From the outset of this review, I feel I need to state that I am not the greatest advocate for zoos; believing strongly that the use of animals for human entertainment is wrong depriving an animal of its natural habitat. A zoo that only uses animals as display to amuse and entertain humans is clearly unethical. However, this said, I do recognise the potential for zoos to aid in animal conservation by increasing public awareness and enabling research into threatened species. As such, in order for me to recommend a zoo, it needs to demonstrate good animal welfare, to promote and facilitate public education.

Despite Moorhead's good intentions, Chester zoo in the past did not in any way resemble the occupant's natural environment. However, recent work has significantly improved this and the zoo now provides a more realistic habitant for many of the animals contained within. The zoo's current mission is "to promote and support conservation, to help save species threatened with extinction. This mission is pursued through programmes in conservation breeding, public education and research, advances in animal welfare and the participation in conservation outreach activities worldwide".

Public education is evident from the comprehensive information boards that are provided at each of the different sections of the zoo. There are wide-ranging guidebooks about the various animals. The zoo has its own educational centre where a number of discovery programmes are run for schools and further education. Various talks and seminars are organised - I once attended a fascinating talk by Douglas Adams at the zoo in 1998 - a memory I hold dear. For the children, there is a children's farm with a collection of domestic animals including goats, rabbits, pigs, sheep, guinea pigs and poultry all available for "hands-on" stroking and feeding. The newly added Marmot Mania allows children to crawl through tunnels and pop up into plastic domes every now and again. Located around the zoo are activity stations enabling children to make masks, take rubbings and paint.

The Monkey Islands, one of Chester's best known and most popular areas, has been extended to incorporate a large building and extensive outdoor fenced areas separated into islands. There is a large array of play material both indoor and out giving the monkeys greater choice and freedom in activities. The area houses a number of endangered species including Colombian Black Spider Monkeys, the Lion Tailed Macaques and Sulawesi Crested Macaques. The nearby Ape Houses also with attached islands accommodates Chimpanzees and Orang Utans. Chimp Island is particularly worthy of mention with a recently addition of about fifty giant pine trunks.

The Twilight Zone, with a darkened cave-like interior, contains a large number of Rodrigues Fruit bats and Seba's Short tailed batswhich all able to fly freely as visitors walk through. Set into the wall are Giant Hissing Cockroaches and Black Scorpions. Waterways running through the enclosure house catfish and cavefish. An experience not to be missed!

The Tropical Realm houses a huge collection of birds, including a large number of species that also fly freely around the building amongst the tropical palms, rubber trees and orchids that are growing around an artificial waterfall. There also a number of aviary birds include hornbills and the Ferruginous Pygmy owl. The rarest species are the Blue Crowned Pigeons, the Bali Starlings and the Congo Peafowl. The Tropical Realm also accommodates Chester's reptile collection with Dwarf Crocodiles, American Alligators and Mata Mata Turtles in the steamy pools.

The Sealion beach again recently redeveloped and restyled to give a larger 'beach' area with more naturalistic planting and softer barriers. The penguin pool, next to it, has also been recently refurbished. There is still the underwater viewing station but the surface area is now much improved.

Not unexpectedantly given the amount of different species housed in the zoo, there is still a need for improvement in many areas. Some sections of the zoo remain unchanged. The Aquarium is a small building containing a large and varied collection of fish, aquatic invertebrates and amphibians including some very unusual species displayed within glass aquariums with public walkways in front. The Parrots are also housed in one of the zoo's older buildings. Inside though is an impressive collection of species including the endangered Mount Apo Lorikeets and Red and Blue Lories.
The camels, giraffes, buffalos, deers, zebras, rhinos, lions, tigers, bears and many other animal enclosures would all benefit from improvement!

There are of course, practical considerations for visiting the zoo. The zoo is situated in the Upton area of Chester easily reached by car or bus. There is a large parking area - free. There is 11 miles of well-maintained paths meandering around the zoo. Just thinking about it is tiring!! But there are easier way to get around the zoo the zoo. An impressive monorail system with stations situated at various points around the zoo not only reduces tiredness but provides excellent views of the zoo. A waterbus also runs through the zoo providing different viewpoints of the numerous islands. There is of course an extra charge for both the monorail and waterbus- currently £2 for adults and £1.50 for children. Apart from the waterbus, the zoo is wheelchair accessible (including the monorail).