Chester zoo unveils £28m ‘Africa' facility – complete with chilly giraffes
'Although we are trying to replicate Uganda and Kenya we are actually in Cheshire so the weather is slightly different,' admits Chester zoo boss, Jamie Christon, on a fresh and very grey Monday morning.
But ignore the chilliness and screw your eyes and you could well be transported to a sweeping African savannah where, one day, there will be giraffes, zebras, antelopes and ostriches roaming majestically side by side.
Christon is speaking at the launch of the UK's biggest ever such zoo development – a £28m facility called Heart of Africa.
It covers just over 9 hectares (22.5 acres) and is home to 57 African species including vultures, rhinos, a colony of naked mole rats and 15,000 locusts.
More than 6,000 trees, shrubs, and grasses have been planted and the idea is to recreate a variety of grassland habitats. The possible star of the show is the 3.5-acre sandy, rocky savannah where a number of species will roam together, just as they would in the wild.
The zoo is taking things slowly. Sam Harley, a giraffe keeper, admits her charges have been less enthusiastic than the zebras about sharing paddock space.
But it's early days and understandable. 'Most of our giraffes were born here so the only other animals they had ever seen were the Congo buffalo across the road,' she said.
It's also a bit cold for a giraffe, which is practically all muscle and no fat. Plus, they have a new state-of-the-art giraffe house heated to a constant 23C, so staying indoors has its attractions.
Christon said they would take things slowly. 'It is difficult to know how the animals will mix and how they will get on with each other so we are just doing it really, really gradually making sure everyone is comfortable – the animals and the keeping staff.'
Over the past few weeks staff have been letting animals out together for short periods. 'It's baby steps. We want to make sure everyone's happy and we are not putting any animals under pressure.'
Elsewhere, white-headed vultures seem content with the dead animal carcass breakfast they have been served. In other enclosures there is a flock of 107 flamingos, an aviary of black-cheeked lovebirds, Africa's rarest species of lovebird, as well as meerkats, African wild dogs, aardvarks, yellow mongoose and dik-dik.
The zoo came up with the Heart of Africa concept in 2017 with the assumption that building would begin in 2020. The pandemic and resultant zoo closure for 208 days set them back. A spade finally got in the ground in November 2022 and work was completed at the end of last year.
Christon said one aim was to shine light on the biodiversity crisis in Africa and the work being done to save species.
'Some of these species are critically endangered in the wild and unfortunately their numbers are going the wrong way. So we are doing work here and we are doing work out in Uganda and Kenya.'
He hopes it honours the spirit of George Mottershead, who created the zoo in the 1930s. After being horrified by caged and chained animals he encountered in an amusement park in Manchester, Mottershead had the dream of creating a 'zoo without bars'.
Today, Chester is the most visited zoo in the UK including 150,000 schoolchildren a year.
Christon said he understands that some people are opposed to even the concept of a zoo but for him it is all about conservation. He sees the project as a 'symbol of our commitment to safeguarding wildlife across Africa'.
While the Heart of Africa project cost £28m, the aim was that it would increase visitor numbers by 200,000 a year and pay for itself. Crucially it should generate an extra £3m to spend on conservation, he said.
Mark Brayshaw, head of mammals at the zoo, believes the project will enrich the lives of the animals in the zoo's care.
'It has been a huge undertaking and occupied a lot of our time,' he said. 'I don't think we've had any blood but there's been a lot of sweat, maybe a few tears along the way.
'To finally get to the end is fantastic and a big relief but actually the real work starts now … there is plenty to keep us busy.'
