Chester Zoo: A first look at the new Heart of Africa attraction

The African savannah-style habitat is the biggest ever created in the UK and The Leader's sister title the Chester Standard was given a sneak peek at the highly anticipated new addition.

Spanning more than 17 football pitches (22.5 acres) it has been designed to recreate the grasslands of central Africa and includes the first large scale mixed species paddock in the zoo’s 94-year history.

Visitors will be able to see northern giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, roan antelopes and ostriches all living together side by side.

Mark Brayshaw, head of mammals at Chester Zoo said: “We’d kept zebra, giraffe and roan antelope at the zoo before, but we now have this new mixed area, which includes ostriches for the first time at the zoo.

“It is more intensive management [with a mixed paddock] but the flipside is that its more akin to their natural environment.

(Image: MD)

“It’s also enriching for the animals because they have those interactions with other species and that provides stimulation for them too.

“I think its much better [for the visitors] because they can see animals in a much more natural setting, it’s a more interactive experience and [the animals] have much more space, which will allow us to bring numbers up in the future through breeding.”

There will be 15 mammal species in total including meercats, African wild dogs, aardvarks, Eastern black rhino, yellow mongoose, rock hyrax and dik-dik.

The Hidden Savannah features 10,000 locusts. (Image: MD)

A new indoor Hidden Savannah habitat will feature naked mole rats, short-eared sengi and pygmy mice.

African ectotherms species (cold blooded animals) like the African bull frog, 10,000 locusts, dung beetles, red spitting cobra, Ethiopian viper and critically endangered pancake tortoises are also a new addition.

The zoo’s head of ectotherms, Gerardo Garcia, says that Hidden Savannah will give a different perspective on African wildlife.

Gerardo said: “We didn’t have African species in our collection for a very long time, so there was a great opportunity to show something completely different.

“When you think about Africa, you always raise your head, you think of the giraffes and the elephants, with ectotherms we want to look on a smaller scale.

The central paddock. (Image: MD)

“The aim is that the visitors will see the connection between the ostrich and giraffes and smaller species like the dung beetle, who process their poo and return that nutrients to the soil of the savannah.

“All these connections are important to this complex ecosystem.”

Keen birders will find 31 species of bird within several new aviaries, including a flock of 120 greater flamingos, three species of critically endangered vultre, and the Verreaux’s eagle owl, the largest owl found in Africa.

Zoo conservationists say the Heart of Africa area will stand as a vibrant symbol of the zoo’s commitment to conservation across the continent, which has placed it at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.

The new section is expected to attract an additional 200,000 visitors a year and create 30 new jobs at the zoo.

CEO Jamie Christon said: “To see the sheer scale and size of what we’ve been able to achieve here, I can’t wait to see the first visitors come through the gates because I know they’ve been anticipating something big.

“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved from a visitor perspective but also, more importantly, from a conservation and education perspective.

“We’re pushing boundaries and doing something different here, we have 57 species here, many of which haven’t been at the zoo before like the naked mole rat or Ethiopian viper, or some have been off-show, like the northern giraffes.

“The fact that there is so much to see will, I’m sure, bring existing members and visitors back but also bring new people to the zoo and help them understand what we do.”

Heart of Africa will officially open to visitors from Saturday, April 5, and entry is free with normal zoo admission.