Our Kingdom of the Wild habitat is getting a necks-level improvement!
We wanted to make you aware of a vital development coming this January 2026 to our Kingdom of the Wild building. After a busy and festive end to 2025, our Maintenance Team have turned their attention from magic and sparkle and are ready for their next zoo challenge! The winter season is the perfect time of year where our team can carry out important upgrades with the first one on their list reaching new heights.
From the 5th of January 2026, the pathway leading from the bottom of the Kingdom of the Wild building (next to the current handwashing station) to the upstairs indoor area, will be closed. Therefore, there will be no access to the upper viewing area inside the Kingdom of the Wild building including no access to the balcony, views to indoor giraffe stalls, and the Spirit food outlet.
Whilst we improve this area, there’s still plenty to see! Our new arrival, Mikolas the pygmy hippo, can be viewed in the lower area of the building along with a few other family favourites, by journeying past Vulture Valley. Our giraffes, elephants, rhino, ostrich and zebra can also still be seen enjoying their outside paddock area! You may even spot a crowned crane and kudu or two!
This improvement is not only to enhance the experience for our visitors but also links directly to our Zoo Licence and therefore, it is vital that we make these upgrades.
“The first section of the ramp will be deconstructed, where our welders will look to install new metal framework. This will then be sent off-site to be dipped and after return, will be installed. The top section of the ramp will remain with the woodwork being updated. This is big project, but we are excited to start the year with a challenge!”
– Chris Elsey, Maintenance Manager at CZS.
As we ramp up improvements, our Waterhole play area will also be closed during this time. However, just a few explorer steps away, your little one can release their wild side at our Remi Brown play area. To ensure visitor and animal safety, our aardvarks will also be moved to an off-show location, however, there will be no disruption to our ever-popular Lost Madagascar Express Road Train which will continue to journey around the lake. So why not jump aboard this winter and discover even more species along the track!
We appreciate that these developments can cause disruption and therefore, we hope that our highly reduced January Blues tickets will help all visitors to enjoy the rest of what Colchester Zoological Society has to offer for less. To receive our offer, be sure to pre-book your tickets online today!
Our award-winning Exploratorium will still be available in its new temporary home at the Kalahari Theatre located next to Jungle Tumble. With plenty of boxes to discover at weekends and during the school holidays, visitors can learn more about the wonders of wildlife.
During this busy period, we recommend allowing a little extra time for your journey to the Zoo and arriving outside of our peak hours from 10am to 12pm. If you are visiting on a weekend, you can take advantage of our early opening of 9:00am. Please head to our website for more information and to plan your visit. Please note that due to the equipment needed for the repairs, a small section of our car park will be out of bounds during the development.
Work is due to be completed by the end of February, however, due to the nature of the project, we are unable to confirm a reopening date until further notice. We recommend following our social media channels for the latest updates or subscribe to our newsletter for more information, event details and new activities taking place throughout the year!
We would like to apologise for the disruption caused during this time and hope that you can join us for a roaring start to 2026!