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Edinburgh Reporter
9 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Professor Sir Geoff Palmer, KT, OBE, 1940
Sir Geoff Palmer a distinguished scientist, academic and human rights activist has died aged 85. He was an adopted son of Edinburgh, originally coming to the UK from Jamaica where he had been born, to join his mother who had come here several years previously as part of the Windrush generation. He was not quite 15 years of age. The Rt Hon Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, said: 'I was deeply saddened to learn of Sir Geoff Palmer's passing. A tireless advocate for equality and a pioneering academic, Sir Geoff was a true inspiration and will leave a lasting impression on Edinburgh. 'In 2022 I was honoured to present Sir Geoff with the Edinburgh Award in recognition of his academic achievements and his passionate defence of human rights and justice in the city and beyond. His handprints remain immortalised alongside those of other Edinburgh Award recipients and will give passers-by pause to reflect on the huge impact he had here. 'In chairing the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Sir Geoff made a vital contribution to recognising and profiling the Capital's links with Slavery and Colonialism in the public realm. 'I know Sir Geoff's legacy in academia and activism will live on for years to come, inspiring future generations. He will be dearly missed – my thoughts are with his friends, family and all those who knew him.' Heriot-Watt Professor Richard A. Williams, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, led the tributes to Sir Geoff who was Chancellor of the university since 2021. He said: 'Today marks a sad day for this University and for everyone who knew Sir Geoff. 'He was an inspiration not just to me but to colleagues past and present, and countless students around the world. His infectious enthusiasm and passion for education was impossible to ignore and this University was all the richer for having such a strong association with him over the years. 'He will be dearly missed, and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time.' Distinctions His distinctions were many, but the most recent was becoming a knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT), the highest order of chivalry in Scotland. This honour which is in the gift of the King was bestowed upon him in July 2024 at a ceremony in St Giles' Cathedral. About this honour he said he found it striking that he was a recipient some three centuries after an Order – The Royal African Company – was established by King James VII. He said: 'In 1697 the Royal African Company existed. The company bought and sold slaves, probably including some of my ancestors. I am sure James VII never imagined that a black person would receive this great honour.' As the first African member, he reckoned that his admission into the Order of the Thistle marked a watershed moment for Scotland in continuing to reckon with its complicated imperial past. Sir Geoff was a known activist in the areas of slavery and colonialism. He was very gracious during an interview last year, saying it was a result of The Edinburgh Reporter video of his speech during the Black Lives Matter campaign in 2020 that the discussion of slavery in the capital was progressed by the council. He claimed it was after watching the video from that day that Adam McVey, then council leader, contacted him to discuss the possibility of rewriting a new memorial plaque to put at the base of the Melville monument in St Andrew Square. Whether or not that is the case, the debate has certainly moved on and there is a new plaque. Sir Geoff was instrumental, drawing on his own life story and his knowledge as a researcher to inform the debate – particularly on Henry Dundas. But it was not without opposition from other academics. He countered those who told him he was wrong by pointing out the importance of research and the truth. He said: 'I was taught how to do research. I came from Leicester University where I got my first degree. I was trained in research at Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt. I looked at Dundas and at the Scottish history. Others have not for example quoted Pitt the Prime Minister who said Dundas was a gradual abolitionist 'prescribing some condition, waiting for some contingency, or by refusing to proceed, till a thousand favourable circumstances unite together'. And gradual abolition meant never. There are similarities with climate change today.' Coat of Arms The emeritus professor was not sure at first that he would need a coat of arms on his 'stall' in the Thistle Chapel in St Giles'. But The Lord Lyon King of Arms, Dr Joseph Morrow, confirmed before the investiture that all knights and ladies are assigned this space. He said: 'It's normal practice that the stall plate which consists of a person's coat of arms is put on that specific stall. All the plates stay there so giving the history of all those who have been knights or ladies in that particular stall. 