A milestone year filled with all things new, 2025 marked an exciting chapter for the Zoo.
With day-to-day life continuing to thrive with new arrivals, exciting developments and the return of our award-winning seasonal events, 2025 also marked the start of a new journey as CZS. By becoming a charitable trust, we have been able to do even more to help care for wildlife and wild places.
Join us as we take a look back at 2025, a year of change, growth and unforgettable memories!
January
At the beginning of the year, we launched a series of sensory workshops for families who home educate due to their children’s additional needs. These workshops were based around immersive, sensory, and hands-on learning about themed animal-related topics. Each workshop used tactile items such as skins, furs, and feathers as well as sensory activities designed to enhance exploration and engagement.
Staff and visitors alike were excited to see the Amur leopard cub pair out and about with mum, Esra. They had great fun exploring their outdoor home at Ussuri Falls. They were later confirmed as male and female and named Akovi and Anya by the Animal Care Team. The baby updates didn’t stop there! Over at the Aardvark Burrow, OQ’s newest arrival turned 1 month old and dad, Koos, returned to Chester Zoo after fulfilling his breeding duties. The cub grew quickly and was confirmed as female by the Animal Care Team and later named Roo.
After the success of our STEM Design Challenge in 2024, we launched a new project which offered students the chance to solve real-world problems faced by zookeepers and staff when redesigning an animal habitat. As part of our vision for our ‘Zoo of the Future’, students were asked to redesign a habitat for African lions. 51 final projects were submitted from a total of 650 children.
Over in South Africa our supported conservation project, UmPhafa Nature Reserve, welcomed cheetah after waiting for nearly three years! On 20th January, the team were delighted to welcome a new female cheetah, aptly named Ashia after her donors, Ashia Cheetah Conservation, into the prepared bonding boma ahead of releasing onto the reserve.
At the end of the month, we were pleased to receive the news that our Camera Trap Loan Scheme had been shortlisted for the Great British Wildlife Restoration competition, which recognises the incredible work being done by British Zoos and Aquariums to restore native species in the UK. Our team were delighted to attend a reception at parliament to celebrate all of the conservation work happening in zoos.
February
The 1st February marked a huge milestone in Colchester Zoo’s history as we became a charitable trust known as Colchester Zoological Society! This transition allows us to continue our evolution as a progressive conservation based Zoo and of course offer our community a destination they can be proud of!
The team at our supported conservation project, UmPhafa Nature Reserve, were joined by intern, Ilona. During her time on the reserve, she took part in various different tasks from tracking species and monitoring camera traps, to participating in habitat restoration and assisting with anti-poaching patrols.
The animals were feeling the love at CZS on Valentine’s Day and enjoyed some adorable heart-shaped enrichment created by the Animal Care Team. Over at Dinosaur Realm, an unusual partnership also arose. A little robin joined the CZS family and built a nest in the mouth of one of the fiercest prehistoric predators – the T-Rex!
February Half Term kicked off on 15th February with a number of different activities including Keeper on the Couch, Zootastic Parties with the Zoo Crew, the Exploratorium and so much more! New dinos also landed at Dinosaur Realm as we welcomed a Dilophosaurus and a Maiasaura. Over the holidays we welcomed 43,100 visitors through our doors for a wild day out!
March
In March, the team at our supported conservation project, UmPhafa Nature Reserve, were lucky enough to receive support from SAVISM, a non-profit organisation focused on global wildlife conservation. Alan, a veteran from the Royal Anglian regiment, spent 2 weeks with the field rangers, teaching, enhancing, and training the team on a variety of skills and techniques to enhance the security of the reserve.
On 12th March, we were delighted to welcome a white-lipped tamarin baby. This was Bonnie and Jacks first litter, so they were new to the life of parenting! However, they both did a great job at taking up their duties as mum and dad. The arrivals didn’t stop there! On 14th March we also welcomed three adorable hoglets! These were warthogs, Hermione and Moja’s fifth litter and with their previous parenting experience, they did an amazing job. The piglets were later named Turbo, Jet and Rebel.
