Construction work has begun on the £30m Islands project at Chester Zoo in Cheshire following a groundbreaking ceremony.

Set to open in 2015, Islands will fill a previously unoccupied area of the zoo and will feature flora and fauna from the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Sumatra, Sumba and Sulawesi.

There will also be an Indonesian jungle house, one of the largest indoor zoo exhibits in the UK, which will house orangutans, macaques and the sunda gavial crocodile – an endangered species with only 2,500 mature individuals in existence.

The jungle house, which will be known as Monsoon Forest, will feature raised walkways, underwater viewings and free flight areas in a sub-tropical climate.

Engineering company Laing O’Rourke was awarded the build following a nationwide tender process.

Chester Zoo director general, Mark Pilgrim said that the new jungle house would be “the largest of its kind in the UK,” while also stating that the Islands project would “transform the zoo so it can become one of the biggest in Europe.”

To mark the start of construction work on Monsoon Forest, the Duke of Westminster, president of the zoo was in attendance for the groundbreaking ceremony.

“It brings me such pleasure to see the zoo continue to flourish and maintain its position as one of the leading conservation institutions in Europe,” said the Duke. “I look forward to visiting the completed Monsoon Forest in 2015.”

Vacancies with Chester Zoo:

Operations Implementation ManagerLocation: Chester, United Kingdom Salary: c. £40,000