ZSL penguin research
Due to climate change, Macaroni, Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins are facing a threat to their existence. Due to the shortage of available technology and the harsh conditions of the Antarctic habitat there is a lack of vital data about penguin population trends and their distribution.
To identify what is happening and to identify ways to help, ZSL is conducting several expeditions. ZSL’s own penguinologist Tom Hart is leading these expeditions, and this year he will be travelling to Antarctica with penguin keeper Evelyn Guyett.
Tom's photo gallery
View stunning images of Tom Hart's previous expedition to the Antartic.
Penguins at ZSL London Zoo
The Penguin Pool is located in the central hub of ZSL London Zoo on Barclay Court and is home to two species of penguin.
Find out more about: ZSL London Zoo's penguins
To view the flash movie you require Adobe Flash player 7 or above, please install/upgrade Adobe Flash player
News - Penguin fingerprinting
Penguins’ DNA is being used for the first time to study how they migrate between colonies.
Researchers from ZSL and the University of Sheffield have identified genetic markers that can be used to track the movement of penguins and ultimately determine whether Antarctica’s changing climate is driving them from their favoured breeding sites.
Find out more: Penguin fingerprinting
Penguin donations
You can donate to our penguin conservation work. All donations will go directly to this project to support our penguin conservation efforts.
Mapping penguin movement
ZSL is aiming to map penguins’ movement around the whole of the Southern Ocean.
Our very own penguinologist Tom Hart will use ground-breaking technology in harsh regions and visit the most remote, jagged and impressive islands, home to several million penguins. Tom will collect DNA samples to look at how penguins move around Antarctica.
We have come up with a way to DNA fingerprint penguins so that we can see where they have come from and how they migrate over time. Just as DNA can tell you how closely related you are to your parents, your cousins and your friends, a penguin’s DNA can tell us which colony a penguin originally came from, and therefore how penguins mix between colonies.
Through the generous donations from the Charities Advisory Trust and McVitie’s Penguin, ZSL and the wider global scientific community can collect essential information on the direction and rate of migration between colonies, highlighting the recent response of penguins to climate change. This will help us to put reserves in place that allow penguins to adapt to climate change, rather than restrict them to their current distributions.
Find out more about: Tom Hart