There are two adorable new arrivals at Chester Zoo, with one of the world’s hardest-to-see big cats now in residence for the first time.
The beloved northern attraction has just welcomed a pair of snow leopards for the first time in its 93-year history.
The highly threatened big cats have just moved into a huge new Himalayan habitat at the zoo, which has used more than 600 tonnes of scree and rocks to recreate mountainous terrain.
In the wild, snow leopards are one of nature’s most elusive animals, living in high-altitude areas where climate change is threatening to erode their natural habitat. They’re also under threat from poaching and retaliatory killings following cases of human-wildlife conflict.
Sightings of these majestic mammals are now so rare that they are nicknamed the ‘ghost of the mountains’.
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But now a gorgeous pair of snow leopards have moved into Chester Zoo – male Yashin and female Nubra.
They have been carefully matched through a conservation breeding programme and it’s hoped that (now they’ve ‘hit if off’ straight away) they may go on to have cubs.
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The zoo has today released the first images of the animals exploring their new home, ahead of it opening to the public on Monday 25 March.
Chester Zoo has welcomed a pair of snow leopards for the first time in its 93-year history. Credit: Chester Zoo
Mike Jordan, Director of Animals and Plants at the zoo, said: “The arrival of snow leopards is a huge milestone in our zoo’s long history and signifies our commitment to protecting another of the world’s most threatened big cat species.
“Yashin and Nubra are both just over 18 months old, so they’re incredibly playful, inquisitive and full of energy. They’re also both now at the age where they’d naturally start to leave their mother and become independent, which is why they’ve been paired up here at Chester Zoo as part of a European conservation breeding programme, which is working to safeguard the species from becoming extinct.
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“Now that they’ve had some time to settle in and explore their new home here in Chester, the pair appear to have really hit it off and, in time, we’re hopeful that they’ll go on to have cubs together.
“This incredible new habitat not only offers visitors spectacular viewing opportunities and a fascinating glimpse into the harsh, yet beautiful world that snow leopards inhabit. It’ll also help conservationists here to learn more about the lives of these iconic cats, helping to further support global conservation efforts for the species.”
Mayukh Chatterjee, Regional Field Programme Manager for Asia at the zoo, added: “Not only have we created a fantastic new home for Yashin and Nubra here at Chester, we’re also joining forces with fellow conservation charity, the Snow Leopard Trust, to contribute to vital efforts to conserve snow leopards and safeguard communities that live alongside them, to foster coexistence.
Yashin and Nubra, a pair of snow leopards, have arrived at Chester Zoo. Chester Zoo has created a habitat that mimics their natural home in the HimalayasSnow leopards have arrived at Chester Zoo
“The keeping of goats, chickens, sheep and cows is a major source of income for local communities living in Kyrgyzstan. Snow leopards can sometimes wander into communities in search of prey and kill farmers’ livestock, which often results in retaliatory persecution of the big cats. By working alongside these communities, we hope to safely build up their resilience to snow leopards while also helping them generate income through a range of other sustainable livelihood initiatives which are also ‘snow leopard friendly’.
“We’ve seen huge success with this in other areas of the world with communities in Bolivia that live alongside Andean bears, and villagers in India that live in close proximity to Asian elephants, and we’re confident we can similarly improve the co-existence between people and these highly threatened cats.
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“We’re hopeful that these efforts in Kyrgyzstan, in conjunction with our conservation breeding efforts here at the zoo, will play a positive role in creating a future where snow leopards not only survive, but go on to thrive.”
The new snow leopard habitat will open to the public from Monday 25 March. Entry is free, with normal zoo admission and tickets can be booked at chesterzoo.org.
You can watch the video of Yashin and Nubra in their new home below.
Chester Zoo opens massive ‘African savannah’, one of the UK’s largest-ever habitats
Daisy Jackson
Chester Zoo has today opened its doors and revealed a magnificent new African savannah habitat, the Heart of Africa – one of the largest in the UK.
