Chester Zoo has unveiled its newest zone centred around African species, becoming the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK.
The ‘Heart of Africa’ habitat area spans a 22.5-acre area, and is designed to replicate grasslands found on the African continent.
The zone has become the new home to 57 species, many of which are making a debut at the zoo, including critically endangered vultures, a colony of naked mole rats, Africa’s largest frog and 15,000 locusts.
The main event of the new zone and the most ambitious project is a vast open savannah, where visitors will be able to see giraffes, zebras, antelopes and ostrich all living together side by side.
Alongside the grasslands, an indoor habitat named ‘Hidden Savannah’ has become the new home to many of Africa’s desert dwellers and other species such as pygmy mice, African bullfrog and critically endangered pancake tortoises.
More than 30 bird species will also be able to be spotted, such as greater flamingos and white-headed vultures, while other mammal species such as African wild dogs, aardvarks, Eastern black rhinos and meerkats will be found in the zone.
The zoo has also opened the ‘Pamoja Village’, which offers visitors a place to learn and experience traditional cuisine and stories from across the continent.
The tourist attraction said that this has been one of the most ambitious zoo expansions ever undertaken in Europe.
Jamie Christon, CEO of Chester Zoo, explained the importance of keeping a diverse range of species in one shared habitat.
“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”.
Mr Christon said that the team at Chester Zoo has planted over 6,000 trees, shrubs and grasses in the animals’ new home, as well as, working with international breeding programmes to help protect the threatened species, such as vultures and the highly venomous red spitting cobra, at the zoo.
“This marks a significant new chapter for Chester Zoo. As an international wildlife charity, Heart of Africa will help us connect hundreds of thousands of people with nature, generate jobs and economic growth for the region, and continue our vital conservation work in Africa, long into the future.
“It’s the most complex habitat we’ve ever created, and we can’t wait to invite visitors into this extraordinary new space.”
Dr Gerardo Garcia, head of ectotherms at Chester Zoo, said the “ambitious” project ties in with the work being done across the African continent to safeguard habitats, combat poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.
“Our efforts range from supporting the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking.”
The opening of ‘Heart of Africa’ comes ahead of the launch of another development at Chester Zoo this summer called ‘The Reserve’, which will feature 51 luxury lodges themed around aspects of the African continent.
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