A glance back at life at the Zoo, from new arrivals to sad goodbyes too…
It’s been an exciting year for us with so much happening both behind the scenes, as well as within the park!
Whilst there’s been lots of planning in the background, life at Colchester Zoo has continued with new arrivals, exciting developments and the return of our award-winning seasonal events, but although we have celebrated the brighter days, we’ve also experienced a few dark days with the loss of some very important individuals that we miss dearly.
Join us as we look back over 2024, filled with momentous moments and heartfelt memories.
January
We had a great start to the year with our first arrival being born on 2nd January. Our Animal Care Team received the wonderful news that a Critically Endangered Philippine spotted deer calf had been born! The youngster was later named Flynn, following on from brother Eugene!
On 16th January, Zoological Director, Rebecca Moore, attended an award ceremony, hosted by House of Commons speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, at the Houses of Parliament after being shortlisted for the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria (BIAZA) Great British Wildlife Restoration Award. We were delighted that our Fisher’s Estuarine Moth project had been recognised for such a prestigious award.
Our Education Team launched their brand-new STEM Design Challenge on 29th January, where students from KS1-KS4 were asked to redesign our mixed African habitat using a range of different resources. Over 10,000 children participated in the initial challenge and around 68 entries were shortlisted from 400 children. The winners were then selected across five categories!
We welcomed over 81,700 visitors through our doors in January alone as our ever-popular January Blues offer returned!
February
It’s award season! We were delighted to be named the winner of the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award at the East of England Tourism Awards 2023/24. Our Director of Science, Education and Training attended an award ceremony and spoke about making conservation accessible to all, through schemes such as our Outreach Programme and Camera Trap Loan Scheme for schools.
It was the Year of the Dragon and what better way to celebrate than by taking our supporters behind the scenes with an exclusive Komodo dragon feed on our social media platforms! The video included commentary from our Team Leader of Reptile Section, Glen, as he shared information about these incredible animals whilst they enjoyed their breakfast.
We kick started our half term activities in February by taking a look at some of the unlikely ‘Zooper Heroes’ of Colchester Zoo! This educational event included our very first ‘Keeper on the Couch’ where visitors were able to discover more about our dedicated Animal Care Team, along with a trail that highlighted some unknown roles within the Zoo without whom, we wouldn’t be able to operate!
On 23rd February, we announced the return of white-lipped tamarins to Colchester Zoo after 15 years! Bonnie and Jack have both settled in well!
March
During March, we welcomed a range of new arrivals! We were delighted to announce that Critically Endangered Rüppell’s griffon vultures, Morticia and Jekyll, successfully hatched a chick on 2nd March! On 5th and 6th March, our female warthog, Hermione, gave birth to four healthy hoglets and finally on 7th March, a shoal of juvenile red piranha arrived!
Following such a great start to the month, we were hit with some devastating news. On 22nd March, we announced the passing of our male white rhino, Otto. He has been greatly missed by everyone here at Colchester Zoo but his legacy lives on with his six calves.
We took a step back in time with the opening of our brand-new Dinosaur Realm attraction. On 23rd and 24th March, we opened the new area exclusively to Zoo Passholders where over 4,000 supporters walked through and enjoyed the historical sites of these prehistoric creatures. On 29th March the attraction was opened to all visitors as part of our Easter event.
At the end of March, Team Leader of Reptile Section, Glen, and Zoe Ringwood of the Essex Wildlife Trust, released Colchester Zoo’s last batch of Fisher’s Estuarine Moth eggs onto one of the wild sites at Brook Country Park near Clacton. Colchester Zoo has supported this project since 2008, but our Reptile Team won’t be breeding the moths now for the foreseeable future, unless there becomes a need when new habitat sites are created.
April
The Easter Holidays saw the return of the Wild Vibe Crew! For two weeks, we celebrated all things prehistoric with exclusive parties and parades every day to entertain all those that visited.
