Chester Zoo Chester Zoo discussion and questions 2025
- Thread starter Typhlonectes
- Start date
I get that for day visitors the growing size of the zoo can make it difficult but I do think that the bigger the better its an amazing place now and they do so much conservation work
Do agree it is expensive now both for day visitors and members but the upkeep for the animals must be expensive, we do take our own food and drink now to be honest as its too expensive for us in the restaurants now but I do understand that it must be an important part of the zoos income
I’m lucky that we are able to visit regularly and its wonderful to be able to see so many different animals every time
I like to spend more time with one or two animals every visit rather than flit around trying to see everything
Do agree it is expensive now both for day visitors and members but the upkeep for the animals must be expensive, we do take our own food and drink now to be honest as its too expensive for us in the restaurants now but I do understand that it must be an important part of the zoos income
I’m lucky that we are able to visit regularly and its wonderful to be able to see so many different animals every time
I like to spend more time with one or two animals every visit rather than flit around trying to see everything
AmazonianHippo
Well-Known Member
So right now the zoo has 5 zones- Pink (islands), Orange(Heart of Africa, Blue, Yellow and Green. How many zones is there expected to be once this ‘master plan’ of sorts is finished (you know the expansions behind the lions, the redevelopment of Tropical Realm and the area around it and all the other projects proposed by the zoo. I should think we would’ve at least 6 as the space behind the lions is quite large, large enough to be it’s own zone. But the question is, how much do we think Chester Zoo is going to expand?
The plan has always been to represent geographical zones based on the areas where the zoo has in-situ conservation projects established - of which I think there are currently 7.
So already fully established are:
S.E. Asia (Islands)
African Savannah (HOA)
To be expanded:
Madagascar: (all species to be moved to an expanded Madagascar area taking over the Dragons in Danger building and the cafe / retail area
India: (expansion behind and adjacent to lions. Elephants to get a huge new area and GOH rhino to move plus additional species
Latin America: spirit of jaguar to stay but the adjacent area to be expanded towards penguins and Latin American aviary and into unused space for relocation of Andean bears tapirs capybara minature monkeys etc
Himalayas: further expansion to the south / south west of Oakfield
new zones to be created:
African Rainforest: to be established in the existing footprint of chimps / okapis / Congo buffalo with the demolition of tropical house and old giraffe house .
TBC
Europe: unsure the plans for a Europe / local area as it’s currently spread out across the zoo.
Unsure about:
The monkey island / GOH rhino zone - could be used for a central conservation “hub” which could highlight key projects and set the scene for the rest of the zoo journey
RORA - doesn’t quite fit into the geographical zone. It could easily be changed and refurbished to be part of a South American rainforest zone. But would the zoo relocate Bornean Orangs towards islands? Maybe if and when Latin American species move there’s opportunity to re-purpose what is quite a sizeable area where the capybara and Andean bears are ?
Am sure this is many many years in the future and a lot could change but I think this is the long term strategy.
Any thoughts ??
Thanks for this -and incredibly interesting too. It does make sense for Chester to pursue this direction. Has there been any mention as to what development is next?
Madagascar, Congo Forest and India should be all priorities for the next 20 or so years.
African forest is planned to be the next development. Hopefully in a few years time assuming visitor numbers can be sustained to fund it all
AmazonianHippo
Well-Known Member
Yes this was exactly what I was thinking, I’m just wondering if they are all their own zone, I don’t see why they shouldn’t be, but the Himalayas and Madagascar would potentially be on the smaller side. I agree with everything you proposed, and was wondering if buildings like RotRA and potentially a future aquarium (maybe where the capybaras, anteaters and Andean bears were after they move) would class as their own ‘zone’
In terms of Europe, I’ve always thought it could be on that wooden boardwalk, with giving the one of the lemur islands to red squirrels, the wild dog enclosure to brown bears, the enclosure I think is for babirusas made way for a couple of species of deers, and maybe the old GOH rhino could be for bison.
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I do like this idea - especially as it ties in well with @Ed123's idea for utilising the area as a central conservation hub. It would therefore serve as a 'starting point', allowing visitors to begin in Europe, seeing native species before they 'transition' out of the country to other global zones, located around the zoo.
Cobi
Well-Known Member
This might be a bit controversial. I’m not in favour of things standing still and I know from its very beginnings Chester Zoo has had an ethos of constantly changing and developing.
