Wild tiger populations, fragmented across ten countries in Asia, are vulnerable to diseases. One such disease is canine distemper virus (CDV), which has been found in several tiger populations and proves fatal in 40% of cases. Working in collaboration with scientists around the world, WildCats Conservation Alliance (a ZSL programme in partnership with Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation) is funding a project to develop a reliable and readily accessible test for detecting canine distemper virus antibodies in tigers and other wild carnivores. While there is already a test for CDV available, it is costly and requires a specialist laboratory, and only 4 of the ten range countries have such facilities. Understanding the spread of this disease is crucial to managing its impact, not just in tigers but in other cat species worldwide.

A family wearing animal ears running through London Zoo with a Run Wild logo in the bottom left corner of the image

Tigers

The Lawnmower Museum is home to the first lawnmower, built by Edwin Beard Budding in 1831, which was trialled at London Zoo.

Keeper Fred Perry with the world's first camel drawn lawnmower 1913 (LZ was where the world's first lawnmower was trialled in 1830)

The Lawnmower Museum

Find Out More

The American Museum of Natural History is home to the skeleton of Jumbo the elephant, who lived at London Zoo until 1882. He was the largest animal anyone in Britain had ever seen, and his name became synonymous with something incredibly large - a word we still use in this way today. Jumbo was a firm favourite with visitors to London Zoo and there was public outcry when he was sold to PT Barnum for his famously travelling circus. 

The American Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Scotland is home to the taxidermied Ching Ching the panda, who lived at London Zoo between 1974 and 1985 and was the subject of much public fascination. She played an important role in raising awareness of panda conservation and strengthening cultural links between the UK and China.

The National Museum of Scotland

The Australian Museum is home to the taxidermied Winston the platypus, named after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who requested a platypus from Australia in 1943 as part of a wartime diplomatic gesture aimed at strengthening ties between Australia and Britain.
Churchill hoped Winston would be housed at London Zoo, and a special platypusary was planned here, but the animal sadly died during the long sea voyage.

The Australian Museum

Darwin College at Cambridge University is named after Charles Darwin, who became a ZSL Fellow in 1837 and later served on ZSL's Council. 

Darwin College, University of Cambridge

The Lightner Museum in Florida has Rota the lion on display - Winston Churchill's lion, who lived at London Zoo during WW2 and became a much-loved mascot for the war effort. 

The Lightner Museum

The National Portrait Gallery has a variety of painting and images related to ZSL, including one of Walt Disney in London Zoo's famous Lubetkin Penguin Pool in 1935, when he was researching animals for the Disney classic Mary Poppins. 

The National Portrait Gallery

The British Museum holds numerous artefacts related to ZSL history, including early tickets, coins, badges, images and an early music sheet by The Great Vance, who wrote Walking in the Zoo, a music hall song about London Zoo in which the word zoo was used for the first time. 

The British Museum

The National Trust's Eltham Palace has a stunning set of preserved Art Deco doors in its dining room, featuring animals drawn from life at London Zoo.

Eltham Palace

In the 1930s, Martin and Raymond, the two sons of the then-owners of historic Mottisfont House, Gilbert and Maud Russell, purchased a crocodile from Harrods department store in London.
They brought it back to Mottisfont and kept it in one of the estate's many bathrooms. It became well known as the Mottisfont Crocodile. 
As the crocodile grew, it became clear that the house, let alone the bathroom, was no suitable home for the reptile. The crocodile was donated to London Zoo, where it could be properly cared for and have room to grow.

Mottisfont House

The Royal College of Surgeons' Hunterian Museum is home to the skull of the original Winnie the bear, who lived at London Zoo in the 1920 and 30s and inspired AA Milne's classic stories. 

Christopher Robin Milne and Winnie the bear at London Zoo

The Hunterian Museum

At Leeds Discovery Centre, visitors can come face-to-face with Billie the hippo  one of London Zoo’s most beloved residents from the 1920s. Now preserved through taxidermy, Billie was a firm public favourite in his lifetime, and his story continues today.

Leeds Discovery Centre

The oldest model village in the UK, Bekonscot has two links to ZSL - it's fictitious zoo, named Chessnade, is partly named after Whipsnade Zoo, and it has a miniature replica of London Zoo's Lubetkin Penguin Pool within the attraction. 


Bekonscot Model Village

Sir Edwin Landseer studied real lions from London Zoo as part of his preparation for sculpting the four bronze lions at the base of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. The anatomical observations he made at the Zoo helped inform his designs for the iconic statues installed in 1867.


Trafalger Square

The New York Public Library is home to the original Winnie toy bear owned by AA Milne's son, Christopher Robin - named after Winnie the bear, a real bear who lived at London Zoo. 


