Chester Zoo welcomed more visitors in 2016 than any other UK zoo in history, with just shy of 1.9 million people flocking to see the Cheshire attraction’s collection of 20,000-plus animals.

A high in the zoo’s 85 years of existence, 1,896,401 people visited the zoo last year – 12 per cent more than 2015’s record figures.

The zoo, which is ranked the sixth-best zoo in the world on TripAdvisor, has had a bumper couple of years, thanks in-part to both its £40m (US$48.6m, €46m) Islands Expansion, and it television exposure in BBC drama Our Zoo and then in the hit Channel 4 docuseries The Secret Life of the Zoo.

According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), the zoo is also the UK’s most visited paid for visitor attraction outside London, with a report last year ranking it 12th out of the UK’s most visited destinations.

Starting this month, the zoo will embark on a new phase of improvements to its exhibits – a £7m (US$9.4m, €8.3m) investment to enhance the habitats of its inhabitants.

Developments will include a new behind the scenes Bornean orangutan area in the zoo’s Realm of the Red Ape exhibit and improvements to its Monkey House. A new outdoor space will also be created to accommodate a pair of two-toed sloths, as well as a new habitat for the giant anteater to run alongside the existing capybara home.

Islands will also gain new additions with a new walkthrough bird aviary, a new home for the zoo’s two sun bears, and a Malayan tapir exhibit.

The investment is in line with the zoo’s philosophy of ‘always building’ – continually investing into animal habitats that follow the principles of animal wellbeing.

“We rely on our visitors to help deliver 80 vital conservation projects to protect threatened species – and the local communities that live alongside them – all around the world,” said Mark Pilgrim, Chester Zoo CEO.

“That work includes a commitment to scientific conservation research; sending our keepers abroad to offer hands on welfare and technical advice in the wild and equipping rangers and field workers with the tools they need to protect endangered animals.

“We couldn’t do all this without the brilliant, growing support of our visitors.”