Chester Zoo Science

There are fewer snow leopard cubs (though more than zero) and more science stories here - but there's still a good chance of seeing a cute animal. 🙂

Chester Zoo | Nature in Autumn

Autumn is a key time of year for many UK species, and there are easy things you can do (and some you can avoid) to help nature thrive right now!

www.chesterzoo.org/news/how-to-...

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#bonfirenight #diwali #halloween #autumn #nature

Interesting

Climate and health strategies must address the biodiversity crisis Safeguarding biodiversity is not simply an environmental concern but a foundational element of preventive and clinical care.

Our health depends on the planet’s health 🌎

@wcs.org Chris Walzer & Neil Vora call for treating biodiversity loss & climate change as one global health emergency, protecting nature is a public health imperative.

In a monastery beside a 16th-century basilica in Pátzcuaro, Mexico, Dominican nuns move between rows of aquarium tanks, checking water quality and feeding earthworms to hundreds of brown salamanders with flowing gills.

We are part of an ongoing international project to save the achoque salamander.

@mongabay.com has run a comprehensive feature on where our work is up to...

news.mongabay.com/2025/10/nuns...

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Stock proof fences: saving lemurs and littoral forests | Chester Zoo

A major threat to Madagascar's rarest type of forest could be solved by one thing - the hedge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳

www.chesterzoo.org/conservation...

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It's the best way to be.

A crowded conference hall. It's dark, except for the brightly lit stage covered in screens showing nature scenes

🌿Chester Zoo is helping shape the future of conservation:🌿

Following a whirlwind week in Abu Dhabi, Chester Zoo experts reflect on their time at the IUCN World Conservation Congress – perhaps the most significant event in the conservation calendar:

www.chesterzoo.org/news/chester...

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YouTube video by IFLScience Achoque Salamanders: Microchipping One Of The World’s Rarest Amphibians

Fewer than 150 achoque may survive in the wild, and we need a way to monitor their health and other factors to better protect them.

Good news, though: our scientists have carried out the first ever successful microchipping trial on these salamanders!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWzV...

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Do not.

Image shows a snow leopard rolling across rocky ground in the Himalayas. Its feet are in the air and it is showing its belly

Today's mood.

(Image courtesy of the Snow Leopard Trust, whose work we support in Kyrgyzstan)

What a handsome chap!

snoopy is standing in front of a fireworks display and says `` so proud of you ! '' ALT: snoopy is standing in front of a fireworks display and says `` so proud of you ! ''

🌴 This announcement is an acknowledgement of the innovative work HUTAN and others have done to reduce human-wildlife conflict and support biodiversity in a mosaic landscape dominated by agriculture.

#KinabatanganRiver #Sabah #MalaysianBorneo #HUTAN

🌳 The region HUTAN cover has now been recognised as a ‘learning place for sustainable development’, nominated by the national government and designated by the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).

#biodiversity #nature #conservation
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Image shows a top down view of wild trees hemmed in by cultivated palm crops

🐒 Chester Zoo, with the help of generous funding partners, has been among the organisations supporting HUTAN's vital research and conservation work over the last 20 years.

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a bird with a yellow beak is sitting in a tree with netflix written on the bottom Alt: a bird with a yellow beak is sitting in a tree with netflix written on the bottom

🐘 Kinabatangan is home to diverse communities including the Orang Sungai river people, and a range of threatened species, including Bornean #orangutans, eight species of #hornbill and Bornean #elephants.

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Hutan Hutan empowers communities to develop solutions for the peaceful coexistence of people and wildlife in the Kinabatangan region of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

🦧 It was announced recently that the Kinabatangan, the precious biodiversity hotspot where HUTAN are based, is one of 26 new UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.

hutan.earth

#KinabatanganBiosphereReserve #UNESCOBiosphereReserve

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Biodiversity win alert! 🙌

Huge congratulations to our conservation partners in Malaysia, HUTAN, who have secured a massive conservation win alongside their local partners, the Sabah Biodiversity Council, and the State government.

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A close up of a grumpy looking fish. It is silvery brown with big round eyes and delicate fins.

Today's mood:

(Pictured: Rheocles, an endemic Malagasy freshwater fish, during a fish count our Field team helped conduct)

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New map could save the lives of humans and elephants When human settlements and wildlife bump into each other it can cause big problems, so scientists are working on an interactive map aiming to keep both sides safe

More than 500 people and 60-100 #elephants die each year due to human-wildlife conflict in India.

A Chester Zoo scientist is leading on a lifesaving mapping project to predict where conflicts may occur based on historical incidents. 🐘

www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/ar...

