Zoo

In 1941 marksmen from the Royal Ulster Constabulary, following a Directive from The Ministry of Public Security, shot dead 23 animals at Belfast Zoo. They destroyed one hyena, six wolves, one puma, one tiger, one black bear, one Barbary lion, two polar bears, one lynx and giant rat named Hugo. During these turbulent times, a woman secretly walked a young elephant from the zoo each evening to the backyard of her terraced home. There, she cared for and comforted it as the Luftwaffe bombs rained down over Belfast. This is a true story... and our setting for Zoo. Seen through the eyes of 10 year old Tom (Art Parkinson), aided and abetted by his misfit friends, this moving adventure unfolds as Tom takes on the fight to save Buster the elephant.