Chester Zoo has been named the UK's best zoo on TripAdvisor, surpassing Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Whipsnade, and London Zoo. The attraction describes itself as the "UK's number one charity zoo," housing more than 30,000 animals from over 500 species, including some of the most endangered on the planet.
Conservation Successes
Thanks to its conservation efforts, a critically endangered West African chimpanzee was born at the zoo, along with a Sumatran orangutan and thousands of Bermudian snails. The zoo is home to six lemur species and features the fossa, Madagascar's largest carnivore.
Animal Collection Size
Despite Whipsnade Zoo's size, Chester has around 20,000 more animals, with over 10,000 including a herd of Asian elephants. London Zoo has about 8,000 animals, including giant silverback gorillas. Visitors often note on TripAdvisor that they cannot see all enclosures in one visit.
Visitor Reviews
One happy customer wrote: "This might arguably be the best zoo in the UK. The enclosures are the best I’ve seen for animal enrichment and the whole park is well maintained and considered. Well done team!" Another added: "Had a lovely day out in the sweltering heat. It’s pricey but worth it for the good work conservation work that Chester zoo do."
History and Impact
The zoo was founded in 1931 by the Mottershead family and registered as a non-profit organisation three years later. It now welcomes around 1.9 million visitors annually and participates in 139 international conservation breeding programmes across 19 countries. Another visitor said: "Absolutely amazing place, always come when we can and returning this weekend staff are so lovely and helpful very cute animals 100% recommend. Very child friendly staff also amazing with kids"
Criticism
Some visitors were less impressed, citing poor signage. One complained: "The whole experience was stressful rather than enjoyable, and we ended up leaving after just two hours. The last time I visited was around 10 years ago, and it was a far better experience. Sadly, the zoo seems to have gone backwards."