#coexistence 🧪🌏🦇

Chester Zoo joins forces with other zoos in pioneering project In a bold step for global wildlife conservation, Toronto Zoo (Canada), Chester Zoo (United Kingdom) and Dublin Zoo (Ireland) today announced a…

Cells stored in ultra-low temperatures can remain viable for decades, allowing conservationists to support future breeding programs by maintaining or restoring genetic diversity.

But this science can only work through collaboration.

Read more here: chesterstandard.co.uk/news/2553483...

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Photo shows scientist Katie Edwards extracting samples from a cryotank. She is wearing protective gear and there is liquid nitrogen 'steam'.

Chester Zoo, @thetorontozoo.bsky.social and DublinZoo just announced a major partnership to advance conservation cryopreservation, which may be key to preserving the precious genetic diversity of threatened species.

Zoo representatives met at #iucncongress2025 to mark the agreement.

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Our fossa pup health check has gone viral! 🥹

By the way, did you know we work with Malagasy partners to protect fossa forests in the wild?

Find out more (and consider donating) here: chesterzoo.org/madagascar

#fossa #fossalove #toebeans

Thank you 🥰

A graphic saying 'come and say hello' with logos for Chester Zoo and the IUCN. There is a photo of a golden mantella tree frog in the background

...to highlight the critical role zoos play in protecting animals, plants, and habitats.

iucncongress2025.org

🤝 Meet us at booth 135 in the Exhibition Hall from 12:00 on 9 October to 18:00 on 13 October. We'd love to connect!

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A graphic showing a rhino with Chester Zoo and IUCN logos. Text: Chester Zoo at the IUCN Congress 2025

Meet our delegates: A graphic saying: Chester Zoo delegation: Simon Dowell Charlotte Smith Sue Walker Rob Comley Sean Dick Jane Absalom The names are accompanied with small face cards

Our delegates will also appear on the following panels: 📍 Partnership for Species Survival: Building a Model of Collaboration for Conservation in the 21st Century Panel including Simon Dowell, Senior Advisor: Conservation Strategy at Chester Zoo 9 October, 16:00 - 16:45 in the IUCN Africa Pavilion 📍 Accelerating the Recovery of Life on Earth Panel including Simon Dowell, Senior Advisor: Conservation Strategy at Chester Zoo 10 October, 16:00 – 17:45 in the Reverse the Red Pavilion 📍 Establishing National Frameworks for Environmental Learning Panel including Charlotte Smith, Director of Conservation Education and Engagement at Chester Zoo 10 October, 16:00 – 17:00 in the Canada Pavilion 📍 Pathways to Conservation Careers: Experiences from Across IUCN Member Organizations Panel including Jane Absalom, Lead Zoo Ranger at Chester Zoo 13 October, 15:00 - 16:00 in the IUCN Youth Pavilion

Join us for talks and workshops in the Nature-based Education Pavilion on 12 October 📌 11:00 – 12:00 Exploring the collective power of nature based education in zoos, aquaria and botanic gardens | IUCN World Conservation Congress. 📌 12:00 – 13:00 Inspiring conservation action in communities through collaborative nature based education | IUCN World Conservation Congress 📌 13:00 – 14:00 Reaching out: Nature based education within ex situ and in situ collaborations | IUCN World Conservation Congress 📌 14:00 – 15:00 From nature based education initiatives to global targets for conservation. | IUCN World Conservation Congress 📌 15:00 – 16:00 Moving audiences to conservation action: behaviour change through ex situ and civil society organisations | IUCN World Conservation Congress 📌 17:30 – 18:00 Inclusive and authentic conservation storytelling | IUCN World Conservation Congress We hope to see you there!

🌍 We're heading to Abu Dhabi for the IUCN World Conservation Congress - one of the most significant events in global conservation.

From 9-15 October, key representatives from our education, science, and policy teams will be there...

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#IUCNcongress #IUCN2025

A nice write-up from Science Blog

It's such a problem for young elephants and the species as a whole. Sorry to hear about Fitz.

Hopefully, the vaccine will reduce the risk of looses like these.

We’ve developed the world’s first elephant virus vaccine | Chester Zoo

HUGE news: after a successful trial, we can tell the world we helped develop the world's first 🐘 EEHV vaccine!

www.chesterzoo.org/news/we-ve-d...

This is massive for #elephant conservation and we reached this point thanks to our partners and you, our supporters. Now on to the next stage...

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That's the humans' loss. Stingrays are awesome.