Chester Zoo breaks UK records for number of visitors
A zoo has broken UK records for the number of visitors flocking through its gates over the past year.
Visitor figures for Chester Zoo in 2016 reached the highest-ever recorded not just in its own history, but ever by a UK zoo.
As a registered charity working to save endangered species, conservationists have issued a public thank you as proceeds go to fund work around the globe.
Across the border in Cheshire, the zoo is a major draw for people in Shropshire to the south, and has already been listed as the UK's most visited paid-for attraction outside London.
Dr Mark Pilgrim, chief executive officer at the zoo, said: "A huge thank you goes out to everyone who walked through our gates in 2016.
"We rely on our visitors to help deliver 80 vital conservation projects to protect threatened species – and the local communities that live alongside them – all around the world.
"That work includes a commitment to scientific conservation research sending our keepers abroad to offer hands-on welfare and technical advice in the wild and equipping rangers and field workers with the tools they need to protect endangered animals."
Among the conservation initiatives the institution supports are one to help frogs in Madagascar, song birds in Indonesia and elephants in India. "We couldn't do all this without the brilliant, growing support of our visitors," Dr Pilgrim said.
The zoo, which is home to more than 20,000 animals and over 500 different species, recorded 1,896,401 visits in 2016, 12 per cent up on 2015 which was already the highest ever in the attraction's history.
The figures come after the attraction was named the best zoo in the UK, and within the top ten globally by travel website TripAdvisor. A report published in December also revealed the attraction boosts the north west of England's economy by almost £50 million per year.
The zoo's own research during the summer showed an increase in visitors from the local area, as well as the wider UK and international tourists. It also highlighted unprecedented satisfaction ratings, with 99 per cent of visitors surveyed suggesting they would recommend Chester Zoo.
