Chester Zoo have been told by the government that they are not able to open as they were expecting to. Having meticulously planned their social distancing measures, they have now been told that at present they must remain closed. £1.6million a month will help them keep going but still leaves them with huge debt. Please sign this to encourage the government to support further funding for our beloved zoo and to allow them also to re-open using the social distancing measures that they have already implemented. If the government say they must remain closed they must aim to do more to support them.

We cannot allow this zoo to close. It is more than a zoo. It is a conservation charity helping animals all over the world. It provides education for children on these incredible creatures that they look after. It is a place where families and friends come together. It is a place of care and love of animals. 

Taken directly from Chester Zoo:

As the UK’s biggest and most popular charity zoo, we’ve tried to stay positive during this pandemic.
Our conservationists have continued to prevent extinction, our virtual days have cheered up the nation, and our learning resources have helped thousands of home-schooling families.
We wanted to remain a beacon of hope.
We really tried.
But now, as the government has ordered that we may have to stay closed indefinitely, it hurts us to say that this crisis has left us fighting for our future.
Not being able to open, despite being a huge outdoor site with all the necessary safety measures in place, is having a devastating impact on our much-loved zoo. We’re heading towards debt in excess of £24m by the end of 2020 – this will financially cripple us. We need to raise £1.6m each month to keep going.
Meanwhile, we’re having to sit back and watch as people are piling onto beaches and into public parks, where there is no way of controlling numbers, no way of guaranteeing people are socially distanced and no way of ensuring safety. We, can do all of this.
We look on as, from this week, private gardens open up, while our own 128 acres of gardens and 16km of pathways remain closed, and under enormous financial pressure.
We REFUSE to cut corners when it comes to caring for the animals
We REFUSE to give up on our fight to prevent extinction
And because of that, we’ve now reached the point where we desperately NEED YOUR HELP
We need you to SAVE OUR ZOO...