Stanway Hall Zoo Park was a very small establishment which consisted of a small collection of animals and was situated on just 25 acres of land. The zoo first opened it gates to the public in June 1963 and was owned by two zoologists who soon renamed it Colchester Zoo.

In 1983 the zoo was taken over by its new and current owners and is now a family run private limited company. The zoo was run solely at this time by a very small group of staff and was receiving around 100,000 visitors through its gates per year.

Since 1963 there has been a big increase in numbers and the zoo, which now covers over 60 acres, is currently receiving over 500,000 visitors a year and is managed by over 250 staff.

Colchester Zoo now hosts a large and varied collection of animals which include some highly endangered species. Many of these are members of the European Endangered Species breeding programs.

The new "Orangutan Forest" indoor enclosure, which opened in October 2008 and is situated next to the old Stanway Church, will also eventually host exhibits containing some of the smaller species of Asian wildlife. The outdoor enclosure is due to open in 2009. Future plans are already being made to create a brand new exhibit within the zoo based upon the site of the original orang-utan enclosure. This will be spread over two levels and will house yet another variety of interesting species along with an underwater viewing tunnel on the first floor where visitors will be able to see crocodiles swimming and feeding. The second floor will house a walkthrough Tropical Rainforest.

One other future development to look out for will be a Nature Reserve aimed at attracting Amphibians and Invertebrates giving visitors the opportunity to learn about our country's native species.

As well as being one of the counties most popular tourist attractions, Colchester Zoo is a conservation centre with the aim 'to raise awareness and empower people to respect and help animals world-wide'.