A zoo in the United Kingdom opened the country’s largest ever habitat zone on 5 April 2025, giving 57 species of creature, from aardvarks to giraffes and rhinos, an area three times larger than Buckingham Palace to live in.
Chester Zoo in the UK’s northwest is one of the nation’s largest. It was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead, a First World War veteran who had been growing a collection of animals since childhood. It is now operated by the North of England Zoological Society, a registered charity founded in 1934 that continues Mottershead’s vision for a “zoo without bars.”
22.5 hectares and 6,000 plants
In that spirit, the zoo has now revealed a new attraction – a “Heart of Africa” exhibit spanning 22.5 hectares that the zoo’s head, Jamie Christon, told The Guardian is an attempt to emulate landscapes in Uganda and Kenya. Around 6,000 trees and plants have gone into the zoo expansion, which includes an open savannah grassland where visitors will be able to see a community of animals living harmoniously.
Aardvarks, African wild dogs, Eastern black rhinos and meerkats are also housed in the zone, and twitchers will be able to see over 30 bird species including greater flamingos, ostriches and white-headed vultures. Meanwhile, indoors in the so-called “Hidden Savannah” zoo, visitors will come face to face with pygmy mice and endangered and uniquely fast-running pancake tortoises, as well as cold-blooded African bullfrogs and red spitting cobras.
Giraffes, zebras, rhinos and antelope
“We want visitors to feel fully immersed in the sights and sounds of the African savannah, and what better way to achieve that than by seeing northern giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, ostrich, and roan antelope roaming together? It’s truly a breathtaking sight,” Christon said, speaking to The Independent.
As well as the open and indoor savannahs, the zoo has also unveiled the “Pamoja Village” where guests can learn about African stories and experience the continent’s range of traditional foods.
The Heart of Africa project cost £28 million (around €32.5 million) but it is hoped it will boost zoo visitor numbers by 200,000 per year, essentially paying for itself as well as generating an extra £3 million (€3.5 million) for conservation purposes. The project is expected to help humans connect with nature, as well as creating jobs and economic growth for the region.
Although it receives no government funding, Chester Zoo is already the most-visited wildlife attraction in Britain and has been named by Forbes as one of the fifteen best zoos in the world, while Tripadvisor places it third worldwide.
