Conservationists are celebrating after one of the world’s rarest and most critically-endangered chimpanzees has been born at Chester Zoo.
The “precious” baby boy – who is a critically-endangered western chimpanzee – was born safely to mother ZeeZee after an eight-month pregnancy, and the UK’s biggest charity zoo is hoping his birth will give “hope” to the under-threat species.
According to the zoo, the currently unnamed new baby is in good health.
He has spent the first few weeks of life bonding with his mother and the rest of the 22-strong troop at Chester Zoo.
In what is known to be a longstanding tradition among conservationists, Chester Zoo has said the new baby chimpanzee will be named after a rockstar or famous pop icon to help boost the profile of the highly-threatened species.
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At present, there are thought to only be around 18,000 western chimpanzees remaining.
Small populations are still found, ranging from Senegal to Ghana in West Africa, but they have sadly become extinct in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Togo.
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Western chimpanzees were the first subspecies of chimpanzees to ever be declared critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and are under significant threat in the wild as a result of hunting for the illegal bush meat trade, diseases spread by humans, and extensive habitat loss and forest destruction across West Africa.
This is why primatologists say the new baby’s birth gives further “hope” to efforts to ensure the long-term survival of the species.
One of the world’s rarest chimpanzees has been born at Chester Zoo / Credit: Chester Zoo
Speaking on the importance of the new baby’s birth, Mike Jordan – Animal and Plant Director at Chester Zoo – said: “In the last 25 years alone the world has lost 80% of its western chimpanzee population, so the arrival of a healthy baby here at Chester offers us real hope that we can help turn things around for this species.
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“We’re in the midst of a global extinction crisis.
“The UN estimates that one million species could be wiped out in our lifetime, but, as a world-leading conservation zoo, we’re doing everything we possibly can to halt and reverse this, and our teams have worked on the ground in Uganda, Nigeria and Gabon to help protect wild chimpanzee populations and their forest homes.
“This work, paired with the endangered species breeding programme in conservation zoos, will help play a key role in protecting this species from being lost forever.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
12th January 2023 
