At the zoo
Length of workshop 50 minutes
Chester Zoo is at the forefront of efforts to prevent extinction worldwide.
Why is it important for zoos to consider genetics when trying to save threatened species? Join us for an engaging walking tour of our brand new Heart of Africa zone where we’ll explore the amazing biodiversity of this region and why it is under threat.
We’ll discover the role that DNA plays in conservation work at the zoo, and why it’s vital that we maintain genetic variation within animal populations in our breeding programmes. Students will learn what it takes to help prevent the extinction of threatened species, and what they can do to help.
This workshop will take place in the Heart of Africa zone and the tour will provide your group with an opportunity to explore this amazing new area of Chester Zoo. We’d therefore recommend avoiding Heart of Africa prior to your tour to maximise your time in the Zoo.
The tour is subject to change due to animal availability or extreme weather. Please ensure students are dressed appropriately for a walking tour.
Age group – Key Stage 3 and 4
Duration – 50 minutes
Capacity – 20 Students
Workshop cost – £50
Curriculum Links
KS3 Science
Genetics and evolution
- Differences between species.
- The variation between species and between individuals of the same species means some organisms compete more successfully, which can drive natural selection.
- Changes in the environment may leave individuals within a species, and some entire species, less well adapted to compete successfully and reproduce, which in turn may lead to extinction.
- The importance of maintaining biodiversity and the use of gene banks to preserve hereditary material.
KS4 Science
Ecosystems
- The importance of biodiversity
- Positive and negative human interactions with ecosystems
- Evolution, inheritance and variation
- Genetic variation in populations of a species
- The process of natural selection leading to evolution
- The importance of selective breeding of plants and animals (in agriculture)
- The uses of modern biotechnology including gene technology