Looks very insane, it says it is the largest UK zoo exhibit to date!Heart of Africa opening April 5:
The accommodation component of the project (The Reserve) is set to open in August.
HOA will include a total of 57 species (15 species of mammal, 11 species of ectotherms and 31 species of bird).
First look at Chester Zoo's huge new African savannah where giraffes roam
Looks very insane, it says it is the largest UK zoo exhibit to date!
Here is a bird's-eye view of the exhibit:
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largest UK zoo habitat ever created set to open at Chester Zoo
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story....Spot the factual error in that article![]()
Spot the factual error in that article![]()
it is the largest UK zoo exhibit to date!
I'm assuming they simply mean the 'biggest project' not necessarily calculated by the size of the precinct, but more so a lot of factors (cost wise, planning wise, species wise ect.) that have contributed to it's completion.This is an interesting one.
To be honest, it's only bigger than Islands in footprint if you include the rhino paddocks that are basically retained (the rhinos never moved out of most of them, so not much can have happened!) and/or the Reserve lodges and paddock, which aren't on normal show.
On top of which, if they do mean area, Passage through Asia at Whipsnade surely exceeds it, although that is admittedly just a fence, some stables, and a road rather than a fully-themed development.
So, I know what they mean, but claiming that with any absolute certainty is suspect.
That said, by UK zoo standards it is undeniably a massive undertaking, and I look forward to seeing it.
I'm assuming they simply mean the 'biggest project' not necessarily calculated by the size of the precinct, but more so a lot of factors (cost wise, planning wise, species wise ect.) that have contributed to it's completion.
There’s a species of chameleon at the end of that video, could be the Oustalet’s?
A video of the soft opening, gives you an idea of the area, have a feeling that indoor area will be slightly busy.
With the way the layout is, I don't it was possible to keep a path heading directly into islandsThe new Giraffe house will certainly get bottlenecked when it gets very busy as they didn't keep the path going on towards the entrance to islands.
I will tend to come and see the new area on a weekday when the zoo is a lot quieter in the autumn time.
They are off show. A keeper stated that there was a worry about the vultures and secretary birds in together because there had been an incident were the secretary bird had attacked the vulture. This was not at Chester but he did not say where it was. It was likely they would get another habitat at a later date. There a few gaps around the HoA where they could be sited.Had a thought - were the secretary birds that arrived at Chester back in 2020 planned for Heart of Africa at all? Are they still off-show, or have they moved on-show somewhere else in the zoo? I haven't seen mention of them anywhere.