About us

CHESTER ZOO is the UK’s number one zoo, with over 20,000 animals and more than 500 different species, including some of the most endangered species on the planet! With more than 1.6 million visitors every year, the zoo is an all-year round favourite attraction for all ages.

As a registered charity we need your support to raise funds for the care and conservation of our animals, and other endangered species across the globe.

We support around 70 conservation projects, from helping villagers in Assam resolve their problems with elephants ruining their crops and livelihoods, to helping protect the tiny harvest mouse on our doorstep in Cheshire.

We constantly strive to improve the lives of the animals in our care through detailed and specialist design and planning of new enclosures, to create natural habitats and improved breeding facilities like Realm of the Red Ape, the largest orangutan house in Europe.

Our Discovery & Learning team work to reach children in the North West through the Quantum Leap programme for Merseyside and Ellesmere Port. Further afield the team are supporting a project in Mkomazi, Tanzania, working on a education package to bring local school children closer to their own native wildlife in the National Parks.

This is just a flavour of the many and varied projects we run and support, but to do all of this we need your help, however small to continue to achieve our mission and create a better future for all our children.