Chester Zoo officially celebrates its 90th birthday today.
So to mark this momentous occasion, the UK’s biggest charity zoo – which first opened its gates to the public on 10 June 1931 – has decided to have a look back through its library of historical documents and photo files to share some of the most significant moments in the conservation charity’s history.
Some of these photos have been in storage for decades, and the zoo said it believes that some have never ever been shown to the public before.
They include an image of visitors entering the zoo for the very first time, letters and postcards sent to congratulate its founder George Mottershead on the award of his OBE for services to conservation, and a picture of a giraffe which featured in the Guinness Book of Records in the 1960s for being the tallest ever recorded.
Speaking on what is undoubtedly special day for the zoo, Jamie Christon – CEO at Chester Zoo – said: “What started off as a family run zoo in Chester back in the 1930s, has now grown into a globally-renowned centre for conservation and scientific excellence, and one of the UK’s biggest and most popular visitor attractions.
“From first becoming a charity in 1934, to opening the first zoo-based endocrinology lab to closely study animal hormones in 2007, to unveiling the UK’s biggest ever indoor zoological building in 2015, and to launching an ambitious Conservation Masterplan to prevent wildlife extinction as recently as this year, we’ve often led the way in terms of creativity and innovation.
“Conservation has long been at the heart of everything we do.”
He continued: “Looking back at our incredible 90-year history puts us on solid foundations – but as the world reaches a tipping point in the biodiversity crisis, what we do next in our fight to prevent extinction has never been more important.”
Fancy a trip down memory lane then?
___
1931
Founded by George Mottershead and his family, Chester Zoo welcomed its very first visitors on 10 June 1931.
When the zoo initially opened, visitors were so few and far between that they had to ring a bell on arrival at the then main entrance to summon a staff member to take their money – one shilling for adults and sixpence for children.
Three years later, Mr Mottershead registered the zoo as a non-profit making organisation to be run as a charitable, educational and scientific institution.
A membership scheme was also launched and in its first year, 155 members – whose subscriptions totalled £216 – signed up.
Today the zoo has over 127,000 members who support its mission to prevent extinction.
1940s
They say a dog is a man’s best friend, right?
Well, in this case, it became apparent that a dog can be friends with any animal as in 1942, a 15-month-old lion attracted a huge amount of attention after developing an unlikely companion – Peter the dog.
The lion – which was named Mowgli after the character in the film ‘Jungle Book’ – lost his two siblings and was said to have almost died from the grief, but Peter kept him company and the pair became inseparable.
So much so, when George Mottershead separated them in order for Mowgli to begin spending more time with the other lions, he had to reconsider letting them live together again as they both were pining for one another.
They were a huge draw to the war weary public who flocked in large numbers to see them playing together.
Peter sadly passed away in 1948.
1960
Believe it or not, in 1960, the tallest giraffe ever recorded at the time was a Masai bull living at Chester Zoo – and his name was George.
He featured in the Guinness Book of Records, and measured just under 20 feet in height.
A total of 14 Pere David’s deer that were bred at Chester Zoo were returned to their native range in China where they had previously become extinct in 1920 – a very significant moment for conservationists at the zoo.
A year after their reintroduction to the wild, they too were discovered to be breeding.
Scientists discovered that the world’s largest lizard – the Komodo dragon – was capable of “virgin births”, and two cases of where female Komodo dragons produced offspring without male contact were reported.
One of the reptiles associated to the groundbreaking discovery was Flora – who was a resident at Chester Zoo.
Zoo conservationists turned a barren seven hectares of land into a new nature reserve, which enabled rare and declining UK wildlife to flourish.
Camera traps positioned around the site have captured images of lots of rare species that have since made the nature reserve home, including invertebrates like beetles, newts, dragon flies, hover flies, Essex skipper butterfly – which has only been recorded nine times in Cheshire since records began over 150 years ago – pole cats, birds, and barn owls.
Chester Zoo opens ‘Islands’ – the largest zoo development ever seen in the UK.
The ambitious project features six islands linked by bridges and a boat trip to see threatened plants and animals from South East Asia including critically endangered tigers, orangutans and crocodiles.
Throwing an important spotlight on the zoo’s vital conservation efforts in South East Asia, Islands also features ‘Monsoon Forest’, which is the UK’s biggest indoor zoological building.
A unique tuatara – a species believed to have pre-dated the dinosaurs – hatched at the zoo, and it was the first ever breeding of tuatara anywhere in the world outside of its native New Zealand.