We were delighted to announce that on 2nd April 2024, Humboldt penguins, Chile and Pepper hatched two chicks! These chicks were the pair’s second hatchlings and the duo were later confirmed as female and called Salsa and Taco! We were also excited to announce the birth of a critically endangered Colombian black spider monkey on 16th April 2024!
New species alert! On 16th April, four very special individuals arrived all the way from Chester Zoo! We were excited to welcome four female eastern pygmy marmosets, Queenie, Nursie, Bob and Maria Escalosa – all named after characters from Blackadder!
Like many throughout Essex, on 17th April, we were hit with high winds which resulted in damage to our orangutan habitat! Whilst our orangutan residents, Tiga, Mali and Tatau, were safe in their indoor house, the Maintenance Team got to work to ensure that all repairs were carried out quickly. The support that we received due to the damage was overwhelming and greatly appreciated.
Our charity, Action for the Wild, changed its name to Colchester Zoological Society in preparation for taking over the running of the Zoo from early 2025! Throughout the year, the charity has continued to support conservation projects worldwide under its brand-new name.
There was exciting news at the UmPhafa Nature Reserve which is supported by our charity, Colchester Zoological Society! Their cheetah permit was finally approved after a 2-year-long process!
May
On Sunday 12th May, gelada baboon, Kamena gave birth to her first offspring!
We celebrated Endangered Species Day! On 17th May, we shared a special video that took our supporters closer than ever before on social media with an exclusive Amur tiger pole feed! The video included commentary from Team Leader of Tiger Section, Jody and gave an insight into just how powerful these majestic cats are.
During May half term, we welcomed back Essex Libraries, who attended the Zoo with their mobile library bus! We also revealed our brand-new Zoo Crew Character, Fleur, whose name was chosen on social media by our supporters!
We also saw the continued support from MHA as a Corporate Sponsor of our Tiger Taiga habitat and Lost Madagascar Train Station, as well as welcomed brand new supporter, Braintree Tax Advisers, as sponsors of our Suricata Sands habitat, home to our mob of meerkats!
June
When it comes to rain, the UK is well known for its showers however, the UmPhafa Nature Reserve in South Africa is another story! On Monday 3rd June, the climate looked very different with golf ball sized hailstones and a tornado! After not having any rain in June since 2021, Durban received 21mm of rain in just 2 days.
Back here at the Zoo, it was love at first sniff for our two coppery titi monkeys, Copper and Lewis! On 13th June, they welcomed their first offspring after only being bonded for 5 months!
On 14th June, we were deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved male red panda, An An, at the age of 14. Since his time at Colchester Zoo, An An sired a total of five female cubs, who have since joined other zoos and had families of their own.
Celebrations were in order as we won the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2024 following great reviews left about the Zoo by our dedicated visitors!
Businesses continued to help support the Zoo as we welcomed First Bus as a new Corporate Sponsor of Dinosaur Realm. You may have noticed one of their buses branded especially for us, showing their support and celebration of our 60th anniversary in 2023, so it’s great that they are now official sponsors of the area too!
On 29th June, our male African lion, Bailey turned the grand age of 17!
July
On 3rd July, rock hyrax, Cindy Lou gave birth to twins!
July was a month filled with exciting development plans as we shared visions for our new lion habitat! We worked closely with architects at DEARADH ZÚ to develop the design of the new and exciting habitat which will see the expansion of the current area, Edge of Africa, to create a holistic African adventure. Upon receipt of planning permission, this new development will see the construction of an approximate 3000m2 naturalistic lion habitat, as well as several other exciting features for visitors, such as a themed African Boma Village complete with a new catering outlet, toilet and play provision.
Work also began on one of the oldest habitats at the Zoo, our Buff-headed Capuchins, to update and improve this area! This habitat is due to be completed by summer 2025.
Our ostrich flock grew by two, as we welcomed the arrival of two hens called Daphne and Daisy! Over the course of the month, the two new ladies were introduced to our resident hen, Doris.
We also welcomed new Corporate Sponsor, County Broadband, who kindly supported our reticulated giraffes!
