Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo
Main Zoo Entrance
Map
53°13′36″N 2°53′3″W / 53.22667°N 2.88417°W / 53.22667; -2.88417
Date opened1931
LocationUpton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England
Land area51 hectares (130 acres)
No. of animals35,000+[1]
No. of species500+[1]
Annual visitors2+ million (2019)[2]
Major exhibitsMonsoon Forest, Islands, Mkomazi National Park Painted Dogs Conserve, Elephants of the Asian Forest, Realm of the Red Ape, Tsavo Black Rhino Experience, Spirit of the Jaguar
Websitehttps://www.chesterzoo.org

Chester Zoo is a zoo in Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family.[3] The zoo is one of the UK's largest zoos at 51 hectares (130 acres)[4] and the zoo has a total land holding of approximately 160 hectares (400 acres).

Chester Zoo is operated by the North of England Zoological Society, a registered charity founded in 1934. The zoo receives no government funding and is the most-visited wildlife attraction in Britain with more than 2 million visitors in 2019.[2] In 2007 Forbes described the zoo as one of the fifteen best zoos in the world.[5] In 2017 and more recently, 2024, the zoo was named as the best zoo in the UK and as also regarded as the third best in the world by TripAdvisor.[6]

  1. ^ a b "New figures reveal Chester Zoo is home to a record 35 THOUSAND animals". Chester.com.
  2. ^ a b "ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". www.alva.org.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  3. ^ "History of Chester Zoo". Chester Zoo website. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008.
  4. ^ "Chester Zoo". Goodzoos website. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2007.
  5. ^ "The World's Best Zoos". Forbes. 5 November 2007. Archived from the original on 31 July 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
  6. ^ Price, Mike (31 August 2017). "Chester Zoo named best rated zoo in the Uk by TripAdvisor". Retrieved 26 September 2017.