As lockdown starts to lift and our favourite UK attractions are able to reopen with all the necessary safety measures in place, we’re turning our eyes towards the UK’s favourite animal attractions at Chessington World of Adventures - Chessington Zoo and SEA LIFE Centre.
These amazing facilities bring you face to face with over 1,000 extraordinary animals, including lions, tigers, gorillas, monkeys, penguins and underwater creatures.
The whole family is sure to be amazed at the sheer volume of animals you can see, and the Zoo and SEA LIFE experiences and shows that Chessington World of Adventures runs will help you learn even more.
But, did you know that as well as being brilliantly entertaining for the whole family, the Zoo’s charity, the Chessington Conservation Fund (CCF), also supports some invaluable conservation work and education internationally? Did you also know that the SEA LIFE Centre is part of the SEA LIFE Trust which was created to raise awareness of marine conservation and protect the world’s oceans?
This definitely sounds like something we can get behind, so read on to learn more…
Photo credit: Chessington World of Adventures Resort
The Chessington Conservation Fund (CCF)
Chessington Zoo at Chessington World of Adventures Resort is involved with many national and international breeding programmes for rare and endangered species. They work really closely with the British & Irish Association of Zoos & Aquariums, the European Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and lots of other foundations with the aim of helping protect endangered species and their natural habitats.
For example, in 2012 (just a year after it was founded) the CCF met its aim of raising enough money to save an area of threatened habitat as large as Chessington World of Adventures Resort (128.5 acres).
More recently, in 2018, Chessington welcomed four endangered Amur tigers from Kolmarden Wildlife Park in Sweden and opened their Land of the Tiger attraction, where guests could use Europe’s first overhead trails to see these amazing creatures in their innovative new big cat enclosure. The CCF also committed over £20k to support tiger conservation, specifically to WildCats Conservation Alliance, and to a project designed to develop effective human-tiger conflict resolution in Northeast China, where the Amur tiger is commonly found.
They raise money for this fund through;
- 10% of car parking fees going directly to CCF
- Tickets for VIP encounters including a donation within the price
- Generous donations from visitors
- Special events such as ‘Roar and Explore’ and ‘Running Wild’
- And more...
The SEA LIFE Trust
The Trust develops and supports projects and campaigns which protect marine wildlife and habitats. These include;
- Campaigns against whaling in the EU
- Worldwide beach and litter cleans
- Educational campaigns to reduce plastic waste in our oceans
- Projects to protect turtles and their habitats
- Campaigns for more Marine Protected Areas
- Raising awareness of overfishing and destructive fishing
- Helping people make sustainable choices when buying seafood
They also support the development of sanctuaries to protect at-risk species. For example the SEA LIFE Trust created a Beluga Whale Sanctuary in the Vestmannaeyjar (easy for you to say..!) Islands off the coast of Iceland, which opened in May 2019 and provides a more natural home for two previously captive beluga whales, Little White and Little Grey, who used to live in ChangFeng Ocean Park, Shanghai, China.
It is hoped that the sanctuary will encourage others to put an end to the exploitation of these beautiful whales for entertainment purposes and take steps to ensure their future welfare.
Photo credit: Chessington World of Adventures Resort
So, not only is Chessington World of Adventures a fun-filled day out, but just by going and seeing the amazing animal attractions you’ll be supporting multiple incredible initiatives which work towards better animal conservation worldwide.
So book your tickets with Klook now and see for yourself!
#YoursToExploreSafely
