Chester Zoo confirms animal exhibit dating back 70 years will close permanently

Kate Lally & Stephen Topping
·1-min read
Chester Zoo
-Credit: (Image: Chester Zoo)


An exhibit at Chester Zoo which dates back more than 70 years will soon close for the final time. The aquarium building has been a popular part of the much-loved Cheshire attraction since 1952.

It is currently home to seahorses, brittle stars, blind fish, pipefish, anemone and clownfish - as well as 'unique wildlife', such as coral. But the aquarium building's days are now numbered.

The facility will close for good in 2026, the Liverpool Echo reports. It's understood that Chester Zoo members were informed of the decision for a second time this week.

READ MORE: It's one of the 'coolest places to live in the UK', but some people in this Greater Manchester area feel left behind

The news was given to members in a letter, which states: "With such advancements in building methods, technology and requirements for modern zoos, our expert team of structural engineers agree that from 2026 our aquatic species in the aquarium will be finding new habitats to flourish in, under the care of our dedicated aquatic team.

"For the last 25 years we have been developing other aquatic habitats throughout the zoo, teeming with many different species. You can find these in places like Spirit of the Jaguar, Monsoon Forest, the Okapi House and the elephant house."

Chester Zoo is home to more than 31,000 animals, that live across 128 acres of zoological gardens. Apart from the aquarium, there are many other animal exhibits, including the nature reserve, the Asiatic lion habitat, and the 'House of Sumatra'.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • 16 common plants you should NEVER grow in your garden

    From invasive weeds that can cause structural damage and cost thousands to irradicate, to pretty blooms harbouring poison inside their leaves or roots, these problematic plants could cause you a headache...

  • Thousands cool off in Brighton during scorching mini-heatwave hotter than Majorca

    Thousands flocked to Brighton beach today to cool off in the heat.

  • ‘Why I ditched my Tesla for a 12-year-old petrol car’

    Owners of electric cars are ditching battery power and returning to petrol as demand for greener vehicles drops across Britain.

  • Scientists identify new Antarctic ice sheet ‘tipping point,’ warning future sea level rise may be underestimated

    The Antarctic ice sheet is melting in a new, worrying way not taken into account by current models of future sea level rise, according to a new study.

  • Wolf Shows Playful Interest in Grizzly Bear's Meal

    A wolf seemed super keen to get a piece of a bison carcass from a grizzly bear, footage by a nature photographer in Yellowstone National Park shows, but the bear seemed unimpressed by its antics as it bounced around.Trevor LaClair said he filmed the scene in April 2023, when the bear pulled the carcass from a frozen pond.“Two of the wolves approached the grizzly. One of the wolves got too close and the bear lunged at it as a warning. However, the wolf viewed it as an opportunity to potentially lure the bear away and began play bowing and bouncing around,” LaClair wrote on Instagram.“After a while, the grey wolf gave up and laid down nearby, waiting patiently for a piece of meat,” LaClair added. The grizzly eventually left and the wolves were able to get their turn.According to the National Wildlife Federation, a wolf will dance and bow if it is feeling playful. Credit: Trevor LaClair via Storyful

  • UK weather: Hottest day of the year so far as temperatures hit 28.3C - but cold front on the way

    The UK has experienced the hottest day of the year so far. Temperatures hit 28.3C (82.9F) on Monday in Wisley, Surrey, after a four-day heat health alert came into effect. In London, the temperatures peaked at 27.4C (81.3F) in St James's Park while Aberdeenshire saw the mercury hit 26.9C (80.4F).

  • Tiger Cub Plays 'Su-paw-visor' for Window Cleaner at Zoo

    A Sumatran tiger cub named Zara has demonstrated keen “su-paw-visor” skills, closely observing the work of a window cleaner at Nashville Zoo.The adorable clip shows the tiger cub following the cleaner’s squeegee along the glass, and occasionally pouncing at it.Zara and her siblings Bulan and Kirana were the first Sumatran tiger cubs to be born at Nashville Zoo. Credit: Nashville Zoo via Storyful

  • Mapped: Heatwave in your area as temperatures set to hit 31C in UK

    Temperatures across the UK are expected to get higher still on Wednesday

  • Woman 'Seriously Injured' After Being Mauled by Wolves at Zoo in France

    A Paris woman was attacked by Arctic wolves while out for a run at the Thoiry ZooSafari in France and sustained bites to her neck, leg and back

  • The ‘world’s largest mammal migration’ happens here every year. War means no one knows about it

    New research shows that more than 5 million antelope cross South Sudan each year – blowing the world-famous Serengeti migration out of the water.

