Chester Zoo is the most visited zoo in the UK, so why isn’t it our National Zoo?
We’ve got a National Gallery and a National Theatre, but no UK National Zoo. It’s time that changed.
With more than two million visitors a year and conservation work in 20 countries, Chester Zoo is already doing the job.
Recognising it would back a world-class organisation right here in Cheshire and show the rest of the world that we’re leading the way on conservation.
So sign the petition and back our campaign to make Chester Zoo the UK’s first National Zoo.
- visitors a year
- 2.1M
- countries with Chester Zoo conservation work
- 20
- members
- 179,000
- National Plant Collections
- 5
The petition
Make Chester Zoo the UK’s national zoo
We, the undersigned, call for Chester Zoo to be formally recognised as the United Kingdom’s National Zoo.
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Ten reasons
Why Chester Zoo should be our National Zoo
Chester Zoo already does the job of a national conservation zoo. Recognising it wouldn’t need a new institution or any new government funding.
- 01
The UK’s most visited zoo
More than 2.1 million visitors a year make it the most visited paid-for attraction outside London, and numbers have grown every year since 2013, bar the Covid years.
- 02
A global conservation organisation
Conservation work across the UK and in 20 countries, and the only UK zoo granted international botanic garden status. The IUCN calls it the leading UK zoological gardens.
- 03
Leading the UK zoo sector
It chairs the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, helped shape the Government’s new zoo standards, and hosts the UK’s first National Conservation Awards in 2027.
- 04
Growth beyond London
A national institution in the North of England, backing devolution and the visitor economy of Chester, Cheshire and Warrington, with 179,000 members.
- 05
Trusted by government
It already advises ministers and policymakers on nature, climate and biodiversity, combining scientific credibility with public trust.
- 06
World-class science
Home to the International Centre for Zoo Science, and helping develop a pioneering elephant vaccine with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and academic partners.
- 07
Bringing back native species
It works with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce, and recently convened a roundtable with Defra on native species.
- 08
Educating the next generation
Hundreds of thousands of learners every year, from school groups to professional training, with a focus on areas of multiple deprivation.
- 09
Bringing partners together
It works with charities, universities, businesses and governments. National status would let it convene them to speed up conservation.
- 10
Flying the flag for the UK
The UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity credits it with a “pivotal role” in the Global Biodiversity Framework. National status would put British expertise on the world stage.
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