Chester Zoo — Zoo in Upton-by-Chester

Chester Zoo and its collection

Chester Zoo, opened in 1931, is a zoo in Upton by Chester, Chester, Cheshire, North West England, United Kingdom.

George Mottershead and his family opened the zoo in 1931; the North of England Zoological Society, a charity registered in 1934, has charge of it. Visitors have access to 51 hectares, part of an estate of roughly 160 hectares. Some 30,000 animals of more than 500 species are held, spanning every vertebrate class along with many invertebrate groups.

Animals and collection

The collection numbers about 30,000 animals across more than 500 species, and it is the only one in the country to hold tuatara, Boelen's python, great hornbill, Coquerel's sifaka and Persian onager. Studbooks kept here cover jaguar, Rodrigues flying fox, eastern black rhinoceros, Congo buffalo and Sumatran tiger, and two one-year-old cheetah brothers, Kendi and Tafari, arrived from Yorkshire Wildlife Park in November 2025.

Exhibits

Islands, which opened in July 2015, extended the grounds by a further 15 acres as far as the A41 boundary. The most recent addition is Heart of Africa, which arrived in 2025 and has been described as the largest zoo habitat ever built in the country.

Things to do

Things to do include Lazy River boat ride, Daily animal talks, BSL Tours and Talks and Off road adventure.

Conservation and approach

By the end of 2007 more than half the species held were IUCN-listed, 155 counted as threatened and 134 sat within managed breeding programmes. The zoo keeps studbooks for a list that includes jaguar, Rodrigues flying fox, eastern black rhinoceros, Congo buffalo and Sumatran tiger.

What the venue says

• BSL Tours and Talks
• Off road adventure
• Pop into our contemporary British pub, The Oakfield, for a freshly prepared meal, located right at the heart of the zoo.
• Free parking Leave your car in our spacious car park for FREE.
• buggy, wheelchair or mobility scooter