Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England has opened a new science centre to fight the global extinction crisis as it triples the size of its previous lab facilities.
The new centre will enable Chester Zoo to significantly expand its scientific capacity, particularly when it comes to conservation efforts.
“Conservation zoos like ours are well aligned to making significant contributions to global international targets to halt and reverse species loss,” said Simon Dowell, conservation science and policy director at Chester Zoo.
Supported by funding from Cheshire-based energy company Urenco, the facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to assess the health of animals including Komodo dragons and rhinos.
Big news!
— Chester Zoo (@chesterzoo) November 7, 2024Our brand-new International Centre for Zoo Science just opened its doors and it’s about to shake things up for wildlife conservation!
What’s inside?![🧬]()
A super high-tech lab to track hormones and boost endangered species breeding programmes
Tons of space… pic.twitter.com/im5GdQXDGI
Our brand-new International Centre for Zoo Science just opened its doors and it’s about to shake things up for wildlife conservation! 
A super high-tech lab to track hormones and boost endangered species breeding programmes
Tons of space… It also includes a demonstration lab to train future conservationists and a special cryo-conservation unit, where genetics from endangered species will be preserved in liquid nitrogen.
Additionally, the centre houses Europe’s largest dedicated wildlife endocrinology lab where scientists can study and track hormone levels in animals to understand their reproductive biology.
“Zoos are unique among conservation organisations as we’re not only custodians of biologically important and diverse animal and plant populations, but together we also reach more than 700 million visitors a year,” Dowell added.
State-of-the-art facility at Chester Zoo
“As a major wildlife charity, we’re able to work with these visitors, as well as communities, business and policy makers to inform, inspire and empower a step-change to more pro-conservation behaviour.
“But we can’t do that on the scale required without funding, which is why partnerships such as this longstanding one with Urenco are so important to us. It helps us to do more and faster, to meet the accelerating environmental and climate concerns we’re faced with.”
Home to 37,000 animals from more than 500 species, Chester Zoo is already working to tackle the extinction crisis. It currently runs more than 200 research projects, and has produced more than 2,000 scientific communications.
Images courtesy of Chester Zoo
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