Chester Zoo most visited attraction of 2012

Figures show that the zoo was the most visited attraction in England, outside of London for last year.

That's according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions who's figures show that the Chester visitor hotspot was the 15th most visited attraction in the UK.

Chester Zoo's Director General Dr Mark Pilgrim said: "For the second year running we have stolen a march on attractions outside the capital.

"The zoo is constantly evolving and we were the first the bring robotic dinosaurs to a UK zoo. This year we'll be notching up another first with 13 fantastic animatronic bug."

Dominic Strange, Head of Guest and Business Operations at Chester Zoo has been telling Heart that although money for most is tight, families still come to the zoo: "Waht's really great about the stuff we do here is that children come here and have fun, but they learn at the same time so there are loads of educational aspects around.

The Zoo has had a baby boom during the past few months, Dominic says it doesn't just mean more for people to see:  "It's great for our visitors but it's also testament to the team and our keeping staff.  

"Having babies is down to them being in a happy environment, and down to the skills of the keepers."