Chester Zoo

About Us

The UK’s leading zoo is home to more than 500 species of endangered animals and it’s also the HQ of a team whose efforts to preserve biodiversity spans the globe, with initiatives such as the award-winning Act For Wildlife campaign, which helps you to get involved.

Learn how to support bees, butterflies and hedgehogs, how to defend the natural world from invasive non-native species, and how to help create safe spaces for our threatened wildlife. On a trip to Chester Zoo you, too, can become a wildlife champion.

Meet the animals at Chester Zoo 

Download a map of Chester Zoo to see where you can find the various animals. The zoo has sections that home:

- Mammals - Air breathing animals, characterised by having hair or fur, such as big Cats, Elephants, hoofed animals, Monkeys & Apes, Bears and other mammals.
- Birds - There are over 1000 birds at the zoo many of them endangered species.
- Reptiles - There are over 50 types of reptile at the zoo including the world's largest lizard.
- Amphibians - Amphibians are a weird and wonderful collection of animals that include three main groups; frogs & toads, salamanders and caecilians.
- Fish - There are so many different fish in the world, at least 30,000 species, with new species discovered all the time (several hundred a year!).
- Invertebrates - Invertebrates are animals without backbones and there are many different types, including insects, spiders, sponges, snails, octopuses, clams, squid, jellyfish, anemones, corals, starfish, sea urchins, worms - that's just the short list!.

Conservation and education are at the heart of everything we do at Chester Zoo. We are committed to providing the highest standards of care for our animals, as well as protecting native and international wildlife. Our team of expert and knowledgeable staff work hard to care for our animals and support conservation, but are also passionate about connecting our visitors to the natural world. We have a variety of tours and hands-on experiences, as well as daily animal talks to guarantee your day is full of animal adventure.

Stop for a snack at one of our many restaurants, cafes and kiosks located throughout the zoo or let the kids run wild in one of our adventure play areas. We’re a huge zoo, but we’ve got plenty of options for getting around including our Zoofari Monorail and our Lazy River Boat Trip. Don’t forget to stop in at the gift shop on your way out for a souvenir of your trip.

Chester Zoo Membership

Join the Chester Zoo family by becoming a member and you'll get a whole year of FREE unlimited entry plus lots of other great benefits. Memberships can be bought for yourself or for someone else as a gift.

Membership packages start from £50 and include:

- Unlimited FREE entry for 12 months (during normal opening hours)
- Beat the queues with Fast Track entry
- 10% members' discount in our shops and cafes*
- Free entry to other zoos and attractions (terms apply)
- Our quarterly members' magazine, Z
- Two Members’ Days where you can bring up to twelve guests each for half price
- Access to Junior members’ events and days out (age restrictions and additional charges)
- Chester Zoo car sticker
-Invitations to our special Members' Talks

Book your Chester Zoo Tickets here.

For information about opening times and prices, please visit our website (prices and opening times vary throughout the year).

Click here to see Groups information