  • South Sudan says its 6M antelope make up world’s largest land mammal migration, but poaching on rise

    Seen from the air, they ripple across the landscape — a river of antelope racing across the vast grasslands of South Sudan in what conservationists say is the world's largest land mammal migration. The country's first comprehensive aerial wildlife survey, released Tuesday, found about 6 million antelope. The estimate from the nonprofit African Parks, which conducted the work along with the government, far surpasses other large migratory herds such as the estimated 1.36 million wildebeests surveyed last year in the Serengeti straddling Tanzania and Kenya.

  • Berlin Zoo Welcomes Newborn Giraffe

    A zoo in Berlin has welcomed the arrival of a baby Rothschild giraffe.Tierpark Berlin said the almost six-foot-tall newborn was “still a little wobbly on its feet, but nonetheless in great shape.”The baby giraffe was born to 10-year-old Amalka, the zoo said, her fourth calf in all. The new arrival brings to nine the total number of giraffes at the zoo.Rothschild giraffes are endangered, with only 1,400 remaining in the wild, the zoo said.The zoo’s mammal curator Maren Siebert said, “Rothschild giraffes are threatened in their native Kenya and Uganda, primarily by illegal hunting and the expansion of agriculture.”“The fragmentation and destruction of habitats has also led to the Rothschild giraffe being eradicated in almost its entire former range,” Siebert said. Credit: Tierpark Berlin via Storyful

  • Petting zoo animals at London Pride event die after Ontario farm receives anonymous anti-2SLGBTQ+ email

    This story has been updated since it was first published to include new details from the London Police Service.London police are investigating the deaths of two animals and the illness of a third after they were on display at a petting zoo for children, part of a weekend Pride event in the southwestern Ontario city.Two rodents — a Patagonian cavy named Bean and Cashew the guinea pig — died, and Apollo the goat is being monitored for symptoms at the farm, said Bethany Tout, owner of Little Hobby

  • Here's why firefighters were on canal at The Waterfront today

    FIREFIGHTERS were out on the canal at The Waterfront in Brierley Hill today (Monday June 24).

  • Man Poses Child Dangerously Close to Sea Lion For Photos

    A man was spotted posing a child dangerously close to a sea lion to snap some photos at La Jolla Cove in San Diego, California, in early April.Instagram user salissav captured this footage showing the man bringing the child close to the marine mammal, at one point placing the child on the rock near the animal. The animal then makes a move toward the child.According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), anyone viewing seals or sea lions on land must avoid making the animals aware of their presence by keeping noise down, staying hidden, and staying at least 50 yards downwind from the marine mammals.The NOAA also noted that taking selfies with seals or sea lions from close distances is illegal. Credit: Instagram/salissav via Storyful

  • 'Lack of capacity': China climate envoy rejects US, EU overcapacity claims at Dalian forum

    China's special envoy for climate change has called for expanded production of the country's renewable energy products, citing a strong global demand, in a sharp dismissal of overcapacity claims raised by Western economies. "[There are] only two groups of countries that are talking about so-called overcapacity. One is the United States, the other [is] the European Union," Liu Zhenmin told an international forum on Tuesday. "For the rest of the world, for international organisations including the

  • Hailstones Splash Into Utah's Lake Powell During Storm

    Hailstones pelted southern Utah during a severe thunderstorm on Friday, June 21.Footage taken by J Bart Mills shows large hailstones splashing into Ice Cream Canyon and Lake Powell in southern Utah on Friday, as a severe thunderstorm brought heavy rain and wind to the region.The National Weather Service forecast winds up to 60 miles per hour and ping-pong-ball-sized hail. Credit: J Bart Mills via Storyful

  • China issues top rainstorm alert as deadly flooding moves north

    Torrential storms that have brought widespread flooding to southeast China are moving inland, prompting the national weather service to issue its most severe rainstorm alert.

  • Cloud engineering in the US could cause heatwaves in Europe, new study shows

    Climate engineering manipulates the environment to try and avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

  • Clean energy, fresh mussels: Scandinavia’s experiment to harvest seafood and wind power together

    Denmark is serving up a side of mussels alongside renewable power.