We also had a very special arrival all the way from Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. On 12th March we were joined by 7-year-old Linne’s two-toed sloth, Midnight. We hope that the arrival of Midnight will eventually lead to offspring and help our sloth family grow.
In celebration of Global Recycling Day on 18th March, the Animal Care Team shared the ways in which we recycle amongst the Primate Section. The team were kept busy by creating enrichment for many different species. In an effort of sustainability, nearly everything they use as enrichment is recycled, from fire hose to cardboard boxes and bottles!
Finborough Ladies Netball Club kindly donated some netballs to our group of chimpanzees. At first, Tara, Kora and Talia were slightly confused by the new enrichment within their habitat. However, Talia quickly understood the joy that netball brings and was soon running around in excitement.
April
April was full of exciting developments! Our refurbished capuchin habitat opened. The new area, named Capuchin Climb, introduced new interactive features for visitors to learn all about critically endangered buff-headed capuchins including a climbing wall and electronic maze game. We also opened our Woodland Hollow walkway which was themed around British wildlife and shared information on how you can help care for local species at home.
On 13th April, we said a sad goodbye to one of our beloved Patagonian sea lions, Atlanta. Atlanta was in her mid-20s and having lived a CZS for the majority of her life, she is greatly missed by all of the team, she was a unique character with big, beautiful eyes and the longest whiskers of all sea lions.
We were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Colchester, Cllr Lesley Scott-Boutell, on 16th April. The Mayor spoke with the management team to learn more about the Zoo’s transition to a charity and how our conservation work is helping to care for wildlife and wild places worldwide.
Easter was very EGG-citing for all as we hosted a number of enjoyable activities including the return of the Wild Vibe Crew with parties and parades as well as an educational Easter egg hunt and Easter-themed crafts, plus so much more!
At the end of the month, our new male chimpanzee arrival, Napoleon, was integrated into our female group and began interacting with Kora, Talia and Tara. We were pleased to report that the troop got along very well and were observed grooming one another. We hope one day the chimpanzees will form a breeding group to assist the conservation of their species.
May
At the beginning of the month, there were changes down at our Wallaby Walkabout habitat. Being in the latter stages of their lives, the decision was made to retire our group of red-necked wallabies, and they were moved to an off-show habitat. A new young herd of pygmy goats were moved to Wallaby Walkabout whilst Colenso Village was being redeveloped.
In celebration of Endangered Species Day on 17th May, the Animal Guyz took time out of their popular tour to visit CZS and support us in raising awareness of conservation. They performed on the Main Stage at intervals throughout the day and also said hello to visitors after each show. We loved having them at CZS so much that we invited them back for May half term 2026 so be sure to catch one of their incredible shows to learn incredible animal facts in a fun and exciting show!
After receiving a donation from the Rotary Club of Colchester Centurion for a solar pump, our supported conservation project, UmPhafa Nature Reserve, were able to create a new Wetlands Area for some of South Africa’s endangered birds. The team were able to pump water into a section of the reserve knowns as the Ryefield and have since seen several new species including the African Jacana and Glossy Ibis.
Our Zoological Director, Rebecca Moore, visited UmPhafa Nature Reserve and visited various areas of the reserve which had been developed since her last bi-annual visit. Rebecca also took part in a game count, which is a monthly activity to count the species throughout the reserve, and assisted with cheetah tracking to locate the new female cheetah release in February.
Throughout May Half Term, we participated in BIAZA’s Love Your Zoo Week! We had lots planned including activities at our Nature Area, the chance to meet our baby dinos, a dance party with our Zoo Crew, show and tell near the main stage and some new boxes to discover at the Exploratorium.
June
At the beginning of June, we had to close Rajang’s Forest to permanently fix the roof of the building following the severe damage experienced from a storm in April 2024. This involved extensive scaffolding, but our Maintenance Team managed to complete the works earlier than expected and we were pleased to reopen the habitat ahead of summer.
