The move is part of the zoo’s commitment to a 10-year conservation plan, which by 2031 aims to reverse the decline of 200 threatened populations of species in the wild.Ĭhester zoo is home to 3,000 species globally, including 140 international animal conservation breeding programmes, which are ensuring the survival of species on the brink of extinction. The piranhas, which are native to South America, can now be found inside the zoo’s Spirit of the Jaguar habitat in a special Latin American tank, connecting visitors with the underwater world of the Amazon. Piranhas often fall victim to larger fish, birds, caimans and Amazon river dolphins so, like many animals, they huddle together for protection,” Thomas said.
“Red-bellied piranhas can often be seen swimming in shoals, but this has little to do with coordinated hunting and is a lot more to do with self-defence. She said they played an important role in maintaining the balance of aquatic ecosystems and that other species would be unable to thrive without them. “But a good portion of their diet comes from hoovering up bits of dead flesh and dead fish found in rivers, as well as insects and various plant materials.” “They are meat-eaters with sharp teeth that sometimes nip the fins and tails of other fish,” she said. The aquarium team manager, Hannah Thomas, said piranhas were “very much misunderstood”. It is the first time fish specialists have cared for the species at the zoo in more than 30 years.
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