Chester Zoo receives £50,000 pledge from building firm for invertebrate conservation
Chester Zoo has announced a five-year partnership with building products manufacturer wienerberger, including a £50,000 pledge to fund conservation work on UK native invertebrate species.
The money will support the zoo’s programme focused on terrestrial invertebrates, including insects, spiders and gastropods.
Chester Zoo said its conservation projects have previously helped bring fen raft spiders and scarce yellow Sally stoneflies back from the brink of extinction, and released large heath butterflies into areas where they were regionally extinct.
The partnership formalises a relationship that began in 2024 when wienerberger donated more than 600 tonnes of blue sandstone to help build a Himalayan-inspired habitat for snow leopards Nubra and Yashin at the zoo.
The pair, whose species is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, have since bred and are raising cub Bheri.
In 2025, wienerberger contributed 15 tonnes of yellow sandstone for the zoo’s Heart of Africa zone, described as the biggest zoo development in the UK.
The company also supplied bird and bat nesting and roosting boxes from its eco-habitat range for use across the zoo’s grounds.
Iri Gill, Ectotherms General Manager at Chester Zoo, said: “Invertebrates, which include insects, gastropods, worms and spiders are vital to healthy ecosystems.”
“They make up roughly 75% of described species, are incredibly diverse, and they support and shape equally diverse landscapes and ecologies.”
“Unfortunately, they are in sharp decline around the world, and the UK is no exception.”
“Chester Zoo projects have helped bring species like fen raft spiders and scarce yellow Sally stoneflies back from the brink, and we have released large heath butterflies into areas where they were regionally extinct.”
“With the support of organisations like wienerberger, we can continue this work to support British biodiversity.”
Maisie McKenzie, Biodiversity Manager at wienerberger UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Chester Zoo, whose pioneering work inspires millions of visitors annually to make positive contributions to wildlife conservation, both in the UK and around the world.”
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