Chester Zoo has sadly announced the “sudden and unexpected” death of their beloved female Asian elephant, Riva.
Merely weeks after the death of her mother, Sundara – who passed following a “tragic turn of events” after suddenly falling ill on 19 July 2024 – the UK’s biggest charity zoo is experiencing heartbreak once again and has now shared “with deep sadness” the news that young Asian elephant, Riva, has now also passed.
Riva died following complications during a routine diagnostic procedure last Wednesday (21 August), the zoo confirmed.
As part of the around-the-clock care and attention Riva received from Chester Zoo‘s 15-strong team of dedicated elephant and veterinary experts, she underwent a routine blood test where some anomalies were detected that were deemed a “cause for concern”.
Chester Zoo announces ‘sudden and unexpected’ death of Asian elephant Riva / Credit: Chester Zoo (via Facebook)
Experts at the Cheshire-based zoo said it was “imperative” to investigate these anomalies “quickly and thoroughly” but heartbreakingly, while undergoing a further routine diagnostic procedure, Riva died under general anaesthetic.
ADVERTISEMENT
Teams did “everything they could to try to revive her” but, tragically, nothing could be done.
Chester Zoo confirmed it’s now awaiting results from a series of tests which it hopes will tell it more about the exact cause of her death because staff are “desperate to find the answers”, but it may take some time before they have “full clarity on what happened” – primarily due to the number of ongoing tests and the specialist nature of them.
ADVERTISEMENT
The zoo says it is “devastated by the news” / Credit: Chester Zoo (via Facebook)
Chester Zoo’s CEO Jamie Christon says the zoo is “so utterly heartbroken” to have lost Riva.
“It really is difficult to find the words,” he said. “She was an incredibly special elephant who was much-loved by so many, and she’ll be greatly missed.
“Our hearts go out to our wonderful elephant and vet teams who cared for Riva day in, day out. Her loss is ever so tough to take and is not only felt deeply here, but across our conservation community given what a huge blow this is to the conservation of endangered Asian elephants.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo (via Facebook)
News
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.
You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.
So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.
The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.
Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
Emily Sergeant -
29th August 2024 
