Colchester Zoo has announced it will be changing its name from next year.
The north Essex zoo will be known as Colchester Zoological Society as of January 1, 2025.
It is part of plans for the zoo to become a charitable trust.
For the past 60 years the attraction has been known as a privately owned zoo with a charitable arm, Action for the Wild, since 2004, which has provided much needed funds for conservation projects around the world, including the zoo's own private nature reserve in South Africa.
Action for the Wild will transition into the charitable trust, Colchester Zoological Society, in Spring 2024, and will take over the running of the Zoo as a charitable trust on January 1, 2025.
Bosses also hope the move will create many new jobs in the local community, as well as expanding its association with many local suppliers and traders.
A spokesman for the zoo said: "A bigger zoo will not necessarily see the arrival of many new species but will ensure that every animal we have will have better and bigger facilities, with many habitats tripling in size.
"We hope to be able to bring new species such as, Gorilla, Bonobo and Okapi amongst others, to retain very much the African theme we have had over the years."
Visitors to the zoo will continue to make contributions to the developments in the zoo and the ongoing projects elsewhere.
According to the zoo, the park as an attraction will not change for visitors, as the big changes will be made behind the scenes.
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