Technology
UK zoo keeps its rhinos warm with upgraded heating system
Chester Zoo in northern England is partnering with Mitsubishi Electric to implement more sustainable heating throughout its 128-acre grounds, with a key focus on enhancing the habitat of its critically endangered Eastern black rhinos.
The partnership, announced on Tuesday, May 21, aims to meet the specific heating requirements of the rhinos, while also contributing to the zoo’s broader sustainability targets.
“We have some very unique users in our buildings, with very, very specific environmental conditions,” Chester’s head of sustainability, Jennifer Kelly, told Reuters.
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“Every building on our site has a different environmental condition that we need to create to have the best animal welfare standards and habitat conditions for the critically endangered species that we’re caring for.”
The Eastern black rhinos are the first to benefit from the new tech as they require a carefully controlled environment for their wellbeing. The rhinos’ habitat features large open doors for their free movement, but this design can lead to substantial heat loss. Mitsubishi Electric’s heat pump technology aims to counter this by providing a stable temperature range of 18 to 24 degrees, creating a comfortable environment for the rhinos while minimizing energy waste.
But have the rhinos noticed the change?
A ten-day-old black rhino calf, Embu, takes his first steps outside with his mother, Zuri, at Chester Zoo in northern England. The zoo partnered with Mitsubishi Electric to upgrade the heating system in the black rhino enclosure. (Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
“Not at all. We haven’t had any feedback that they’ve noticed that their heating has changed at all. If anything, we can claim a real success in terms of maintaining that high heat demand that they have in that we had a calf earlier this year. So they seem very happy and settled with the air source pump system,” added Kelly.
This partnership with Mitsubishi forms part of Chester Zoo’s commitment to its goals to reduce fossil fuel use and promote sustainability.
The zoo hopes that the air source heat pumps demonstrate what’s possible and show that if heat pumps can work in rhino habitats, they can work in residential and wider settings too.
“Our zoo will be 100 years old in 2031, so we do have some quite historic building stock on site that we need to retrofit,” added Kelly.
“So far, we haven’t found an application where an air source heat pump wouldn’t work.”
Reflecting their name, heat pumps are mostly known for their warming abilities. Even on cold days they operate by efficiently pulling in what heat exists outside from the air or the ground and using that to heat a special refrigerant liquid into gas. When that’s compressed, it warms up more. Pumping what results round the building raises the temperature to a comfortable level.
Chester Zoo, open since 1931, is home to over 37,000 animals across 500 species and is recognized globally for its conservation efforts.
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The LG CLOiD robot and the LG OLED evo AI Wallpaper TV are displayed onstage during an LG Electronics news conference at CES 2026, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Jan. 5, 2026. (REUTERS/Steve Marcus)
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IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
– CES 2026 showstoppers: 10 gadgets you have to see
– Construction giant unveils AI to help prevent job site accidents: ‘It’s essentially a personal assistant’
– Fox News gets exclusive look at company helping businesses nationwide harness AI-powered robots to boost efficiency and fill labor gaps
CES 2026 put health tech front and center, with companies showcasing smarter ways to support prevention, mobility and long-term wellness. (CES)
FUTURE IS NOW: Every January, the Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES, takes over Las Vegas. It’s where tech companies show off what they’re building next, from products that are almost ready to buy to ideas that feel pulled from the future.
SAFER SITES: Construction equipment giant Caterpillar has unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to improve job site safety and boost efficiency as the industry grapples with labor shortages.
FUTURE OF WELLNESS: The Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES, is the world’s largest consumer technology event, and it’s underway in Las Vegas. It takes over the city every January for four days and draws global attention from tech companies, startups, researchers, investors and journalists, of course.
FUTURE OF WORK: As artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving, Fox News got an exclusive look at a company helping businesses nationwide harness AI-powered robots to boost efficiency and fill labor gaps. RobotLAB, with 36 locations across the country and headquartered in Texas, houses more than 50 different types of robots, from cleaning and customer service bots to security bots.
The LG CLOiD robot and the LG OLED evo AI Wallpaper TV are displayed onstage during an LG Electronics news conference at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Jan. 5, 2026. (REUTERS/Steve Marcus)
COMPUTE CRUNCH: The price tag for competing in the artificial intelligence race is rapidly climbing, fueling demand for advanced computing power and the high-end chips that are needed to support it. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Lisa Su said demand for AI computing is accelerating as industries rush to expand their capabilities.
AI GONE WRONG: A California teenager used a chatbot over several months for drug-use guidance on ChatGPT, his mother said. Sam Nelson, 18, was preparing for college when he asked an AI chatbot how many grams of kratom, a plant-based painkiller commonly sold at smoke shops and gas stations across the country, he would need to get a strong high, his mother, Leila Turner-Scott, told SFGate, according to the New York Post.
DR CHAT: ‘The Big Money Show’ panelists weigh in on a report on people turning to ChatGPT for medical and healthcare questions.
‘FUNDAMENTALLY DEFLATIONARY’: OpenAI Board Chair Bret Taylor discusses artificial intelligence’s potential to change traditional work and its increasing use in healthcare on ‘Varney & Co.’
MIND TRAP ALERT: Artificial intelligence chatbots are quickly becoming part of our daily lives. Many of us turn to them for ideas, advice or conversation. For most, that interaction feels harmless. However, mental health experts now warn that for a small group of vulnerable people, long and emotionally charged conversations with AI may worsen delusions or psychotic symptoms.
A California teenager sought drug-use guidance from a ChatGPT chatbot over several months while preparing for college, his mother told SFGate, according to the New York Post. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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