'It doesn't have to be in place by the time of the investiture but Sir Geoff, in common with anyone else wanting a coat of arms, will have to petition me to have a suitable one created. 'As he is at the very top of our honours system in Scotland he is also entitled to two 'supporters' – these are the two beasts or animals on either side of the shield. The process does not take long and usually the stall plate is placed in the chapel within a few months of the investiture.' The Lord Lyon has expressed his most sincere condolences to Sir Geoff's family on X. The Lord Lyon and all members of the Lyon Court send their most sincere condolences to the family of the late Sir Godfrey "Geoff" Palmer, Knight of the Thistle and scientist of international reputation. May he rest in peace. — Lyon Court (@LyonCourt) June 13, 2025 Windrush In 2023, on the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush to Britain in 1948, Sir Geoff was named one of ten pioneering members of the Windrush generation honoured by His Majesty King Charles III with a specially commissioned portrait. The artwork is part of the Royal Collection, and serves as a lasting tribute to the men, women, and children who journeyed to post-war Britain. Brewing and Distilling He studied for his PhD at Heriot-Watt University on grain science and technology after graduating from the University of Leicester with a degree in botany. It was in Leicester that he met his wife Margaret. He worked at the Brewing Research Foundation in Surrey until 1977 developing the barley abrasion process which was adopted by many of the UK's breweries. He then became the first black professor in Scotland in 1988, and he became Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, a position he held until he died. He was honoured in 1998 with the American Society of Brewing Chemists Award of Distinction. In 2021 he received the Pride of Scotland Lifetime Achievement Award and Midlothian MP, Owen Thompson, who was Sir Geoff's local MP, lodged an Early Day Motion at Westminster to recognise the honour. Black Lives Matter Professor Sir Geoff Palmer. Photo taken at BLM protest Holyrood Park 7 June 2020 Photo: Martin P. McAdam Latterly he became a loud and powerful voice in the Black Lives Matter campaign and later reinterpreted the plaque at the foot of the Melville Monument in St Andrew Square. He was adamant that the monument should not be pulled down or destroyed. His message was quite simple – he felt it was important to record the history of the slave trade, and use the statue as a way of teaching children about it, educating them that this must not be part of anyone's future. He explained the origins of his activism when he said that it came from his love of Robert Burns – kindled first in his native Jamaica and afterwards when he moved to Edinburgh and began speaking at Burns Suppers. He said Burns himself had wanted to go to Jamaica, but Margaret or Mary Campbell who was to go with him on the adventure died in 1786 of suspected typhus. While Burns had a passage to the Caribbean booked, he did not travel. But Sir Geoff said that he got to know Burns and he used him in his activism. Sir Geoff said: 'The concept of slavery is that people are superior to other people. That is a myth and a deception. There is no evidence for it. 'I don't mind free speech, but free speech in terms of academia must be very, very special because it kills people. 'Slavery is not evidence based and that is why it has caused all this trouble that we have today – because slavery and racism go together. 'We cannot change the past, but we can change the consequence of the past which is baseless, for the better, using education. 'Burns said 'A man's a man for a' that' and therefore in fact there is no change to my view that we are one humanity, nothing less.' His speech in Holyrood Park in June 2020, made during lockdown was a response to The Black Lives Matter movement which gathered pace in the wake of George Floyd's death in the US at the hands of the police. His speech was an important one and led to the new plaque explaining Sir Geoff's assertion that Dundas was a 'gradual abolitionist'. It was, he said, due to the delay in implementing legislation to abolish slavery that Dundas caused the deaths of a further 600,000 slaves. Sir Geoff had told his wife that day in June that he was going to Tesco, but he went to the park instead, telling the audience there: 'What is very sad is that after 300 years black people are still being killed in the United States in a manner where somebody, a policeman, is kneeling on a person's neck for the sole reason that he is black. How can we justify that?' Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Group Sir Geoff was the first chair of the independent Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Group. The current chair, Irene Mosota, told The Edinburgh Reporter that 'a great tree has fallen'. She said: 'It's very sad. What a loss .Sir Geoff will be missed deeply, especially by his family and all who knew him. He was an academic giant and a courageous voice for human rights. If you were in a room with him, you always left feeling a little bit bigger and better. He was generous with his time and wisdom, planting many seeds that will continue to grow. We will never forget him. 'Some of us wouldn't have dared to speak or do what we do if it weren't for him. I will miss him.' He was also the author of a critically acclaimed book, The Enlightenment Abolished: Citizens of Britishness, in which he argues for maintaining but reinterpreting public monuments associated with the transatlantic slave trade. The Edinburgh Award 2022 Sir Geoff Palmer who received the Edinburgh Award in 2022 As an important Edinburgh citizen he was honoured with The Edinburgh Award 2022, becoming the 16th recipient. His handprints are preserved for posterity in a flagstone in the quad at the City Chambers. 03/10/2022 Sir Geoff Palmer had impressions taken in clay of his hands which were then engraved in stone by Leigh Bradley of The Colin Braid Stone Workshop as part of the honour of The Edinburgh Award. Pic Greg Macvean At the Edinburgh Award ceremony Sir Geoff Palmer said: 'This award is more than a great honour. It is a recognition of all the people whose goodness has contributed to my life and work. I arrived in Edinburgh as a research student in 1964 and I thank The City of Edinburgh Council for all it has done for the community.' He explained the circumstances of his arrival in his acceptance speech, delivered eloquently, with not a note in sight. He recounted: 'I walked up The Mound. There was a smell and I wondered what it was.' He chuckled at this – the smell was of course hops and beer making which was to become his life's work. At the same event Vice-Principal, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Mark Biggs, of Heriot-Watt University lauded Sir Geoff. He said: 'Sir Geoff is a true inspiration to us all and to those of us at Heriot-Watt for many decades. We are hugely privileged to have him back in the role of Chancellor of the University. 'His association with Heriot-Watt has been a long and distinguished one. In all of that time his achievements have been manyfold. 'After all the excellent work at Heriot-Watt he was offered a personal chair at the university. 'The brewing and distilling centre which he founded has gone on to produce many brewers and distillers many of whose names you would recognise. 'It is your inspirational approach, Sir Geoff, which I think is crucial and is the magic ingredient to the many things that have been achieved and that you have produced too.' As part of the Edinburgh Award ceremony, Hannah Lavery, the Edinburgh Makar, recited a poem in Sir Geoff's honour called Toast. 'Let me hold your beer, Sir, while you hand out the champagne (or prosecco) and let me raise a toast to you, trailblazer, truth teller, gauntlet thrower, the parade passes by you great man.' ELREC Sir Geoff Palmer with Foysol Choudhury MBE, MSP Sir Geoff was Honorary President of Edinburgh and Lothians Racial Equality Council (ELREC). Foysol Choudhury MBE, MSP knew him well. Mr Choudhury, who is Chair of ELREC, said on X: 'I'm deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Sir Geoff Palmer. He was not only a distinguished scientist & academic, but also a courageous voice for justice & equality My sincere condolences to his family and all who knew and admired him May his soul rest in peace. 'Geoff wasn't just my dad's best friend, he was a father figure to me, took me under his wing as a teen and continued to inspire me his entire life. It's a huge loss, but I'm grateful for the memories.' Sir Geoff is survived by his wife, Margaret Palmer, their three children, and grandchildren to whom The Edinburgh Reporter offers our most sincere condolences. Professor Sir Geoff Palmer in Holyrood Park in June 2020. Photo: Martin P. McAdam Like this: Like Related
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Family stunned to find their pet Joey the tortoise is actually a girl after 95 YEARS
