2026-09-15 11:01:18

A zoo has apologised after accidentally advertising a “child predator tour”.

Potential visitors of Chester Zoo were left shocked when they saw the name of the 90-minute bus tour of the zoo, which would have given them a chance to get closer to animals including lions and Sumatran tigers.

People were quick to comment on the tour name, with one person writing online: “I hope this has been cleared by Cheshire Police – seems a bit dangerous.”

Another questioned: “Staggering – how did that get approved?”

While a third called the name “sinister”.

Someone else was stunned that “they really didn’t catch that while typing it out, huh?”, as another laughed: “Really could have worded that better!”

Another argued that the zoo “had to know what they were doing there”, while someone else called the blunder “hilarious”.

Tickets for the “child predator tour” were being sold for £25 per child, while the “adult predator” tour tickets were £30.

A description of the tour on the Chester Zoo website read: “Discover the predators of the animal kingdom, and their prey in our brand new guided tour.
“You’ll be the first visitors in the zoo as you board our electric tour bus and enjoy 90 minutes of the zoo all to yourself.

“Come face to face with some of the zoo’s most iconic animals, away from the crowds, including our family of Sumatran tigers.

“Your expert tour guides will be on hand to share fascinating facts about some of nature’s most effective hunters.”

Following the backlash over the tour name, a spokesperson for Chester Zoo said the mistake had been made “due to our default naming convention in our system”, but had been “quickly changed”.

Visitors are now able to purchase “child tour” or “adult tour” tickets.

Chester Zoo, opened in 1931, is one of the UK’s largest zoos, with 51 hectares of land.

It was also named the ‘Best Zoo in the UK’ in 2024.

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