The Maintenance Team were also busy redeveloping our Colenso Village habitat to provide an updated and improved walkthrough with animals and visitors in mind. New features included new shelters, wider pathways, new hay racks and higher fencing.
On 10th June, we said farewell to our male white rhino, Tayo, as he began his journey to his new home at Safari Madrid in Spain. Tayo was born at CZS on 14th October 2020 to mum, Astrid, and dad, Otto. Tayo was Astrid’s first calf and was an excellent older brother to his sister, Dara, who was born in January 2023.
On 13th June, the Animal Care Team were delighted to find that female golden lion tamarin, Freia, had given birth to a single offspring. Freia and dad, Tree Trunks, were both very attentive to the little one and took turns carrying the infant. The team later confirmed that the youngster had been confirmed as female and named Esme.
July
As the summer months came around, we were pleased to be able to offer sensory bags for visitors to hire and use during their day. These bags include a range of resources including ear defenders, fidget toys, tactile materials, sensory highlights sheet and core word communication board.
The Summer holidays kicked off on 23rd July with a whole host of activities for the whole family to enjoy! From the Wild Vibe Crew singing, dancing and leading parades, to keeper encounters sharing the wonders of wildlife, visitors had a lot to pack into a visit at the Zoo!
It was officially award season! We were delighted to announce that CZS had won the International Explorer Award for Conservation-focused Zoo of the year! The International Explorer Awards honour the exceptional achievements, innovation, and sustainability within the travel and tourism industry. We were also pleased to be named one of the top 10% of things to do worldwide by Tripadvisor as we were issued another Traveller’s Choice Award!
At the end of the month, we welcomed two female lion-tailed macaques called Jade and Kizzy, from Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland. They settled in well and we hope that they will eventually go on to breed with male, Connor, to further assist the conservation of their species.
August
Our Summer Late Nights returned on 9th and 30th August! We remained open until 8pm so visitors were able to see the Zoo in a different light and get a glimpse of the few animals that are perhaps a little sleepier during a daytime visit. Plus, we had additional entertainment to keep the summer vibes alive into the evening!
On 10th August, we celebrated World Lion Day to help raise vital funds for CZS to support this magnificent species. Throughout the day, we hosted a number of different activities which shared facts about these big cats. We were also joined by Somewhere 2 Sing choir who performed a surprise flash mob with over 200 people singing tunes from The Lion King.
Our Zoo Pass Members are some of our biggest supporters so to say thank you, we introduced a new member benefit! Those with CZS membership can receive 10% off any purchase made at either of our Face Painting Huts and at our Crazy Sand Shop.
Our Animal Ambassadors really captured the imagination of our supporters over the summer by talking about animal adaptations and conservation all over the park. They spoke to around 20,000 visitors, teaching them even more about the amazing world of animals.
September
On 6th September, we attended Colchester’s fundraising event, Invasion. Our dinosaur, Blu, really enjoyed the music and made a big impression on passerby’s. It was lovely attending this community event so thank you to Invasion Colchester and Culver Square for inviting us along.
Our Starlight Safari Nights returned on selected dates in September, and the Zoo remained open until 9pm! Throughout the evening, we had a whole host of live musical performances from One Drum filled with fire and tricks. There were also magical musical fountains, tales under the stars and plenty more!
Our final Dino Discovery Day took place on 20th September, filled with prehistoric fun for all! Visitors could discover extinct species from millions of years ago and meet our dino friends along with their ranger. There were also dino-themed games, prehistoric face painting, inflatimals and the Cretaceous Crew!
At the end of the month, we also partnered with Explore Learning once again to offer a variety of free Maths and English educational workshops in the Kalahari Theatre. These workshops included Funding an Animal Adventure Maths, New Discovery Creative Writing, Enclosure Design, Maths and Safari Sentences Creative Writing.
