Belfast Zoo is a zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The zoo started as Bellevue Pleasure Gardens, a public park and recreational area, in 1911 on the slopes of Cavehill. The gardens were opened by Belfast City Tramways as an inducement to Belfast's residents to use the company's new tramway. Belfast Zoo is one of Europe's best and most innovative zoos, with large, free-range enclosures and beautiful landscaping. The main attractions are the gorillas, the rare red pandas and spectacled bears, and the underwater viewing platforms in the sea-lion and penguin pools.
