CHESTER Zoo has released images of its £30m Islands development – a conservation expedition bringing the islands of the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Sumatra, Sumba and Sulawesi to the heart of Cheshire.

The development will showcase the zoo’s conservation fieldwork and bring together animals such as the anoa, babirusa, Bali starling, cassowary, Indonesian rhinoceros hornbill, Indonesian wrinkled hornbill, lorikeet, Sumatran orangutan, saltwater Sulawesi macaque, Sumatran tiger and the Visayan warty pig.

Dr Mark Pilgrim, director general of Chester Zoo, said: “Our wildlife expedition will be based on real life, real people and real stories and will be unlike anything seen in a UK zoo.

“Islands will not just showcase the areas that the zoo works but will be a platform for some of the most endangered animals on the planet.”

Visitors will pass through by boat or on foot and navigate mangroves, swamps, bamboo and tropical forests.

Some of the animals are already in the zoo but new species will include the saltwater crocodile and banteng, a wild and endangered cattle species.

Islands will also include a major new Indonesian tropical house which will be the largest indoor zoo exhibit in the UK.

Work is expected to start in the autumn, with the opening planned for Easter 2015.