If they removed the zoo, I think they’d need to do some serious work to change the image of the place and give it a new USP.
Unlike other UK parks with animals, the animals are too fundamentally baked into the identity of Chessington for removing them all to be an easy transition. Half the rides are themed to animals, the hotels are themed to animals, the upcoming waterpark looks like it might be animal-themed, the marketing is heavily animal-centred, the events are animal-themed… the zoo and the animals are fundamentally baked into the park’s identity.
The combination between zoo and theme park is also arguably what makes Chessington work and be successful at present, and the weaknesses of either of the individual elements are obscured by the fact that both coexist in one park. If the zoo were removed, I think the weaknesses of the theme park would become apparent, and if the theme park were removed, I think the weaknesses of the zoo would become apparent. It would arguably struggle to hold its own within either market individually, but the fact that it has both put together gives it a USP within both markets.
The question the park would need to ask themselves in the event of the animals being removed is; without the animals, what is Chessington? How does it stand out within the UK theme park industry, particularly within the saturated South East? Thorpe Park has thrills covered, Legoland has the Lego, and Paultons has Peppa Pig. Without the animals, where does Chessington fit into that equation? What is its niche? I think that’s the important question they need to figure out before they even think about removing the animals.