Joey spent decades being passed down through the family CAME OUT OF SHELL CAME OUT OF SHELL Family stunned to find their pet Joey the tortoise is actually a girl after 95 YEARS A PET tortoise thought to be a boy for 95 years turned out to be a girl. Joey finally came out of her shell at a vet's examination shortly before her death from a stomach tumour last week. 2 Joey, who ate lettuce and strawberries, was well-known among locals in Whitwell Credit: Supplied The African spurred tortoise was bought from high street chain Woolworths in 1930 by Louise Dimmock, as a gift for son Alan. Joey spent the next nine decades being passed down through the family — ending up with Alan's granddaughter Lorraine Steward. The cabin crew trainee, 43, said: 'We always thought he was a boy until we took him to the vets to be examined before his death. 'We knew something was wrong as he wasn't taking his food. 'He had never needed to go to the vet before and it's difficult to check the gender. They were stunned he had done so well. 'They were examining him and revealed, 'I'm led to believe he's actually a girl'. 'We couldn't believe it. Maybe he was more of a Josephine than a Joey all this time. But after knowing him as a boy for 95 years, we're not going to change now.' Joey, who ate lettuce and strawberries, was well-known among locals in Whitwell, Herts. Lorraine added: 'We will all miss him greatly. He lived a simple life. He was very low maintenance and happy as anything.' 2 The pet tortoise thought to be a boy for 95 years turned out to be a girl Credit: Supplied Giant tortoise found again after it was believed to be extinct for a century
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'I was watching TV at home when deadly African scorpion crawled past my feet'
The homeowner from Swindon was given the shock of her life when the deadly scorpion appeared on her living room floor - but acted quickly to trap it under a wine glass A woman has been been lauded for her brave actions after a terrifying African scorpion appeared on her living room floor while she was watching TV. The homeowner, from Swindon, was given a huge shock when the exotic creature began scuttling across the carpet one evening earlier this month - and quickly trapped it under a wine glass. After carefully transferring the arachnid into a jam jar, she got in touch with the RSPCA, who told her to get in touch with a specialist. The scorpion - later found to belong to the venomous and potentially deadly Buthidae family - is thought to have hitched a ride in her luggage back to England after a recent trip to Africa. It was initially given to local expert Jonathan Cleverly, who lauded the anonymous woman for her quick-thinking response. He told the BBC: "She'd done a brilliant job of moving it from a wine glass into a jam jar with a secure lid so it couldn't move and escape. "She put in some lettuce for a bit of moisture. She looked after it brilliantly well." Mr Cleverly, who runs a 'Jungle Roadshow' that educates local children on different types of wildlife, said he did not believe the scorpion was an escaped pet - and believed it was likely a stowaway which had survived the trip over. He added: "The scorpion, I would like to say, is absolutely gorgeous - even if it is potentially harmful to humans, it's a very rare thing for these sorts of scorpion to make their way into the UK." The scorpion has since been sent to live with an expert who holds a Dangerous Wild Animals (DWA) licence. It's believed the critter was around 4cm long, with Jonathan calling it the "most dangerous animal" he ever had. It's not the first time a scorpion has made an unexpected visit to Britain. Last summer, a couple were left stunned after discovering a 'venomous' scorpion stowaway in their suitcase. John Gray, 27, and his girlfriend, Jodie Daly, 26, were unpacking their luggage after arriving back in England from Mexico when the unwelcome visitor suddenly emerged. He managed to trap the scorpion in a pint glass before transferring it to a takeaway container with added air holes and calling a local reptile rescue. Soon after, they discovered the arachnid was pregnant, and they kept it overnight before it could be taken to a rescue centre the following morning. Describing the incident last July, John, a client solutions manager from Streatham, South London, said: "We got back to the flat and Jodie was sorting out the washing. As she pulled out a t-shirt and the scorpion dropped out and ran into the bedroom. All I heard was her screaming and shouting - I had no idea what was going on. "She was shouting 'scorpion', but I still didn't know what she meant I ran in there and found a six-inch scorpion sitting in the bedroom trying to hide under the washing. We didn't even see one while we were in Mexico - I was shocked. I called Mitcham Zoo who work with non-native species and reptiles, and they wanted to send it over to their team to do some research. "They said it was highly likely it was highly venomous - we kept it in a container inside a Hello Fresh box. We were trying not to kill it but to also stop it from killing us."