But does anyone feel that maybe Chester is losing a certain charm it once had? Is everything getting a bit big and bombastic? Can it get too big?
Personally I don’t know but I remember hearing someone say that they found the area around the Oakfield for example more enjoyable than the newer parts like Islands which felt like a theme park.
I’d be especially interested to hear what long time Chester regulars think.
But does anyone feel that maybe Chester is losing a certain charm it once had? Is everything getting a bit big and bombastic? Can it get too big?
Personally I don’t know but I remember hearing someone say that they found the area around the Oakfield for example more enjoyable than the newer parts like Islands which felt like a theme park.
I’d be especially interested to hear what long time Chester regulars think.
Charles
Well-Known Member
I’d agree to some extent, I think that’s the case with all zoos, the balance between the charm and keeping things fresh
I think they could integrate some things into the new areas rather than choosing to demolish them such as the tropical realm but they want the best quality of care for the animals and the best way to do that is to upgrade their homes
I can certainly see where you're coming from with this. I absolutely love Islands, it's probably still my favourite zoo area/exhibit I've ever seen, but likewise Oakfield House and the surrounding area is one of my absolute favourite parts of the zoo, and objectively one of the prettiest. I do get the impression that the area around Oakfield House is probably going to be kept largely as-is, as seen by the opening of the old lion enclosure into a new lawn and the revamping of The Square. It therefore seems that, while large areas of the zoo are being developed in a certain way, a lot of Chester's charm and overall vibe is definitely going to be kept.
Britain has many charming collections. We deserve at least one, world class, modern, immersive zoo.
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Hear hear!
Chester has the space and the money for such expansions while maintaining quality exhibits for all inhabitants, something I truly believe no other zoo in Europe can currently claim. They seem to be doing a good job of keeping the footprint as small as possible while expanding, through reusing paddocks and keeping animals off show.
Ultimately I think the reviews speak for themselves and have done for a long time. We aren't the average zoo-goers, and most of us would give an entire day or two to visiting the standouts on the continent - the Berlins, Prague, Pairi Daiza etc - which is the reality for large collections spread over a large footprint. The same applies for Chester and has done for some time; the intimate family zoo hasn't existed for decades at this point. But the average visitor doesn't care about seeing the whole place, and if they do you only need to look at the reviews to see it's not a bad thing and generally elicits another visit.
As an outsider to the collection it definitely seems to have kept its charm, especially in the public eye. I think we're very lucky to have the three headline collections in this country, Chester, London and Whipsnade, still understand what the spirit of a quintessentially British zoo should be all while continuing to keep up with comparable zoos on the continent and internationally (well, mostly)
The world changes and the zoo has changed with it but - personally - I think Chester has lost something important over the past 20 years (while also gaining a lot).
Again a personal view, but I find/found the intimacy of the old small mammal house, the aviaries alongside the Oakfield close to the owls, and the camel and giraffe houses much more interesting and appealing than distant views of banteng, no views of tigers, with lengthy walks between them!
Charm is one thing but most of the older parts of the zoo (which I assume are the areas that hold the charm) are just no longer fit for purpose by todays animal welfare or building standards.
The aquarium: structurally unsafe
Tropical Realm: ridiculously expensive to heat due to no modern insulation and structurally needing so many expensive repairs. Almost half the building is also off show and no longer useable so its a big waste of space.
Chimp facility: not fit for purpose anymore as not enough indoor space and needs 2 large but connecting outdoor areas in case of separation of the group.
Giraffe house: no longer required
I love the direction the zoo is going in. The more I see of the newer areas the more I realise that some of the older more tired areas need updating.
The aquarium: structurally unsafe
Tropical Realm: ridiculously expensive to heat due to no modern insulation and structurally needing so many expensive repairs. Almost half the building is also off show and no longer useable so its a big waste of space.
Chimp facility: not fit for purpose anymore as not enough indoor space and needs 2 large but connecting outdoor areas in case of separation of the group.
Giraffe house: no longer required
I love the direction the zoo is going in. The more I see of the newer areas the more I realise that some of the older more tired areas need updating.