New York Public Library

The Maritime Museum is home to the HMS Beagle exhibit: Charles Darwin brought animals back on the HMS Beagle for the purposes of study, while he was a ZSL Fellow. These were kept at the ZSL Museum, before it closed in the early 1900s. They were donated to the Natural History Museum, before becoming part of this exhibit. 


The Maritime Museum

Animals from the Royal Menagerie, which was originally kept at the Tower of London, moved to live at London Zoo in the mid-1800s. ZSL vets have cared for the Tower's ravens ever since, giving them annual health checks. ZSL vet Oliver Graham Jones even innovatively gave one injured raven a wooden leg in the 1950s.


Tower of London 

The London Transport Museum is home to a huge collection of travel art, including 20th century iconic London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo London Underground posters. The Museum released a new heritage poster in 2026 featuring the famous London Zoo Giraffe House, to commemorate this long link in honour of ZSL's 200th anniversary. 


A poster of three giraffes outside London Zoo's Giraffe House is held up next to a giraffe

London Transport Museum

The Royal Mint released a £2 coin in 2026 to mark ZSL's 200th anniversary. 


Royal Mint

Many blockbuster films were filmed at London Zoo, including About a Boy, Withnail and I, Wimbledon, Wonka, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and The Fallen Idol. 


Hollywood

At Trebartha in Cornwall there is a field of bamboo, that was planted during WW2 to supply the pandas at London Zoo with. The bamboo survives. 


Bamboo

US Senator Ted Kennedy opened London Zoo's children's zoo - the first in the world - aged six, in 1938. 


Public figures

Sir David Attenborough first appeared in front of the camera for the BBC's 1954 programme Zoo Quest, following London Zoo staff on expedition in Sierra Leone. Originally meant to have ZSL curator Jack Lester fronting the show, Attenborough was forced to step in when Lester fell ill. The rest is history. 


Sir David Attenborough and Bulu the Orangutan at London Zoo

Attenborough

Our close connection to the NHM stretches back decades and our work with them continues to this today. Historically, items in its collection include the contents of the former ZSL Zoological Museum, which was formed of taxidermied animals collected by ZSL Fellows in the Society's earliest days to help advance zoological science. We've shared staff - most notably early 20th century entymologist Evelyn Cheesman and herpetologist Joan Procter. The museum is also famously now home to a number of our former residents, including Guy the gorilla, beloved by the public ever since his arrival at London Zoo on Guy Fawkes night 1947. 


Natural History Museum

The Tate is home to many pieces of art that have been inspired by trips to London Zoo. On their website they share an interview with zoologist and broadcaster Desmond Morris, about the time he took the artist Joan Miro on a tour of the zoo, and his fascination with Congo the painting chimpanzee, who featured in Zoo Time - an early TV series filmed at London Zoo. Congo's work has outsold Andy Warhol's at auction, and was collected by Miro, Picasso, and even Prince Philip. 


Tate Britain

In the 19th Century, our offices and library were located at what is now the Odeon, Leicester Square. We moved permanently to Regent’s Park in 1910 to be closer to London Zoo itself.


The Odeon

Find Out more

Teams in ZSL's Institute of Zoology assess seabirds’ vulnerability to climate change in the North-East Atlantic, and identify potential conservation actions that could reduce this vulnerability. More than 50% of all species studied are already impacted by climate change, with new challenges on the horizon. 


Seabirds and climate change 

Our scientists are exploring the complex lives of chacma baboons in Namibia, understanding their social and environmental interactions. We also run a programme to provide training to the next generation of Namibian ecologists and conservation scientists. Our work is hosted by Tsaobis Nature Park and carried out in affiliation with the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute.


Tsaobis Baboon Project

The Badger Vaccination Project, working with the National Farmers’ Union and local farmers in Cornwall, is exploring whether vaccinating badgers can help tackle bovine tuberculosis (bTB). bTB remains a serious and growing challenge. Despite decades of control efforts, infection rates in cattle have continued to rise, and the disease has spread into new areas over the past 30 years. Our approach focuses on prevention. By vaccinating badgers and monitoring infection levels in wild populations, we are building the evidence base for long-term, science-led solutions. A pilot study has already shown encouraging results: over four years of vaccination, the proportion of badgers testing positive for exposure to bTB fell from 16% to 0%. This project aims to support farmers, protect wildlife and contribute to a more sustainable way of managing bovine TB.


