Colchester Zoo is a zoological garden situated near Colchester, England. Open since June 1963, the zoo is home to many rare and endangered species, including big cats, primates and birds as well as many invertebrates and fish species.
History
Established in 1963, the zoo was called Stanway Hall Park Zoo, but in the 1970s the zoo was struggling financially. Owner Frank Farrah sold the zoo for what would now become Colchester Zoo operated by the Tropeano family. The enclosure is now currently home to three Bornean orangutans, a male named Tiga and two females, Mali and her daughter Tatau, who arrived from the Paignton Zoo.
;Worlds Apart
Opened in May 2008, Worlds Apart consists of six enclosures, which include an open enclosure home to Fiji banded iguanas, rhinoceros iguanas, poison dart frogs, green anacondas and a walk-through exhibit that houses coppery titis, golden lion tamarins, Linnaeus's two-toed sloths, pied tamarins and a southern tamandua.
;Chimp World
Revamped in 2013, a new larger Chimp World houses a group of seven chimpanzees, three males and four females. The dominant male of the troop is named Tombe. Located nearby are West African slender-snouted crocodiles.
;Wallaby Walkabout
An Australia-themed walk-through enclosure that houses a group of Bennett's wallabies.
;Medellin Monkeys
The Medellin Monkeys enclosure is home to one of the main groups of Colombian spider monkeys.
;Heart of the Amazon
This complex is home to a large troop of common squirrel monkeys. The enclosures just outside Heart of the Amazon were previously home to both black and brown bears.
;Iguana Forest and South American Walkthrough
The former walkthrough near the old orangutan exhibit houses a group of golden-headed lion tamarins, as well as Linnaeus's two-toed sloths. The adjoining Iguana Forest holds several green iguanas confiscated from airport customs and yellow-footed tortoises. Nearby is an enclosure for a troop of golden-bellied capuchins. This walkthrough also previously housed the zoo's lesser Malayan chevrotain.
;Feathers of the Forest
A walkthrough habitat that features a few tropical bird species such as Victoria crowned pigeons and crested partridges.
;Familiar Friends (Outdoor Area)
thumb|[[Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) at the Familiar Friends area.]]
Outdoor area including donkeys, horses, llamas and alpacas. The Colenso Village is an African village-themed walkthrough enclosure for several African breeds of goat and sheep, namely the African pygmy goats, Boer goats, Cameroon sheep and fat-tailed sheep.
;Call of the Wild
This exhibit is near the Wilds of Asia complex and as of December 2013 features three Eurasian wolves. They can be viewed from the Lost Madagascar Express train, and also from the glass viewing areas.
;Other species
Other species found in the zoo include Barbary macaques, bush dogs, Chilean flamingos, collared mangabeys, Darwin's rheas, geladas, giant anteaters, L'Hoest's monkeys, shoebills, Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, Visayan spotted deer and Visayan warty pigs.
;Woolly Mammoth interactive display
In July 2016, the zoo opened a new augmented reality display that gives its visitors the chance to walk with digitally recreated woolly mammoths. The attraction is located inside the elephant house and is believed to be the first of its kind in a UK zoo.
Gallery
<gallery mode="packed">
African Animals (Colchester Zoo 28-8-2004).jpg|Spirit of Africa has many animals together similar to their natural environments.
African Elephant - 50866862587.jpg|African elephants
Colchester Zoo, Stanway, United Kingdom (Unsplash).jpg|Lion
Two zebras in Colchester Zoo - Flickr.jpg|Zebras
Red Panda - 50875834957.jpg|Red panda (Ailurus fulgens).
Ring tailed lemur and twins.jpg|A mother ring-tailed lemur with day-old twins.
Penguin - 50867001542.jpg|Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti).
Crocodile - 50875719426.jpg|Crocodile.
Metal Giraffe at Colchester Zoo - geograph.org.uk - 5334441.jpg|One of the pieces of artwork throughout the zoo.
Colchester Zoo 07-09-10.jpg|Tanganyika Road Train
</gallery>
Conservation and research
thumb|[[Heart murmurs of Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) is one area of research studied at the zoo.]]
The zoo has its own charity Action for the Wild to assist projects worldwide.
Cultural references
On television
thumb|Zookeeper Hayley was one of the many zookeepers featured in the television series Zoo Days.
The third series of the Channel 5 show Zoo Days came from Colchester Zoo. This series was presented by former Blue Peter star Konnie Huq, and began transmission on 9 June 2008 and ran for 4 weeks.
In books
In May 2013 a book called The History of Colchester Zoo was published. It was written by S.C.Kershaw.
On radio
The zoo's history, and various incidents of animals escaping, were featured in the BBC Radio 4 series Mark Steel's in Town, first broadcast in September 2016.
Awards
In 2024 the zoo won the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism award at the East of England Tourism Awards.