The coronavirus pandemic has had a pretty devastating effect on all sectors of the economy, and last month my local zoo issued a plea for help to the public. The UK’s largest charity zoo in Chester told us they were facing debts in excess of £24 million by the end of 2020. At the time, it felt a bit mad that the British government were letting people flock to the beaches, but not allowing the reopening of zoos, with their large outdoor spaces and ability to restrict visitors. But then again, most of what the British government does leaves me a bit dumbstruck.
After their plea for help and receiving funds through a Just Giving page, the Government actually listened, and allowed zoos to reopen. So of course, I thought I’d help support Chester Zoo and book me socially distant day out.
ATM, if you want to visit, you need to book in advance, online. That piece of info may be out of date in a week or so, as the Government hurries to reopen attractions and save the economy. Tickets are surprisingly cheap as well – a full day ticket cost me just £23.63. I had to book two weeks in advance – usually, Chester Zoo is the UK’s most visited wildlife attraction, but in these Covid Times, they are restricting the number of visitors allowed in the zoo. So of course, days get fully booked more quickly than usual.
But seeing as the weather was glorious back in June, I didn’t mind booking in advance and expected the glorious British summer to continue into July.
Alas.
It. Was. Miserable. How foolish I was to hope for skies of blue.
Get used to the browns and greys.
I met up with an old friend. Becca showed up (late) with a very important item.
A big, Everton-blue Liverpool One umbrella. Funny, as she supports the red side. As a City fan, I tried not to bring up the topic of football…
These signs were all over the park, just to remind those who might have forgotten that there was a bit of a pandemic going on.
If you’ve ever visited Chester Zoo, you know what you see first.
The Indian elephants (well, elephant) – like the ones I met in Thailand. Did I mention I went to Thailand?
Btw, it was at this moment I decided I needed to get myself a proper camera. My little Sony ain’t great on glum days.
Next up on the walk, a depressed looking rhino.
I don’t blame him. It was pissing it down.
Although the Zoo is open, there are still a lot of restrictions. Some of the indoor attractions, like the butterfly house, are still closed. Becca didn’t mind, as she’s terrified of butterflies.
You also aren’t allowed to climb upon Dumbo, or any other of his wooden friends around the park.
We went to see the cheetahs.
No cheetahs. Next door though, we did spot some wild asses.
We finally got our first close-up wildlife experience when we went to the lemur enclosure.
These ducks were swimming in the murky moat. No lemurs though.
At this point, I was feeling dispirited! I felt like Dr Alan Grant on that trial run around Jurassic Park before they met the triceratops. But still, you can’t hold it against the zoo or the animals. At least I could catch up with someone I hadn’t seen in nearly two years!
Becca wanted to see her favourite animal – the panda. Unfortunately, Chester Zoo doesn’t have any of those, but they do have a red panda!
They aren’t closely related to the giant panda. They are more closely related to raccoons, weasels and skunks.
The rain just wouldn’t stop, but we still had a lot of zoo left to see. At 400 acres, Chester Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the UK. We went to find some animals that didn’t mind being wet.
Some chilly looking penguins. Although, I suppose this was pretty mild for them.
Saw a tall camel.
Next up, the lions.
Bastard wouldn’t turn around and face the camera. I am too used to that cold shoulder from women.
That bushy tail tip tells you this is an Asiatic lion from India. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know lions lived in Asia still!
The Jaguar Building was open, but the queue didn’t look inviting.
So we headed to the Realm of the Red Ape building, where again, there was a queue. I thought, we had time, we may as well queue.
I was already soaking anyway. Social distancing meant I couldn’t really get under the umbrella.
The wait was worth it as there were plenty of interesting animals to see inside. Note how intrigued Becca is.
It was also pretty warm and humid in here. I was reminded of Thailand. SORRY DID I MENTIOON I WENNT TOOO THAAIIILANDD??!?!?1/1?!?!
We rounded a corner and there was a bit of a crowd. I hope these people were all part of the same bubble! Cos social distancing was forgotten here as everyone clambered for a close-up photo of an orang-utan.
She looked a bit effed off tbh.
Then I overheard why everyone wanted a photo. She was a mum, and her baby was hidden in her lap.
Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute.
Saw a bear. The sun bear is the smallest member of the Ursidae family.
The African wild dogs smelled very doggy. I like it.
Can’t come to Chester Zoo without staring at some meerkats for a bit.
And eventually we arrived back at the entrance where an elephant was wondering why the annoying keepers had stashed this hay so high.
Not once all day did it stop raining. I absolutely picked the wrong day to go. The Curse of David strikes again.
Hopefully next time I visit Chester Zoo, I’m more fortunate with the weather – then perhaps more of the animals might want to come out and say hello. And if that happens, I’ll bring an actual camera.
Despite the shit weather, it was nice to catch up with Becca and we went for pub grub afterwards. It’s crazy how you can put off seeing your friends and suddenly years have passed. GO SEE YOUR FRIENDS. AND YOUR FAMILY, OBVS. You never know what tomorrow brings, especially in times when there’s one of those pandemic things going on. Maybe you can go and support your local zoo at the same time. 😉
STAY SAFE x.
#VidOnTour 