Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo
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| Date opened | 1931 |
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| Location | Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°13′36″N 2°53′3″W / 53.22667°N 2.88417°WCoordinates: 53°13′36″N 2°53′3″W / 53.22667°N 2.88417°W |
| Land area | 125 acres (51 ha) |
| Number of animals | 20,000+ (2016) |
| Number of species | 500 (2016) |
| Annual visitors | 1.69 million visitors (2015) |
| Major exhibits | Islands Mkomazi National Park Painted Dogs Conserve Elephants of the Asian Forest Realm of the Red Ape Tsavo Black Rhino Experience Spirit of the Jaguar |
| Website | http://www.chesterzoo.org |
Chester Zoo is a zoological garden at Upton by Chester, in Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. It is one of the UK's largest zoos at 125 acres (51 ha). The zoo has a total land holding of approximately 400 acres (160 ha).
Chester Zoo is operated by the North of England Zoological Society, a registered charity founded in 1934. The zoo receives no government funding. It is the most-visited wildlife attraction in Britain with more than 1.4 million visitors in 2014. In 2007 Forbes described it as one of the best fifteen zoos in the world. In July 2015 it was named as the best zoo in the UK and seventh in the world by TripAdvisor.
The Mottershead family's market garden business was based in Shavington near Crewe. George Mottershead collected animals such as lizards and insects that arrived with exotic plants imported by the business. A visit to Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester as a boy in 1903 fuelled his developing interest in creating a zoo of his own.
Mottershead was wounded in the First World War and spent several years in a wheelchair. Despite this, his collection of animals grew and he began to search for a suitable home for his zoo. He chose Oakfield Manor in Upton by Chester, which was a country village then but now is a suburb of Chester. He bought Oakfield Manor for £3,500 in 1930. The house had 9 acres (3.6 ha) of gardens and provided easy access to the railways and to Manchester and Liverpool. There were local objections, but Mottershead prevailed, and Chester Zoo opened to the public on 10 June 1931. The first animals were displayed in pens in the courtyard.
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