2021 highlights

RADIO 1 LIVE FROM THE ZOO

The BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, hosted by the much-loved broadcaster Greg James and his co-hosts Jordan North and Vic Hope, aired live from the zoo. Greg presented the show from a campervan parked in our Diamond Jubilee Quarter, while Jordan and Vic took on an array of zookeeper tasks, engaging in conversation with numerous zoo staff. With a listenership of predominantly 15 to 29-year-olds, this highlighted the importance of modern zoos to a young age group, while giving a huge boost to our national profile.

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY!

The zoo celebrated its 90th birthday on Thursday 10 June, with a host of live TV and radio broadcasts. Among them, BBC weatherman Owain Evans presented his live forecast from the zoo’s giraffe platform, while ITV presenter Caroline Whitmore delivered her report from our Asian elephant habitat.

CONSERVATION MASTERPLAN

Our new 10-year Conservation Masterplan – our ambitions roadmap for how the zoo will make a significant contribution to the global extinction crisis before the year 2031 – was launched in March. The launch cut through a crowded COVID-19-focused news agenda to secure coverage in a range of mainstream media outlets.

GREEN RECOVERY FUND

News of an award of nearly £1m from the UK government to enable us to create a new Nature Recovery Corridor in Cheshire generated widespread media coverage. It formed part of the main news agenda on outlets up and down the country, alongside stories about Team GB gold medal winners at the Summer Olympic Games.

LAKE TITICACA FROGS

The opening of our new Lake Titicaca Frog Habitat drew a huge amount of media attention, landing in national outlets ranging from The Independent to the Daily Star and BBC Radio 1 to Sky News. The frogs’ unfortunate nickname (the ‘scrotum’ frog) grabbed attention, with important messaging about the frogs’ incredible biology, their conservation status and what we and our field partners are doing to prevent their extinction then highlighted in many of the reports.

EARTHSHOT PRIZE

Our major initiative to make the city of Chester the world’s first ‘Sustainable Palm Oil Community’ featured in a major new BBC wildlife series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough and His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge. The prestigious BBC One documentary, The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet, explored the most innovative and ambitious actions being taken to protect global biodiversity, and the brilliant minds working on solutions to save the planet.

TEQUILA FISH REWILDING

A fish that was declared extinct in the wild in Mexico more than 15 years ago was reintroduced to its former stronghold with our help. The tequila splitfin disappeared from the wild completely in 2003 due to the introduction of invasive, exotic fish species and water pollution. We teamed up with the Michoacana University of Mexico to return over 1,500 fish to a series of springs in the Teuchitlán River in the state of Jalisco in south west Mexico, creating a blueprint for future fish reintroductions in the country.

WELCOME, ALBERT!

The birth of a Rothschild’s giraffe, who our zookeepers were to later name Albert, captured the hearts and minds of people all around the world. News of his arrival was reported in a host of countries, highlighting our vital efforts to prevent the extinction of the subspecies in Africa in the process.