Chester Zoo is TripAdvisor's best UK zoo and 7th in the world

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Chester Zoo rated best zoo in the UK and seventh best in the world
Phase one of a new £40m development Islands has just been unveiled
The Cheshire attraction is home to over 11,000 animals set in 110 acres

Published: 03:04 EST, 15 July 2015 | Updated: 03:36 EST, 15 July 2015

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With school holidays just around the corner, families can experience one of the top wildlife attractions in the world, without even having to leave the UK .

Chester Zoo has been voted the best zoo in the UK and the seventh best in the world, in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Attraction Awards.

The influential travel site today announced the accolade are based on millions of traveller reviews and opinions.

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Star attractions: Asian male lions Asoka and Naseek can be found amidst the 110 acres at Chester Zoo

A baby Asian Elephant with its herd at Chester Zoo in Cheshire

Mischievous baby elephants splashing around at Chester Zoo

The Cheshire zoo, which is home to over 11,000 animals of over 400 species set in 110 acres of zoological gardens, is also named fourth best rated zoo in Europe.

It is the second year in a row that the zoo has topped the UK list and appeared in both Europe's and the world's league.

Jamie Christon, managing director at Chester Zoo, said: 'Every person that walks through our gates helps us to support hugely important worldwide conservation efforts which are working to protect endangered species and educate people about the threats that so many animals and plants face.

Baby Sumatran Tiger triplets made their first appearance at Chester Zoo in January

Zookeepers, vets and cardiologists from Cardiff Met work together to perform a health check on a python

23-foot long snake undergoes health check up

10 BEST RATED ZOOS IN THE UK

1. Chester Zoo, Chester, Cheshire

2. Colchester Zoo, Colchester, Essex

3. Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool, Lancashire

4. Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Burford, Oxfordshire

5. Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, Begelly, South Wales

6. Paignton Zoo, Paignton, Devon

7. Durrell Wildlife Park, Trinity, Jersey

8. Drusillas Park, Berwick, East Sussex

9. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire

10. Axe Valley Wildlife Park, Axminster

'As a charity, we rely on visitors to enable us to keep on carrying out more and more of this work, so our thanks go to all who come here and supported us.'

Within the UK, it's the south that takes the lead.

It has more TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards for zoos than anywhere else in the country.

Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens in Oxfordshire, Paignton Zoo Environmental Park in Devon, Drusillas Park in East Sussex and Axe Valley Wildlife Park in Devon take fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth in the UK respectively.

The TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards also revealed that the UK boasts more winning zoos from Britain than any other European country.

It features eight in Europe's top 25.

Variety of species: An Orangutan mother and baby at Chester Zoo

Mother's touch: A black rhino Kitani helping her calf Fara to her feet at Chester Zoo

10 BEST RATED ZOOS IN EUROPE

1. Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz, Spain

2. Prague Zoo, Prague, Czech Republic

3. Tiergarten Schoenbrunn - Zoo Vienna, Vienna, Austria

4. Chester Zoo, Chester, UK

5. ZooParc de Beauval, Aignan, France

6. Colchester Zoo, Colchester, UK

7. Bioparc Valencia, Valencia, Spain

8. Zoologischer Garten (Berlin Zoo), Berlin, Germany

9. Novosibirsk Zoo, Novosibirsk, Russia

10. Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool, UK

Chester Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Blackpool Zoo, Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, Paignton Zoo, Durrell Wildlife Park and Drusillas Park take fourth, sixth, tenth, twelfth, sixteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth and twentieth respectively.

The annual Travellers' Choice awards for zoos are based on the millions of reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers across the globe.

Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for zoos worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.

TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay said: 'These awards are based on the millions of reviews and opinions written by our global community of travellers and with the schools breaking up for summer in a matter of days, these winners should serve as great inspiration for a fantastic family day out.'

Chester Zoo features a female Sumatran Orangutan Subis

An infant giraffe (left) and Asian Elephants (right) are some the residents to be found in the top UK zoo

THE WORLD'S BEST RATED ZOOS

1. San Diego Zoo, San Diego, United States

2. Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz, Spain

3. Singapore Zoo, Singapore

4. Prague Zoo, Prague, Czech Republic

5. Tiergarten Schoenbrunn – Zoo, Vienna, Austria

6. Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, United States

7. Chester Zoo, Chester, United Kingdom

8. St. Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, United States

9. Zoological Wildlife Foundation, Miami, United States

10. ZooParc de Beauval, Saint Aignan, France

The UK also lays claim to three winners among the world's top 25 – second only to the US, which boasts the most world winners with eight and tying with Australia which also claims three world winners.

San Diego Zoo in the US took the coveted title of best zoo in the world.

The win follows Chester Zoo's recent unveiling of phase one of its new £40m development, Islands which aims to recreate a South East Asian destination in the heart of Chester.

'Islands provides visitors with a truly unique and immersive experience – we have captured the sounds, the smells, the colours and hustle and bustle of far-flung islands from South East Asia and brought them to the Cheshire countryside.

'It's a zoo experience like no other and we hope it'll further enhance our standing as being one of the world's best,' added Kay.

Three very cute endangered tiger cubs born at Chester Zoo