Tuataras are ancient reptiles that once flourished as long as as 225 million years ago.
Sadly, around 70 million years ago, the species became extinct everywhere except New Zealand – where it now has iconic status as the animals are steeped in Māori culture and are highly revered, with the islands on which they live now protected and very few people given permission to visit.
Six pairs of one of the world’s rarest bird species – the Javan green magpie – were flown to Chester Zoo from Indonesia in a bid to create a new breeding programme save them from extinction as there are around only 50 remaining in the wild.
Chester Zoo became the first UK zoo to successfully breed the species to give a vital boost to its global population, with the eventual goal of returning birds to their natural habitat.
Conservationists from Chester Zoo – alongside its partners at the Giraffe Conservation Foundation – helped to reintroduce a population of 14 wild giraffes to an area of Uganda, where they had previously been declared extinct due to poaching.
Extensive work to ensure the area was protected was undertaken beforehand and recent reports the group is now thriving.
A number of births has since seen it expand to 50 individuals, which is vitally important as giraffe numbers across the African continent have plummeted by 40% in the last 30 years, with only 2,250 remaining.
Five critically endangered eastern black rhinos that were bred in European zoos were carefully transferred to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park.
It was in the largest ever translocation of rhinos from Europe to Africa, and the move was part of a major international collaboration overseen by conservationists at Chester Zoo.
Black rhino populations have dropped by more than 95% in Africa over the last 100 years due to a global surge in illegal poaching for their horns, and just 12 years ago, they completely disappeared in Rwanda – where they were declared extinct.
Experts hailed the reintroduction as an historic moment for eastern black rhino conservation and a huge boost to the future of this iconic species.
It comes as experts warn that the planet is facing its biggest climate and biodiversity emergencies in a millennia.
The zoo’s new ‘Conservation Masterplan’ – which aims to make a significant contribution to tackling the global extinction crisis – draws on the zoo’s decades of experience of working with wildlife, both at the zoo and with its field partners in the wild, and its expertise in science and conservation.
Experts at the zoo say the plan is committed to the recovery of endangered species, tackling the challenges faced by wildlife both in the UK and globally, and empowering communities to pursue pro-conservation behaviours.
You can read more about the Conservation Masterplan here.
Bee Network trams and buses hit by first wave of delays as thousands flock to Oasis gigs
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s Bee Network is now facing its first wave of congestion and delays as thousands of Oasis fans travel into the city region and towards Heaton Park by tram.
An approximate 80,000 fans are expected at each of the Live ’25 homecoming shows, with countless Oasis die-hards not just travelling from across the boroughs but up and down the county, as well as from overseas.
While additional tram services and bus provision have been planned way in advance of the huge music and cultural event, the delays and crowds are starting to gather as the show’s start times edge ever closer.
The official Bee Network social media team has now informed commuters and gig-goers of the current situation on the Metrolink lines.
Due to the volume of demand, there are queues for trams and delays to Bee Network services, but things are moving.
We've laid on extra trams for Oasis, with double-trams leaving full from Victoria every six minutes.
As you can see, with Manchester hitting temperatures of 30C today, while it makes for the perfect weather for an outdoor gig, there are growing concerns for those on public transport and queuing to get into the park.
In terms of the trams and buses, extra services are being put on throughout the city, especially on the direct line from Victoria Station to Heaton Park along the already packed post-work Bury line.
With “double-trams leaving full from Victoria every six minutes”, according to officials, while things are getting increasingly busier, they insist that things “are moving.”
An Oasis travel ‘masterplan’ was announced earlier this week to help deal with the hordes of fans; however, reports of those heading to Heaton Park being told to walk amid “hour and a half” wait times are already circulating online.
Today's the day it FINALLY all begins… can you believe it? 😭
Don't forget, if you're heading to Heaton Park later on, then @BeeNetwork has released its transport 'masterplan' for you to follow to make your journey seamless. 🎶🐝
With more Manchester dates coming this month, and the stage times for each concert now confirmed, authorities are once again urging Oasis fans to get there as early as possible – especially if they hope to get the best spot to watch the reunion shows.
It goes without saying that we hope everyone has an incredible time, but we can only echo their statement and would remind you all to stay hydrated, seek shade from direct sunlight when/where possible and look after each other.
And finally, for anyone with any questions ahead of Oasis’ Live ’25 reunion tour shows here in Manchester, you can find our full Heaton Park gig guide down below.