I agree
HOA is a great example of this. Whilst it is undoubtedly a stunning redevelopment and I’m a big fan overall of the end result there’s a few things that have niggled me which come down to the intimacy point you’re making. The savannah & warthogs have such a huge standoff that you’re just way too far away from the animals. All species before had much closer proximity to visitors and you could hear and smell them. I just think it feels a bit detached now - they’re just too far away. Likewise the dik diks can only be seen behind a 6 foot chain link fence whereas before they had a lower barrier and could be seen clearly. However, the indoor hidden savannah offers and incredibly intimate experience which is just amazing to see so it can be done. Newer developments that I think offer an intimate experience are the walkthrough lemur area, Latin American walkthrough aviary, snow leopards (great proximity to the animals in this exhibit) and even the lions are very close to the visitors. So I think overall the zoo still offers this experience but there are some areas where it’s lacking a bit.
I do agree to a certain extent with what you’re saying here. There’s a balance to be made.
HOA is a great example of this. Whilst it is undoubtedly a stunning redevelopment and I’m a big fan overall of the end result there’s a few things that have niggled me which come down to the intimacy point you’re making. The savannah & warthogs have such a huge standoff that you’re just way too far away from the animals. All species before had much closer proximity to visitors and you could hear and smell them. I just think it feels a bit detached now - they’re just too far away. Likewise the dik diks can only be seen behind a 6 foot chain link fence whereas before they had a lower barrier and could be seen clearly. However, the indoor hidden savannah offers and incredibly intimate experience which is just amazing to see so it can be done. Newer developments that I think offer an intimate experience are the walkthrough lemur area, Latin American walkthrough aviary, snow leopards (great proximity to the animals in this exhibit) and even the lions are very close to the visitors. So I think overall the zoo still offers this experience but there are some areas where it’s lacking a bit.
AmazonianHippo
Well-Known Member
I appreciate how you feel on this matter, but I have to strongly disagree. Maybe because I haven’t properly visited the zoo as a zoo nerd before Islands was even around, but I feel this is a step in the right direction. I don’t feel Islands is a theme park, the theming is supposed to educate the guests on a higher level. For me walking through a replica of an Indonesian archipelago, passing various animals in very good habitats that ensure the best lives for the animals by recreation their natural environment is better than old facilities that don’t have anywhere near the same immersion. It’s not a theme park, it’s a trip to a different part of the world, which for me is what zoos are supposed to do.
I think it is very clear, however, that Chester’s intentions in terms of the future, is to create immersive exhibits like Islands that recreates an environment, whilst still preserving the charming historical features like Oakfield.
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It's definitely changed and continued to do so but I think generally it's been worth it. That's if I had to put it in one sentence anyway.
Alot of it is nostalgia, I've lived near and visited the zoo for my whole life (43 in May), visiting the older parts just take you back to childhood, the giraffe house, cattle house, the old rhino house, the smells just transport you back in time to simplier times, so the new modern zoo takes all that away and you miss it, but I love the way Chester is developing and moving forward.
Dave J Hill
Member
I agree with most of what's been discussed in previous threads. But I am a firm believer in how Chester Zoo is moving forwards and how the new modern zoos are evolving. We have finally ended the era of old concrete and bars sterile enclosures where animals were penned to be stared at by the general public. Chester is leading the way from its early years with a dream of a zoo without bars. Now they have large comfortable enclosures where the animal can act naturally, fantastic enclosures providing enrichment. No pacing behind bars and other negative issues with old outdated enclosures. Now with these state of the art exhibits we are seeing fantastic breeding results and is one of the elite zoo around the world for research and conservation.
Yes some of the habitats may give the animals privacy and you have to look a little longer to spot the animals. But you are now seeing the animals in as close to natural surrounding as possible. And because of that the animals are much happier and resulting births prove this. I'm really looking forwards to the new zones and future plans over the next 15+ years. And watching Chester evolve.
Really want to see the new Asian elephant exhibit and watching the arrival of the new elephants from Whipsnade. See how they integrate with the resident females and hopefully future breeding success.
Yes some of the habitats may give the animals privacy and you have to look a little longer to spot the animals. But you are now seeing the animals in as close to natural surrounding as possible. And because of that the animals are much happier and resulting births prove this. I'm really looking forwards to the new zones and future plans over the next 15+ years. And watching Chester evolve.
Really want to see the new Asian elephant exhibit and watching the arrival of the new elephants from Whipsnade. See how they integrate with the resident females and hopefully future breeding success.