More About Chessington
Over seventy-five years ago, Chessington World of Adventures started life as Chessington Zoo. Fast-forwarding to now and a lot has changed. You can now get closer than ever to the animals, and Chessington's Animal Land is at the forefront of conservation in the UK. (Some of our keepers travel the world to be involved in different conservation projects.)
In addition, we have a total of 25 rides and attractions suitable for tiny tots to daring experienced Adventurers, and at the start of the 2008 season, a brand new aquatic attraction is opening at Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo… A SEA LIFE Centre with over 20 marine life displays housing species ranging from tiny shrimps and starfish to magnificent sharks and stingrays. The 250,000 litre aquarium, which will be located within Chessington Zoo - will bring kids of all ages almost nose to nose with a wide range of sea creatures, creating the illusion that the visitor is on display while the fish swim freely around. Interactive ‘touchpools’, fun exhibitions and a walkthrough ocean tank will offer a final ‘wow-experience’ as the fish swim overhead.
Some facts and figures
The Humans:
- Since launching our Annual Pass in July 2006 we have sold over 8142
- We've sold more than 500,000 doughnuts, just over 70,000 hot dogs and 60,000 bottles of water
- We sold over 24,000 Quenchers but then refilled them another 50,000 times!
The Animals:
- Over 10.9 tonnes of fish were consumed, 3.5 tonnes by Boris alone!
- Over 5 tonnes of meat was eaten and we spent £50,000 on fruit and vegetables
The Babies:
Since 2006 we have seen lots of exciting new additions to the zoo. Among these are:
- 4 otter cubs
- 1 Persian leopard cub
- 3 Sumatran tiger cubs
- 3 sealions
- 2 seriemas
- 6 capybaras
- 2 fossa
- 1 lioness
- 4 ring tailed lemurs
The Rides:
- Chessington World of Adventures officially opened as a theme park in July 1987 by HRH Prince Edward.
- The fastest ride at Chessington is the spin-sational Dragon’s Fury rollercoaster, which climbs steep loops of up to 15 metres.
- The slowest ride is Peeking Heights, an 80 ft observation wheel that is also the highest ride in the park. On a clear day you can see Thorpe Park, London and Wembley!