Featured Images —Megan Sheraton (via X)/Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)
UK News
A preview of a promising philanthropic project as Embassy Village makes progress
Danny Jones
Embassy Village, the upcoming homeless village that is set to open in Manchester, is making quick progress, and we recently got to preview the project with an early tour of the site.
Located just outside the city centre proper in Castlefield and near the border into Salford, the humanitarian housing project is looking to provide not just shelter but food and drink, employment, education and all manner of support to local rough sleepers.
Starting out as a controversial shipping container concept, which would have seen repurposed bits of old freight cargo turned into ‘pods’, the idea has grown since then and now
In fact, they’re not far from being done, with the team currently predicting a November finish date. Here’s how it’s looking so far.
Credit: The Manc Group
Situated along a slice of the Bridgewater Canal, running along the length of the recognisable railway arches – 22 of them, to be precise – Embassy Village is set to become the first privately-funded homeless community not just in the UK but anywhere in Europe.
As far as the group behind this inspiring bit of philanthropy can tell in researching for this development, they haven’t found anything like this anywhere on the continent, certainly not on this scale.
Starting out as a repurposed luxury tour bus turned mobile rough sleeping shelter, they have since gone on to run three male and two women’s shelters, helping more than 175 individuals get back on their feet, from being rehomed to getting back into work and, ultimately, living independently.
Created by co-founder and director Sid Williams back in 2018, who has already helped countless vulnerable adults in and around Greater Manchester, there is a lot of faith behind this initiative, quite literally, in fact.
Sid and his wife Tess, who has also been helping spearhead Embassy‘s work here in the UK, are passionate Christians, but there’s no dogmatic or preachy vibes to be detected – at least as far as we could tell, anyway.
The ‘Village Hall’, where work, education and general life skills will be developed.Outdoor spaces are being carved out, including areas to relax, sports courtsand more.Suitable candidates in the shelter system will be selected in order to identify those who could manage resettlement. (Credit: The Manc)
Besides a nice ‘tithing’ idea, which sees 10% of all unrestricted funds from the village donated to relevant charities in the region and further afield, the only real Christian value being promoted here is ‘love thy neighbour’, and that’s the kind of ethos we can get behind regardless of creed.
You can see some of the old fashioned values in aspects such as the public hall seen above, where people will not only be encouraged to gather but learn, create, socialise and once again start to reintegrate into a proper community.
There’ll even be parts of the Embassy’s ‘resettlement team’ living on-site to help get people back on their feet, with at least one dedicated staff member assigned to every six residents.
As Sid put it in a spin on the well-trodden old proverb, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, he believes that sometimes, “it takes a city to raise a village.”
Those staying here will not be given a leg up back into the working world, providing inroads to full-time contracts and a proper wage, but they will also be encouraged to take up wellbeing activities, taken on trips and away days beyond the city limits and Greater Manchester full stop.
An example of the on-site staff’s living quarters.Each unit will have it own front door and all essential amenities.They have an approximate 92% success rate when it comes to rehoming and reintegrating residents, with many ultimately coming back to work for the organisation. Think of it as a ‘pay it forward’ spirit,
With dozens of local businesses contributing to the construction of Embassy Village, they’ve now managed to raise more than £5.2 million in funding.
As well as backing from developers Capital & Centric (led by Salford-born Tim Heatley) and the likes of regeneration specialist Peel L&P, who made the land available, there are several other organisations chipping in to help house upwards of 40 different individuals.
That being said, they are still roughly £400,000 short of their desired target, which will help them build every aspect of Embassy Village they’re hoping to make come to fruition, so further partnerships are obviously welcome.
Following an official update from Manchester City Council, we can also now confirm that the space will link up to the soon-to-be expanded Castlefield Viaduct, where three of four currently out-of-use tram lines will be turned into one long sky garden, similar to New York’s famous High Line.
The National Trust has announced that the @NTCastleDuct 'sky park' has received a whopping £2.75m funding towards a major extension. 🌿🏙
Following our tour of Embassy Village so far, there was one salient takeaway: there are a lot of people who really care about this cause working on this project.
Is it perfect? Maybe not? Would it be great if we could simply end Greater Manchester’s rough sleeping crisis by housing every rough sleeper in a traditional home, or one of the many new build properties in 0161? Of course it would, but we sadly all know it isn’t as simple as that.
Nevertheless, this current option is damn sight better than the alternative: allowing more and more people to end up on the streets, bouncing in and out of shelters, struggling with addiction, mental health and so on. They’re trying and they already have a proven track record spanning more than half a decade.
You can get a better idea of what it will look like when completed down below.