I’ve been a member of Chester Zoo for years, although I cannot remember the last time I got around to visiting.  It is a super place to visit at this time of year, because although there are plenty of people around, and quite a few young kids, it is anything but crowded and there’s no queueing or having to wait in turn for a good view. I was supposed to be doing good works in my garden today, but looking at the sun, and considering my options, it suddenly seemed like a good idea to abandon the weeds and go and inspect the baby elephant in person.

Last time I was there I was really impressed with some of the innovative changes, not only to the animal houses and paddocks but to the walkways between enclosures, which included boardwalks and raised walkways, with a growing emphasis on flora as well as fauna.  All of the walkways are lined with what are now increasingly mature trees and shrubs, many of them specimen pieces, and lots of them labelled with their species name and additional information.  This lavish plant life extends into many of the animal enclosures.  There is a sense of everywhere being green and floral wherever you look, and this is really impressive.  The new zone based around a wending water feature is particular lavish in this respect, giving a real sense of being out of the busy world beyond the zoo.  All of the green and water areas support not only the official zoo residents but the local wildlife too, including water birds, garden birds and insect life, both of the crawling and flying varieties.  Plant species have been selected, for example, to encourage bees, and the lowly mallards looked very much at home.

As ever at Chester Zoo the emphasis is on conservation and their breeding programme, and there were plenty of babies around to demonstrate their successes, as well as multiple  information boards dotted around that explain not only the zoo’s residents and their habitats but also how the zoo itself is helping to promote their survival worldwide, with partnerships with other organizations.

It was far from hot today, although the spring sun was lovely, but it was terrific to see many of the animals enjoying their water features.  There were notable exceptions, including the giant otters who were having a marvellous time sunbathing, a seriously mellow lioness and a very lazy cheetah who seemed to melting into the sunshine.  There was a lot of very contented laziness on display!  At the same time, it is always superb to see various different monkey and apes enjoying their enclosures inside and out, with a lot of energy on display.

The new “pink zone” which has a southeast Asian theme and is organized around a winding circular waterway is excellent, with some great features and, should you be hungry, a southeast Asian-style fast food restaurant.  I had just stuffed myself with an enormous Mr Whippy or I would have gone for it, as that sort of cuisine is just up my street.

The monorail has been taken down, but this has lead to an expansion of the walkways.  At the moment the Heart of Africa section is being reconfigured, meaning that much of that area is not accessible, so the giraffe house is not available, and the zebras were not visible, but this should change by the summer.  At the moment some of the bird venues are closed due to bird flu, a very good precaution.

 

 

Opening times and prices are on the Chester Zoo website here. You can download the map from the Zoo’s website here, or you can pay a £1.00 for a printed version at the ticket office.   All the Chester Zoo people, whether you are having your bag checked at the security desk, buying an ice cream or asking directions are super-friendly and really helpful.

A great day out. It is super to see how the zoo continues to innovate and to extend its offering.