Channel 4’s
The Secret Life of the Zoo, a documentary focusing on the relationship between animals and their keepers at Chester Zoo in the UK, has proved a huge hit with the zoo reporting an upswing in attendance of around 20 per cent.
The new series – which is halfway through a six-episode run – uses a range of filming techniques to capture animal behaviour close up, also taking viewers behind the scenes to show not only the animals, but also the relationships they share with their keepers.
Jamie Christon, managing director at Chester Zoo, revealed to
Attractions Management that visitor numbers for the February half-term-period were “unprecedented”, exceeding last year’s numbers by several thousand people each day.
“Last year was a record year for us,” said Christon. “But this year we’re seeing visitor numbers of around 8-9,000 a day compared to around 6-7,000 a day in 2015 – roughly a 20 per cent increase year-on-year.”
Last year, the zoo
debuted its £40m (US$57.1m, €51.4m) Islands experience, which also helped contribute to the surge in visitor numbers.
“There’s a whole host of things which have contributed, Islands for example,” said Christon. “But lots and lots of visitors in the park are talking about the TV programme.
“We’ve kept our social presence up too with all five of our PR team tweeting during the episodes,” he added. “We trended number one in the UK on Twitter in the first week and we’ve been up in the top 10 in week two and three. We’ve also been inviting keepers who have been on the programme to do live Q&As on Twitter when the programme finishes, which has really boosted our presence.”
Christon added that he was hopeful for a second series, adding that the zoo would soon be entering discussions with Channel 4 and producer Blast to explore the possibility.
An added bonus to the documentary is many of the zoo’s keepers have now become in-house celebrities, with people not only coming to see the animals but to meet the staff.
“Quite a few of our keepers have been stopped in public and people have been telling them they’ve seen them on TV,” said Christon. “It’s been great for the staff. They feel extremely proud of themselves and so they should be. It’s great for the zoo too, like an added layer for us.”
The Secret Life of the Zoo airs on Tuesdays at 8pm on Channel 4 in the UK. The show debuted on 2 February with the final episode airing on 8 March.
