Chester Zoo Gets £60M to Save Britain's Rarest Species

Chester Zoo is launching an ambitious rescue mission for some of Britain's most endangered creatures, thanks to a record-breaking £60 million government investment in species recovery.

The zoo will establish a new Native Species Recovery Hub focused on saving the glutinous snail, a freshwater species now surviving in just one location: Bala Lake in Wales. The facility will breed insurance populations that can help strengthen wild numbers in the future.

"Global conservation is important, but we believe conservation should start at home," said Iri Gill, General Manager for Ectotherms at Chester Zoo. The team will also work with two other critically threatened native invertebrates as part of the breeding program.

The funding will also accelerate efforts to restore the lady's slipper orchid, one of Britain's most stunning wildflowers. Victorian collectors nearly loved it to death, picking specimens until only a single plant remained by 1930.

Chester Zoo has worked with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew to carefully propagate the orchid from protected locations. Phil Esseen, Head of Plants at Chester Zoo, says the partnership has already prevented extinction and is now on the brink of achieving self-sustaining wild populations.

The new resources will help researchers understand the orchid's habitat needs, how it interacts with soil microbes, and the best germination techniques. The team is also building community support to protect reintroduced plants from illegal collection.

The Ripple Effect

The Species Recovery Programme will fund 130 projects protecting 364 threatened species across England. While visitors won't be able to tour the breeding facility, Chester Zoo hopes the project will spotlight conservation challenges facing British wildlife that often get overlooked in favor of more charismatic species abroad.

Invertebrates like snails and insects remain underrepresented in conservation work despite their critical role in healthy ecosystems. The new hub puts Britain's smallest and least celebrated creatures front and center.

More than 350 threatened species will benefit from the government's Wild Again initiative, proving that coming home from the brink is possible with commitment and expertise.