LEGO: BIG CATS EXHIBITION
OPENS AT CHESTER ZOO
A pride of life-size big cats, constructed from more
than 600,000 LEGO® bricks, will leap into Chester Zoo
this February - joined by a host of other specially built
zoo animals on public display for the first time.
Visitors will discover the world’s biggest felines – in-
cluding fully-sized lions, cheetahs, tigers, jaguars – on
a journey through the zoo’s exhibition garden, from 13
February until 30 April 2019.
LEGO brick lovers will be able to compare snow leopards
with African and clouded leopards, discover a family of
caracals, and stand side by side with a majestic lynx.
Meticulously constructed by expert master-builders
using 661,042 bricks – the family friendly exhibition will
allow the people to get closer than ever before to some of
the planet’s greatest hunters.
An additional trail through the zoo will also reveal a host
of miniature LEGO brick species, from orangutans and
monkeys to zebras, red pandas, bears and penguins.
As a conservation and education charity, zoo experts
hope the exhibition will help to raise further awareness of
the threats the faced by the species in the wild.
26 wirrallife.com
Families inspired by the LEGO brick spectacle will be
able to join a team of Zoo Rangers to discover more
about big cats, have a go at creating their own animal
models, then come face-to-face with the real animals
across the zoo’s 125 acres of habitats.
Chester Zoo conservationists care for rare Asiatic lions,
South American jaguars, North African cheetahs and
Sumatran tigers as part of conservation breeding pro-
grammes for the threatened species.
Jon Turley, Head of Guest Experience at Chester Zoo,
said: “Creating from LEGO bricks is a much-loved family
pastime, but not many of us have ever created anything
like this! Our African leopard alone, with its distinctive
clusters of black spots, has been built from more than
100,000 bricks. We hope families will also get hands on
in our LEGO brick building sessions, as well as taking
a chance to see the real thing and connect with nature’s
most magnificent cats.”
The exhibition, which has been created for the zoo by
Bright Bricks, runs until 30 April 2019. Entry is free
with normal zoo admission. Tickets to the zoo can be
booked from www.chesterzoo.org.