August
Our female Amur leopard, Lena, left Colchester Zoo and travelled to Dartmoor Zoological Society as part of a recommended breeding program to help protect this Critically Endangered species.
Our summer celebrations continued with the help of the Wild Vibe Crew! Parties and parades took place throughout the day as well as special activities around the park! In celebration of the Paris 2024 Olympics, we hosted our very ‘Zoolympics Trail’ where visitors could complete various animal-related challenges!
We also saw the return of Tembo’s Pumpkin Patch but this year, it was Tanya and Opal proving to be the keen gardeners. When the last pumpkin finally turned orange, Tanya was more than happy to indulge in the final spoils of their gardening effort, savouring the delicious treat with much enthusiasm!
September
A winning September! We were pleased to announce that we won not just one Essex Mum’s Award, but two out of the three categories that we were nominated for!
We were spotted around town as part of the Invasion Colchester event on 7th September with members of the team venturing into town with our dinosaur friends. It was a great chance to engage with the local community and support local charities.
On 20th September, we revealed a very special donation from the Colchester Medical Society in celebration of their 250th birthday. The Colchester Medical Society committee commissioned a large wood carving of a rhino which mirrored their emblem. The rhino carving also served as a seat and is now located at our Kingdom of the Wild habitat for visitors to admire and enjoy.
Our Starlight Safari Nights returned as we remained open until 9pm on selected Saturdays throughout the month with a range of activities for all ages until the sun went down.
October
On 7th October, we launched our brand-new website in celebration of the beginning of our journey to become Colchester Zoological Society in early 2025. Over the past year the new branding has been slowly introduced so we were delighted to introduce a new website which encompasses both visiting the Zoo and the conservation projects that we support.
Exciting news came from across international waters as UmPhafa was officially declared a Nature Reserve by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs and the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 2023! This is a wonderful step forward for UmPhafa and this formal declaration as a protected area highlights the true value of the reserve and all of the work the team do.
The spooky season returned with our daytime Shriek Week activities and utterly terrifying evening event, Trail of Terror which was a sell-out success on numerous dates!
On 29th October, female squirrel monkey, Milu, gave birth to her sixth offspring, sired by our male, Malcolm!
November
We started the month full sleigh ahead with the release of our Christmas advert on 5th November. Partnering up once again with Deadline Communications, the Christmas advert followed Cole’s journey to the Zoo and his adventure with Wilbur the Woolly Mammoth as they try and save Christmas.
On Friday 8th November, a special ‘green’ species joined the family from its previous home at Hertfordshire Zoo! Green anaconda, Nino arrived to join our current resident male, Houdini!
Our Black Friday Sale returned with bigger discounts than ever on 20th November!
At the end of the month, our Magic of Christmas event started with the return of the Wild Vibe Crew’s Jingle Jam Party and our Santa Experience proving popular again! Our ever-popular Enchanted Trail of Light also returned, where visitors could enjoy a magical journey around the Zoo after hours.
December
On 2nd December we shared some big news about our Amur leopard pair! Female Amur leopard, Esra, had given birth to two healthy cubs! Amur leopards are classed as Critically Endangered so this birth marked a significant milestone in our ongoing mission to care for wildlife and wild places.
On 6th December, our Animal Care Team were delighted to discover that Philippine spotted deer, Autumn and Bongat, had welcomed their fifth calf at Colchester Zoo!
On Christmas Eve, we were excited to announce yet another birth! Aardvarks OQ and Koos had welcomed their first young together!
Over the past two years, the Zoo Management Team have been working hard to support the transition from a privately owned zoo to a conservation charity, Colchester Zoological Society, from early 2025. Work continues to ensure a smooth transition which is hoped to take place in early 2025 with the Charity taking the reins. We look forward to taking our visitors and supporters on this journey with conservation remaining at the heart of all we do whilst providing a first-class visitor experience and educating generations of the important role we play in caring for wildlife and wild places.
