What type of research is carried out at Chester Zoo?
The research staff at Chester Zoo conduct studies which fall under six main specialisms;
- Biodiversity Survey & Ecological Monitoring
- Conservation Breeding & Management
- Human-Wildlife Conflict
- Livelihoods & Sustainable Development
- Visitor & Community Engagement
- Wildlife Health & Wellbeing
You can learn about our specialisms here.
Please view our meet the team page to find out more.
We prioritise projects that address questions that have a positive impact on the species we have in the zoo or the conservation of their wild counterparts.
How do I carry out a research project at Chester Zoo?
We have a formal research proposal review process. Every research project has to be registered with, reviewed and approved by us before the project can begin or before biological samples are collected.
You will need to apply well in advance of when you wish to begin your project. If you’re interested in conducting research at Chester Zoo, you can find out more here.
I have never conducted a research project before – what is the first thing I should do?
We strongly recommend that you first read the Zoo Research Guidelines series produced by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), which can be downloaded for free from the BIAZA website.
The guidelines offer practical advice on how to set up a research project and cover a range of areas of zoo research, e.g. behavioural observations, nutrition and diet evaluations, assessments of visitor effects, and statistics.
I am an undergraduate/Masters student and I want to carry out a project that is not purely observational, for example a questionnaire for zoo staff or an environmental enrichment study?
If you are not carrying out a project commissioned by Chester Zoo, then we are only able to approve purely observational undergraduate and Masters’ projects. Projects involving any manipulation to the animal’s environment or husbandry (including environmental enrichment), involving human subjects or questionnaires will not be approved.
We suggest that undergraduate/Masters’ students discuss other project ideas and research questions with their supervisor, which are purely observational, before submitting an application.
I am interested in animal behaviour/welfare, could you tell me more about the enrichment you provide?
As you can imagine we receive many emails each week asking about the care and wellbeing of our animals. Unfortunately, it is not possible to answer them all. Please refer to our blogs on animal behaviour for some of the ways in which we have researched this for our Curatorial staff.
I’m doing an assignment on nutrition – can you send me details of how you feed the animals at Chester Zoo (e.g. what is fed, nutritional values of each ingredient, feeding regimens)?
As you might appreciate, we receive regular requests for zoo animal nutrition/diet information, which are not appropriate for us to answer in detail. Information on the feeding ecology of selected species at Chester Zoo can be found here.
For zoo animal nutrition information, the EAZA Nutrition Group maintains a resource page of recommended reading, useful weblinks and conference publications, with many of the latter freely available to download.
Can you answer some questions for my school/college/university project? For example about plant or animal species, numbers, enclosure design, animal care and husbandry.
We receive lots of requests each week asking for help with all sorts of school, college and university projects, all of which we would love to answer. Unfortunately, this is just not possible.
If you are conducting an approved project using a Student Project Pass or Research Pass a Taxon Report for your study species would have been provided. However, information such as numbers of individuals on show or enclosure features should be recorded at the time of observation.
The best thing to do is to have a look around our website where you will find lots of information about our animals, our conservation projects and hopefully answers to your questions.
Are placements available in the Science Team?
We offer 12-month Industrial Student Placements to undergraduate students on a degree with a year in industry (sometimes known as sandwich degrees) in our Science and Field Programmes Teams. These are usually advertised in the Autumn for the following academic year on our website.
We sometimes host Professional Internships for PhD Students (PIPS) for those studying for a Research Council funded Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). However, this depends on capacity in the Science Team at the time, the requirements of the university/funder and the interests of the student. If you would like to undertake a PIP with Chester Zoo, email Research@chesterzoo.org
We do not have the capacity to accommodate any other type of voluntary or work placement in the Science Team.
Three-month and twelve-month internships are available with our Animal Teams; these are usually advertised in Spring on the website
You can also check our careers page regularly for current vacancies.
I am submitting a proposal for a Research Pass, what is your process for reviewing it and how long does it take?
When you submit your proposal, it will be registered in our research database and you may be contacted for further information about your project. All projects are discussed at our Science Committee meeting which is held fortnightly and approval is sought from relevant people if we wish to support it (e.g. Curator, Veterinary Manager). We review projects against a range of criteria including: the potential for conservation, husbandry or veterinary benefit, scientific quality, ethics and feasibility. This process may take up to four weeks to complete depending on how many projects are being reviewed and the complexity of the project. Once a decision has been made you will be contacted via email.
I am doing an MSc/PhD in xxx, would Chester Zoo consider funding my project?
Unfortunately, Chester Zoo does not provide research scholarships or act as an external funder. Our Conservation Scholars (MRes or PhD students) and Fellows (post-doctoral studies) are part of strategic academic partnerships, underpinned with a Research Agreement, in which Chester Zoo contributes to the design, direction and supervision of the projects.
I have been undertaking observations on your animals, would it be possible to ask a keeper some questions?
The keeping staff are extremely busy and have strict schedules. If you have a Student Project Pass, we cannot allow you to speak with a member of staff as explained in the Terms and Conditions. If you are or have applied for a Research Pass (usually those studying for a PhD or above or a professional researcher), any type of interaction with Chester Zoo should be requested in the proposal or amendment form.
I am doing a research project on xxx, please could your staff complete this questionnaire?
If you are studying for a Masters level qualification or below we are only able to approve purely observational studies using on show animals. All other types of study including carrying out surveys with Chester Zoo staff require permission using a Research Pass, we can only allow those studying for a PhD or higher to conduct anything other than observational research.
How do I find more information about the animal and plant collection at Chester Zoo?
To find out more about our collection you can explore our website and find out more about our plants and animals.
What do you do with the information you collect about me?
When you conduct research with Chester Zoo we ask for your name, email and business address on the proposal form. We have a legitimate interest to keep this information for 10 years; it enables us to review your proposal and to make an informed decision about supporting the project. If approved, we need to be able to contact project staff during the data collection stage and after the project has ended to facilitate the research. Project information and personal data is needed beyond the project end in case of queries about the project. For further information please view our Privacy Policy