Badger under anaesthetic as part of vaccination for research project

Badger vaccination

Fishing is a very important industry in Greenland, so ensuring long-term sustainability is essential for both the economy and environment.  Researchers at ZSL, in partnership with the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, are independently assessing the impact on the seabed habitats of the area, to measure and protect shrimp, cumbers, starfish, corals and more.


Fishing in Greenland

Today, fewer than 7,000 wild dogs and 10,000 cheetahs remain in Africa. More than half of these animals live alongside local people and their livestock, but human-wildlife conflict can only be mitigated if animals have enough space. By monitoring and tracking individuals, we can understand how they use the landscape and identify areas that form corridors, or present barriers to movement. We work closely with local communities, foundations and the Kenya Wildlife Service to develop sustainable tools to foster co-existence.


Cheetah and wild dogs 

The Sihek (or Guam Kingfisher) is native to the island of Guam, which became overrun with invasive brown-tree snakes in the 1940s, wiping out bird, bat and lizard species. Siheks were extinct in the wild for over 30 years, but through careful research and captive breeding programmes we are working to restore their population, and in 2024 reintroduced siheks to their native habitat for the very first time.


Sihek conservation

Hihi are small songbird native to New Zealand, that we are working to bring back from extinction. We’re working at the cutting-edge of conservation translocations, by developing a new framework with practical routes to translocation success for hihi. This work is crucial, not only for hihi, but for improving the success of all wildlife conservation translocations globally.


Hihi conservation 

Once numbering around 2,000 individuals in the 1950s, the Hainan gibbon underwent a severe decline due to habitat loss and hunting, and is now one of the most threatened species in the world -  an estimated 45 individuals remain, restricted to a single forest area in Hainan. Our scientists are working towards a more secure future for this Critically Endangered primate.


The world's rarest ape

Hidden deep within the forests of the Annamite Mountains, the Vietnam pheasant is one of the world’s rarest birds - and may already be extinct in the wild. Last confirmed sightings date back to 2000. Endemic to central Vietnam, its disappearance is linked to forest loss caused by war-time herbicides, logging, farming and hunting. ZSL is working with Vietnamese partner Viet Nature to prepare for the species’ return to its native range. By combining habitat recovery, local partnerships and long-term planning, there is hope that a bird thought lost forever could once again walk Vietnam’s forests.


Lost pheasant

Once common on Socorro Island, the Socorro dove vanished from the wild in the 1970s and is now officially listed as Extinct in the Wild. Thanks to decades of care in zoos, the species survived - and now has a chance to return. ZSL is working alongside Mexican conservation partners and the international zoo community to prepare for reintroduction to the island. At London Zoo, Socorro doves are part of a coordinated conservation breeding programme. This global collaboration aims to restore a species lost from nature and reunite it with its volcanic island home.


Island return

Once a familiar summer visitor, the red-backed shrike no longer breeds in the UK after decades of intensive farming removed the scrubby, insect-rich habitats it depends on. ZSL is working with landowners in Sussex and Dorset to bring this striking bird back. The project combines conservation breeding with the restoration of shrike-friendly landscapes, including hedgerows and rough grassland. By working hand-in-hand with farmers, ZSL is helping restore both wildlife and the healthier countryside conditions that allow lost species to return.


 Shrike back

Bonn in Germany is the HQ of DHL, who support ZSL's work by carefully transporting animals to and from our conservation zoos as part of international breeding programmes. Recent DHL travellers include Kiburi, a western lowland gorilla at London Zoo, who arrived from Loro Parque in Tenerife in 2022 and has since fathered two youngsters as part of the programme. 


ZSL are working with Google UK to monitor and optimise the biodiversity around its new data centres. ​The project will identify the impacts of Google data centre site construction and operation on biodiversity, develop mitigation strategies, and create a scalable framework that could be applied to other data centres.​ We aim to support to Google on monitoring methods and conservation actions to enhance on-site biodiversity at data centres in the UK. 


Google Data Centre

Watch Tony meet Tony

Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk celebrated the release of his Pro Skater 3 + 4 game at London Zoo in summer 2025. London Zoo featured as a level in the remastered titles and the activation combined skate culture and wildlife conservation, to inspire new audiences. Tony was also able to meet a Harris Hawk at the Zoo named Tony the Hawk in his honour. Bird Tony has built up a fan base of visitors!


Tony Hawk

McVities sponsored the icon Penguin Beach at London Zoo in 2023-2024. The p-p-p-partnership brought fun facts from the Zoo's penguin keepers to McVities Penguin biscuit wrappers, building knowledge and understanding about the animals to inspire children to appreciate and care for wildife. In a lasting legacy, a penguin chick born during the partnership was named McVitie.


