Page 82 - World of Animals - Issue #29

Zoos of the world
Chessington Zoo

Chessington’s flourishing animal
park is emerging from the shadow

of its theme park sibling

See it for yourself
WWW.CHESSINGTON.COM/EXPLORE/ Creepy Caves
chessington-zoo Descend into the dark
Location domain of creepy insects
and lizards and say hello
Chessington, Surrey to tarantulas, poison dart
Admission Chessington frogs and more.
Adventurer ticket (12 years and above): £14 Zoo
Young adventurer ticket (90cm in height to
11 years): £11
Visitors under 90cm: Free
Family of two or more: £11 per person
How to get there
Located just outside of London in the county of
Surrey, Chessington Zoo can be reached by car
(it’s just two miles off the A3 and the M25) or by
rail (35 minutes from central London).

Since its founding in 1931, Chessington Zoo has evolved
from a small attraction in the heart of Surrey to become
a part of one of the most popular theme parks in Europe.
As rides and attractions sprung up around it, the zoo also
evolved – over 1,000 animals have been added to the
collection in the last 84 years, including a brand new Sea
Life Centre. The zoo has even launched its own charity, the
Chessington Conservation Fund, which raises funds and
awareness for wildlife preservation in the UK and overseas.
In 2011, Chessington Zoo started offering VIP ‘Xtra
Adventure’ experiences, where visitors can get even
closer to some of the park’s animal residents, including Trail of the kings
Humboldt penguins, white rhinos and Rothschild giraffes. Enter the realm of royalty and
Assistant zoo manager, Jon Merrington, reveals, “In the meet the Sumatran tigers,
Zoo itself guests can venture into Trail of the Kings and gorillas and Asiatic lions.
find themselves inches away from critically endangered
animals such as our breeding group of western lowland LEFT
gorillas or see Asiatic lions being fed. There are also With only 300 or so leŽ in the
animal presentations and feeds throughout the day wild, the breeding programme
conducted by an expert team of friendly zookeepers.” at Chessington Zoo is aiming
to keep the Sumatran tiger
As you can see, Chessington Zoo is much more than from extinction
just an annex of a popular theme park.

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