zoo grounds, he said cars were parked on both sides of the road leading to the car park and families were also parking outside of the site and walking in.

He said the main car park also appeared mainly full with people queuing up the road.

"It was a death trap trying to drive up the road," Mr Smith said.

The zoo is a popular family attraction during the Easter holidays

"There were prams and kids running about and there wasn't enough room for two cars to drive up and down each side.

"I stopped half way up and there was a queue of people, so I asked 'how long have you been in the queue' and they said they had been there two hours already.

"I thought 'this is ridiculous', I'm not spending my entire day queuing so I turned round and ended up leaving."

Mr Smith explained that one of his children has autism and he wanted to keep to a schedule, so the day was "ruined" for the family.

Public transport

The zoo's statement said that Easter Monday was traditionally its busiest day of the year.

The spokeswoman added that staff had worked as quickly as possible to reduce waiting times and admit online bookings within their allocated ticket time, as well as processing additional ticket sales and that a fast-track queue was in place for those with accessibility needs and zoo members.

"The majority of visitors followed the recommendation to pre-book their tickets in advance, although some tickets were subsequently cancelled or rescheduled to an alternative date," they explained.

"The zoo car park does fill up very quickly over Easter, and visitors are strongly encouraged to consider public transport when visiting.

"Staff have been advising those arriving at the zoo by car of alternative options when the car park is full, and the PSNI have been working with the zoo team to manage traffic flow around the zoo entrance."

On its website, Belfast Zoo has said it is "operating at a limited capacity" to allow social distancing with designated entry time slots, for the "health and safety of you, staff and our animals".