Chester Zoo in United Kingdom

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Chester Zoo
Photo © Eveline De Wolf, Chester Zoo.
Photo © Eveline De Wolf, Chester Zoo.
Typezoo
Size51 hectares (130 acres)
Founded1930
First elephant arrived1941
Opened for public1931
Address Oakfield Estate, Caughall Road, Upton by Chester
Zip-code CH2 1LH
Place Chester
Country United Kingdom
Website Website
Related persons
Owner -: Muriel Mottershead
1930-1934: George Mottershead
1934-now: North of England Zoological Society
Key People 2016-now: Hanspeter Steinmetz (consultant)
Zoological department
Zookeeper: Nick Ellerton
Elephant department
Elephant managementProtected Contact, since
Head keepers
of elephants
2018-now: Rich Frazer
2008-2012: Eveline Wolf
-: Les Hills
-: Les Hill
-: Mick Jones
-: Muriel Mottershead
-: Richard Frazer
: Neil Spooner
Elephant keepers
2018-now: Lizzy Emmerson
2008-2018: Rich Frazer
1998-2001: Richard Hughes
-: Donald Plant
-: Gavin Bourchier
Record history
History of updates2025-03-18:
Latest document update2025-03-18 15:46:09
Google map
Description

Chester Zoo, located at Oakfield Estate, Caughall Road, Upton by Chester, in Chester, United Kingdom , was founded in 1930, opened for public in 1931 and the first elephant arrived in 1941

Chester Zoo elephants are managed in Protected Contact, since .

Living elephants

At the Chester Zoo lives 5 elephants with records in this database: (detail list)
  1. ♂ Anjan Hi Way born 2018-05-17
  2. ♀ Elizabeth born 2016-06-10
  3. ♀ Indali Hi Way born 2016-12-17
  4. ♀ Karishma born 1998-08-27
  5. ♀ Maya born 1966

Casualties

1 casualties
  1. 2001-02-08: elephant keeper Richard Hughes fatal attack by Kumara. butted and thrown against a fence † Richard Hughes Died 2001-02-19?

Comments / picturesAfter apparently being inspired following a trip to Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester when he was a boy, George Mottershead collected animals for several years before opening Chester Zoo in 1931. As seen in the photos below, his family and animals helped him to turn the zoo into a spectacle for many families to enjoy.

Chester Zoo has since gone on to become one of the North West\'s most popular attractions. The zoo has been the topic of a few television shows over the years, including the Granada documentary series Zoo Days in 2007 and the BBC drama Our Zoo in 2014 which told the Mottershead family\'s story.

1930: The Mottershead family bought Oakfield Estate in Upton by Chester, and after they were granted permission by the the Ministry of Health, opened the zoo next year, accepting its first pair of elephants from a circus in 1941.

1960: The almost completion of the Pachyderm House, which was ready to accommodate elephants, rhinos and hippopotamus.

1964: In the sixties the Zoo suffered an outbreak of Anthrax, which also killed two elephants.

Chester Zoo in United Kingdom United+KingdomElephant keeper Les Hill, September, 1977.

2001: Richard Hughes, 34, suffered damage in February when he was butted and thrown against a fence by four- tonne female Asian elephant, Kumara. The heavily-bleeding keeper was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital, where he lost consciousness.
Mr Hughes, who sustained a fractured Skull and shoulder injuries, died 11 days after the attack.


2004: Chester Zoo was fined £25,000 yesterday after it admitted breaching health and safety regulations when an elephant lashed a keeper with its Trunk and crushed him to death against a wall three years ago.

Irene Hughes, the mother of the elephant keeper, Richard Hughes, said she was "very pleased" at the result. "As far as we are concerned they have held their hands up. We are just sorry it took Richard\'s death for them to realise their failings."

The zoo admitted not carrying out the proper risk assessments, but its director, Gordon Reid, promised that staff had "learned lessons" and the zoo would survive. It also has to pay £50,000 in court costs.

The Guardian


Chester Zoo in United Kingdom United+Kingdom
Chester elephants enjoying their evening meal in the stables, March 2008. Photo © Audrey Mealiff

References for records about Chester Zoo

Recommended Citation

Koehl, Dan (2026). Chester Zoo, Elephant Encyclopedia. Available online at https://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=42. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:



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