Tag: Act for Wildlife
One of the world’s most endangered primates has been born at the zoo!
After a rollercoaster of a year, we take a look back at some of our incredible fundraising superstars, who helped to save their favourite charity zoo…
As guardians of the Monsoon Forest, the spectacular and diverse bird species will open your eyes to the incredible biodiversity of the South East Asian islands. But sadly, these rare species are facing unprecedented threats in the wild.
As a leading conservation and education charity, we urge the Government to make a number of practical changes to ensure it has the best possible impact on protecting the future of wildlife, both in the UK and overseas.
This International Tiger Day, we’re reflecting on the first phase of our Living with Tigers project in the Terai region of Nepal.
There are some fascinating creatures that are active at night. Enter the world of nocturnal animals to discover how they find their way around their environment, hunt and evade predators.
For all animals, there are three common necessities of life: finding food, finding a mate and avoiding being eaten. But some face the extra challenge of having to do all of that in the dark!
As humans we rely heavily upon our sense of sight, so we are going to explore the ways other animals have become adapted to life where there is a lot less light! Follow our step by step guide to investigate the world of nocturnal animals and find out how these amazing creatures use their super senses to navigate life in the dark.
Our gates may be closed, but Chester Zoo is still PREVENTING EXTINCTION. From caring for 35,000 animals to helping conservation organisations across the world manage the impact of this crisis, our fight for wildlife will not stop, so your support is more vital than ever!
UK wildlife is in trouble. 56% of UK species are in decline. In the UK we have lost 97% of the wildflower meadows we had in the 1930s and hedgehog numbers have fallen from 30 million in 1950 to just 1 million now.
There are hundreds of UK species that need our help so we’ve created this guide to help learners explore native species, their threats and ways that you can help to make small changes to your garden that will help UK wildlife.
We worked with 146 people from 53 families and together took over 620 positive actions to support biodiversity at school and in the families own green spaces.
Our Wildlife Connections Campaign is all about bringing people together to create safe spaces for UK wildlife. By creating connections from one wildlife-friendly space to the next we can create wildlife highways through our neighbourhoods and protect the precious wildlife that we love.
Between October 2019 and February 2020 we set up Family Wildlife Clubs at five schools local to Chester Zoo, bringing together families to improve their school grounds and own green spaces for wildlife. Through this project we engaged new audiences within our local communities, providing opportunities for them to develop the skills and knowledge to be able to take action for UK wildlife and play their part in improving biodiversity.
The project was funded by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Nature Connects Grant which is awarded to international projects that aim to bring families together to experience their natural environment and take action for wildlife.
At each school site we planted mini wild flower meadows, planted trees, built giant bug hotels and made their school grounds a better place for people to enjoy. The families also made animal habitats to take home to make their green spaces better for wildlife, including making mini ponds, mini bug hotels, bat boxes and bird boxes.
By taking these actions to make more and better connected wildlife friendly spaces we can help to combat the threats faced by UK Wildlife, including the loss of suitable habitats and loss of connectivity between habitats. At each school we did basic wildlife surveys before taking action and will support the schools to monitor changes over the coming years and to promote biodiversity on their school grounds and surrounding communities.
The Family Wildlife Clubs brought intergenerational groups together to gain the skills and knowledge to make positive changes for local wildlife. As well as supporting skill and knowledge development, the experience also benefitted the participants personally and in their family relationships.
“I enjoyed spending time outdoors with my son and the group”.
– parent from Sandy Croft School
The knowledge and skills gained through the session encouraged people to take action in their own green spaces too.
“Using knowledge of different habitats we have implemented some of the practical habitats in our gardens.”
– parent from Liscard Primary School
From helping breed the first rhinoceros hornbill chicks at the zoo in over a decade, to spending two hours each day chopping food, a life of a Bird Keeper is interesting, varied and two days are rarely the same. Casey Povey tells us what it’s like working with all our feathered friends.