October
Our oldest chimpanzee, Tara, celebrated her 40th birthday on 8th October! To mark this special milestone, the Animal Care Team carried out a birthday training session filled with Tara’s favourite tasty treats. These training sessions help the team carry out regular health checks.
We had a special guest in the Outpost Gift Shop throughout October – a giant Jellycat, Peanut Penguin! Standing at 1.5m tall, visitors could take photos with giant Peanut Penguin exclusively at CZS. Plus, we also had our usual variety of Jellycat available to purchase as a gift for that special someone.
Our award-winning Trail of Terror evenings returned with more thrills than ever before! Behind the scenes, our dedicated events team worked tirelessly to prepare suitably scary encounters along the trail that got pulses racing and hearts pounding. And of course, the frightful fun didn’t stop there!
Throughout Shriek Week, we hosted a fang-tastic programme of daytime activities suitable for the whole family. The Wild Vibe returned once again with spook-tacular parties and parades along with the Witches’ Craft Coven, St Anway’s Scare School and the Runaway Pirate Train. These types of events are the perfect way to celebrate the season whilst also discovering more about the incredible animals in our care and supporting conservation.
November
We welcomed male aardvark, Indie, as part of a ESB breeding recommendation on 6th November. Indie arrived from Shepreth Wildlife Park and settled into his new home at Aardvark Burrow well. We hope that Indie will eventually breed with OQ to grow our aardvark family once again.
On 17th November, we released our new Christmas advert, entitled ‘Conservation Never Stops’, after working with Essex-based production company, Deadline Communications, for the third year in a row. The 3-minute advert took viewers on a journey to see life at the Zoo from January through to December, following the animals, staff and visitors.
We were extremely proud to host the International Otter Survival Fund for their annual conference on 18th and 19th November. We have supported them since 2011 and welcomed otter conservationists from all over the world to discuss all sorts of topics from otter surveying to sustainable tourism. Sticking with conferences, we also assisted 80 teachers from across the region in building climate action plans for their schools! It was a great day with lots of positive outcomes, and we are excited to see the impact this event will have in the coming months.
Our Magic of Christmas event began with daytime activities filled with celebration and joy! Visitors could dance and sing to holiday tunes with the return of the Wild Vibe Crew, get creative with Christmas crafts at the Elves’ Workshop, and visit the beautiful reindeer at their stables. There was plenty of festive fun to enjoy!
Those who pre-booked The Santa Experience could also make a special visit to our grotto. Before seeing the main man in red, visitors journeyed through a winter wonderland, took a break at Mrs Claus’ Kitchen to enjoy a tasty treat, and tried to spot the cheeky elves playing in the workshop. To finish off the experience, all children received their very own Mila and River, the Amur leopards soft toy.
December
The Enchanted Trail of light lit up the Zoo for a magical evening experience. Families explored a reimagined 1-mile route full of new additions including a brand-new 40m light tunnel complete with over 20,000 lights! Seasonal food and drink was also available from mulled wine and festive wraps to warm crumble and toasted marshmallows.
In early December, we were pleased to announce that plans for a brand-new African lion habitat had been given the green light. Work has now begun to discharge a number of pre-commencement conditions that were issued with the formal permissions so that we can deliver this project as soon as possible to bring something new and exciting to our loyal supporters and provide a state-of-the-art lion habitat.
Throughout December, we had a number of new arrivals. On 3rd December, we welcomed young male pygmy hippo, Mikolas, as part of an EEP breeding recommendation. Mikolas arrived at CZS from Zoo Dvur Kralove in Czech Republic. Although Mikolas is currently too young to breed, we hope that he will eventually breed with Venus as he matures.
On 16th December, we had an exciting gift for Liwei the red panda – a new companion! We were delighted to welcome a male red panda named Iris, from Cotswolds Wildlife Park. Following the loss of previous male, An An in June 2024, Iris’s arrival is very special and we hope that he forms a bond with Liwei that one day results in the pitter patter of cub feet.
2025 has been a memorable year for all here at CZS and we look forward to welcoming you in 2026 for more wild adventures!
