Chester Zoo has launched a major fundraising campaign to help protect tigers, calling on supporters across the UK to cover a collective 5,000 miles and raise £10,000. The month-long challenge, Earn Your Stripes, marks International Tiger Day (July 29) and will run from September 29 until October 29.
First appeal of its kind
This is the first appeal of its kind from the conservation and education charity. Participants set their own individual distance goals, which together will add up to a 5,000-mile target. That distance was chosen to reflect the size of the Terai region in India, one of the last strongholds for wild tigers and an area Chester Zoo works to protect.
Money raised will support both the zoo’s key role within a global tiger breeding programme and conservation work protecting wild tigers in India.
How to take part
Fundraisers can meet their goal on foot, by wheelchair, bicycle or rowing machine, or by choosing another activity such as dancing or swimming, adapted to represent distance covered. Progress can be logged on the Earn Your Stripes fundraising page.
Adam Thomas, individual giving assistant manager at Chester Zoo, said: "The zoo's popular one-day Run for Nature event - a running event through our grounds - is already a fixture for local runners and conservation supporters, but this new fundraiser is designed to be accessible and allow participants to go at their own pace, in their own place."
"Tigers are stunning animals but sadly they are endangered and face serious threats in the wild due to habitat loss and human-tiger conflict. By signing up for Earn Your Stripes, people will have a direct impact on tiger conservation and help prevent the species becoming extinct."
Breeding programme and field conservation
Chester Zoo is part of a European conservation breeding programme for tigers, which saw the birth of twin cubs Raya and Alif in 2023. The cubs have since moved on to other European zoos, where they are expected to play a role in raising the next generation of tigers.
Conservation breeding is considered a vital safety net for the species as wild populations remain under serious pressure. It costs more than £400 a month just to feed a breeding pair of tigers at the zoo - that does not include paying keepers, maintaining their habitats, enrichment, vet care and more.
The charity also supports tiger conservation in the Terai region of India, which spans nearly 5,000 square kilometres - less than half of it legally protected. As big cat habitats shrink, tigers are appearing more frequently near human settlements, leading to livestock losses, injuries, and deaths on both sides.
Chester Zoo works with Terai community members, the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, the Wildlife Trust of India and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help manage encounters with big cats and maintain community support for local tiger conservation.
Education programme
In 2025, the zoo launched its Wild Scouts education programme in the region, which has already worked with 161 young people across three schools, building awareness of human-wildlife coexistence and safe behaviour in tiger habitats.
Mayukh Chatterjee, regional field programme senior manager for India at Chester Zoo, said: "Wildlife and human coexistence is vital for the future of communities and tigers, but conservation is complicated and costly."
"Every donation will make a real difference to tigers, whether it helps train volunteer teams in India to de-escalate interactions, or supports the care of tigers at Chester Zoo."
Members of the public can sign up for Earn Your Stripes at www.chesterzoo.org/earnyourstripes.