The massive new habitat at the beloved attraction is home to dozens of African species, including giraffes, rhino, zebra, vultures and meerkats.
Chester Zoo has created a vast open savannah where guests can come across species living side-by-side, as well as new indoor habitats where you can see smaller species like never before, and habitats you can clamber inside.
The centrepiece of the Heart of Africa is the savannah, where you can see giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, roan antelopes and ostriches all roaming together across grasses and water.
As you weave around the incredible new habitat, which spans an area the size of 17 football pitches (22.5 acres), you’ll also come across several new aviaries where birds hoot, tweet and screech.
There are 31 species of bird here, including a fabulous flock of 120 greater flamingos, three types of critically endangered vulture, colourful black cheeked lovebirds, and Africa’s largest owl, the Verreaux’s eagle owl.
One of the most impressive new areas is the Hidden Savannah, where you can clamber inside a safari jeep that’s within the actual enclosure, so that you can see 10,000 locusts all around you from the driver’s seat.
This indoor habitat is also home to adorable, wrinkly little naked mole rats, who have a network of tunnels to burrow through, and other rodents like short-eared sengi and pygmy mice.
Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures
Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures. Credit: The Manc Group
As for the cold-blooded animals, or ectotherms, there’s Trevor the African bull frog, plus dung beetles, red spitting cobra, Ethiopian viper and pancake tortoises.
There are 15 other mammal species to encounter too, including African wild dogs, meerkats, Eastern black rhino, yellow mongoose, and dik-dik.
The Heart of Africa stands as a symbol of Chester Zoo’s continued conservation efforts across the continent, which includes combatting poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
It’s thought that the Heart of Africa will attract an additional 200,000 visitors to Chester Zoo each year while creating 30 new jobs.
Heart of Africa officially opens to visitors on Saturday 5 April – you can book zoo tickets HERE.
Two Greater Manchester towns have been named in The Sunday Times’ best places to live
Thomas Melia
Esteemed UK newspaper The Sunday Times’ has published its list of the ‘Best places to live in the UK 2025’, and it features two Greater Manchester boroughs.
Us Mancs didn’t need anymore clarification to know that where we live is incredible but we’ll always take it, especially when the compliment is coming from none other than The Sunday Times.
The publication revealed its annual guide of ‘Best places to live 2025’ which featured more than 70 different locations throughout the nation.
Although we may have been pipped to the top spot, Greater Manchester is featured not once, but twice, which is pretty impressive.
Claiming the victory this year is the market town with a name as pretty as its surroundings, Saffron Walden, which is only 15 miles from Cambridge.
The locations were ranked through a number of key categories including transport, house prices, broadband, schools and a new addition, mobile signal.
All the contributors to the full list acknowledge the obvious missing puzzle piece,food, and we know if this was factored in a few more Greater Manchester locations may have nabbed the ‘Best places to live’ honour.
The first Greater Manchester based entry is The Heatons, a hotspot nestled between the city centreand the city of Stockport, which is actually four neighbourhoods – Heaton Chapel, Mersey, Moor and Norris.
These areas are home to living history in the form of the iconic century old Savoy Cinema and lots of open green spaces.
Food may have been missed off The Sunday Times’ list but it certainly didn’t go a miss on ours.
Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexploresThe Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons
The second spot which managed to grab the title of ‘Best places to live 2025’ is Mossley, a town packed to the brim with cosy cottages, blissful walks and a close-knit friendly community.
It’s not too far from Dovestone Reservoir and the Peak District National Park – when you’ve got all this greenery on your doorstep you’re bound to be in a good mood.
Our friends over in Leeds at The Hoothave lots to cheer about as Ilkley, Hebden Bridge, Easingwold and Ripon all got a mention.
You can find out the full rundown on all the spots up and down the country that have been selected as part of ‘The Sunday Times’ Best places to live for 2025′ HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
21st March 2024 
