Chester Zoo

Our 2024 Youth Summit is going to be HUGE, and YOU’RE invited! 🙌   We’ve got incredible talks lined up from TV presenter and Nikon wildlife photographer Cam Whitnall, as well as filmmaker and zoologist Billy Heaney 🎥   Plus, hands-on workshops and tons of inspiration on how YOU can help save the planet 🌍   So, if you’re aged between 16 - 35 and are passionate about wildlife, then hit the link below to save your spot! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ePiJ5neq

Happy International Zookeeper Day AND World Animal Day! 🌍🐾 So today, we’re giving a massive shoutout to our incredible team of keepers at Chester Zoo, who care for over 37,000 animals – from mammals and birds to fish and reptiles – and even thousands of plants! 🌱 Their passion and dedication go way beyond daily care; they play a vital role in wildlife conservation, safeguarding endangered species, and protecting our planet’s future. Let's celebrate all the amazing work they do for our animals every single day! 👏❤️ #internationalzookeeperday #worldanimalday

We've planted a WHOLE woodland to help save UK Wildlife!🌳🐝 Planting 19,000 trees is seriously hard work! 😮💨 But this special place will be a thriving sanctuary for hundreds of species including bees, birds, badgers, foxes, harvest mice and a whole of variety of butterflies and plants. 🦋🌱   Not only that, but the woodland will bring huge benefits to soil health, carbon storage, water and air quality - providing stable ecosystems where wildlife can thrive. 🌿 This is the BIGGEST habitat we've ever created, spanning more than nine hectares, and we can't wait to see it blossom... 🌸 Huge thanks to The Mersey Forest for supporting us on this amazing scheme 🙌

We’ve been busy at The Labour Party Conference this week ensuring the environment, biodiversity and preventing the extinction of wildlife are at the core of the new government’s plans.🌿 We met with Ministers, MPs and Local Councillors to discuss our efforts to restore habitats and recover nature across the UK and beyond.🌍 A special thank you to Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, & Minister for Nature Mary Creagh CBE MP for planting some native species and adding a touch of greenery to the conference. The planter will soon find a new home at a local school! 🪴 Last week, we also attended the Liberal Democrats Conference and we’re heading to The Conservative Party Conference next - we'll do whatever it takes to keep shining a spotlight on our vital conservation work...

A huge THANK YOU to the 2,000 runners who took part in our Run For Nature 10K on Sunday! 🏃♂️   Together, we raised a HUGE £140,000, which will power our conservation efforts and bring us closer to a world where rhinos can thrive 🦏🌍 Take a look at all the fun we had ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e7KBSCJt

On the eve of the Labour Party conference,we were delighted to host the UK Nature Minister Mary Creagh CBE MP at Chester Zoo today. Many thanks to the Minister for taking the time to come and learn about our pioneering work to restore nature both here at home and around the world. British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)

Help save wildlife with every bid in our NEW online auction! 📣 Enter our auction today to win some HUGE experiences while supporting our global conservation efforts. Here are some of the incredible prizes up for grabs… 🦒Be one of the FIRST to stay in our NEW luxury lodges (with giraffes right outside!) 🎟Tickets to see Sir Paul McCartney at Co-Op Live arena 🦏 Extra special zoo experiences 🍾 A caviar and champagne tasting experience at The Ritz 💎 Boodles diamond necklace + afternoon tea experience ⚽️ Manchester United tickets + luxury weekend stay at the Stock Exchange Hotel Place your bids in the link below before 10pm on Thursday 12 September ⏰ https://lnkd.in/e_CZMHM6

Exciting times ahead! Thanks to this partnership with the Westminster Foundation thousands of young people will connect with nature and learn how to protect it for future generations.🌍 Together, we'll keep building a greener, brighter future together🌿 🐝

Amazing conservation news from Rwanda! Five years after we spearheaded efforts to relocate a group of rhinos which had been born and raised in zoos across Europe to a new home in Akagera National Park in Rwanda, we’re thrilled to share some INCREDIBLE news... Olmoti, one of the rhinos we helped to reintroduce, has given birth to this wonderful, healthy calf! Here he is, spotted on hidden cameras. We coordinate the Europe-wide breeding programme for eastern black rhinos, so this is a really proud moment for us. But, most importantly, it's a BIG moment for this critically endangered species. It's also an achievement that’s a true testament to the power of teamwork, with the Government of Rwanda, African Parks Network, the Rwanda Development Board, and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) joining forces with us to make this remarkable conservation success possible. Our work in supporting translocations, through conservation breeding programmes and our scientific expertise, whether here in Rwanda or in places like Kenya, is vital to the survival of the species. From those dedicated teams and our partners on the ground who monitor and track these rhinos daily, right through to innovative technology and research techniques being developed at the zoo which have boosted birth rates globally, it’s all leading to the continued recovery of black rhino numbers... and that really is something to celebrate. Together, we are creating a future where species like rhinos can thrive 🫶 📸 The Akagera Conservation and Research team

Huge conservation news! 🕸️🕷️ We’ve helped the UK’s LARGEST spider come back from the brink of extinction!   While they may look big and scary, the fen raft spider is harmless and plays a VITAL role within healthy aquatic ecosystems. However, 15 years ago, they almost became extinct after people destroyed its wetland home.   To help save this unique species, back in 2011, our experts set about rearing hundreds of baby spiders in individual test tubes (so they didn’t eat each other!) as part of a collaborative conservation breeding rescue programme.   Our team delicately hand fed tiny flies to each of the hundreds of spiderlings using tweezers, day in, day out, for weeks on end in our bio-secure breeding facility. Eventually, the young spiders grew strong enough to be returned to their natural habitat, which our partners worked to restore, and we released them in their hundreds!   Now, almost a decade and a half later, our friends at the RSPB estimate there are 10,000 breeding females across the UK, and they’re having their best year on record.   We’re so proud of the part we’ve played in this incredible conservation success story 🧡   1) 📸 Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)