Penguins standing in front of a keeper holding a book

McVities

ZSL was the Financial Times's 2019/2020 Seasonal Appeal charity. The campaign highlighting our work to combat the illegal wildlife trade and protecting threatened species raised almost £300,000 towards the fight for wildlife.


Financial Times

Sony Climate Station uses the latest gaming technology, including VR, to allow players to interact with and understand complex climate data to raise awareness about climate change. ZSL has partnered with Sony, exploring the best ways for Climate Station to be used in a classroom setting. In June 2025 London Zoo welcomed Sony to debut Climate Station to visitors. 


Sony 

In 2011, ZSL teamed up with luxury department store, Selfridges and created ‘Project Ocean’, with a mission to take ocean conservation issues to brand new audiences and help protect and restore the ocean. Through the Project Ocean partnership, Selfridges led the charge to say no to single-use plastic water bottles. Together, we worked to make a positive difference to the health of the ocean by changing consumer buying habits and communicating solutions to the threats our ocean faces in constructive, compelling, and inspiring ways. 


The Selfridges window display for Project Ocean which reads No More Fish in the Sea?

Selfridges

ZSL partnered with Interface to create Net‑Works™, a pioneering programme that supported coastal communities to collect and recycle discarded fishing nets, turning them into high‑quality nylon while reducing marine pollution. By linking local livelihoods with global supply chains, the initiative strengthened marine protected areas, improved incomes and removed hundreds of millions of metres of nets from the ocean. This successful model has since evolved into Coast 4C, scaling community‑led ocean and climate restoration across multiple countries.


Interface

UCL is a longstanding academic partner of ZSL. Many early ZSL Fellows were also connected to UCL, with London Zoo providing a living laboratory for research, teaching and observation. Today, the partnership continues through cutting-edge science, global collaboration, shared expertise and joint supervision of students, particularly in areas such as ecology, conservation biology, animal health and biodiversity science. Together, UCL and ZSL are at the forefront of ecological innovation, driving urgently-needed action to protect wildlife, combining academic research with real-world conservation.


Bazaar and Fete, 1909_UCL Special Collections

ZSL and the Royal Veterinary College partner closely in conservation science and wildlife health education, jointly delivering specialist MSc programmes in Wild Animal Health and Wild Animal Biology. Their collaboration also includes veterinary residencies and shared expertise that strengthen clinical practice and research to benefit animal health and conservation. This partnership helps train the next generation of wildlife health professionals and supports high-impact work for species and ecosystems.

ZSL wildlife vets reviewing X-ray of hazel dormouse 

Since 1983, ZSL has supported the protection and recovery of Tsavo’s rhino population from a low of 8 individuals to a population of over 200 now. Currently ZSL’s team is focussed on supporting communities living around the borders of the National Park to reduce conflict with wildlife. We are also studying the large carnivores in the area to support development of new conservation measures.


Rhinos

In Cameroon we use science to trace the geographic origin of timber. We are working with World Forest ID and other expert partners to build a reference library that can help verify where imported timber has come from.  By studying timber samples, scientists can effectively map the chemical and isotopic patterns of timber species to their harvest locations. This helps expose false claims of origin, prevent unsustainable harvesting and support trade based on verified, legal sourcing. 


ZSL team collecting timber samples in Cameroon to build a scientific reference library for timber origin testing

Sustainable timber

The ZSL program in the W-Arly-Pendjari landscape protects key species, including elephants and large carnivores, by strengthening institutional capacities for better law enforcement and effectively combating wildlife crime. It also promotes conservation through awareness campaigns and income-generating activities, improving community behaviours and reducing pressures on wildlife and habitats.


Wildlife crime

ZSL EDGE of Existence Fellow Paúl Henry Gonzáles Arce has spent over a decade identifying plant species urgently in need of conservation and focuses on protecting individual species to safeguard the evolutionary history of plants. Currently, Paúl is working with local communities and developing conservation strategies, mapping EDGE species hotspots, piloting reforestation, and training early-career students to support ongoing conservation efforts.


Plant rescue

Transforming the Thames is a partnership, made up of diverse organisations from industry, government, environmental groups, local nature partnerships and landowners. Together we are working to re-connect the currently fragmented and damaged seascape of the Greater Thames Estuary through habitat protection, repair, and restoration. Our first tranche of work includes restoring 320ha of coastal habitats by 2030.


Transforming the Thames

ZSL has been implementing a Wild Meat Reduction Project in the Tsavo Conservation Area to address illegal hunting and trade driven by poverty, food insecurity, and limited livelihood options. The project works with communities in identified hotspot areas to reduce hunting, sale, and consumption of wild meat through behaviour change approaches, improved law enforcement collaboration, and the promotion of alternative protein sources and sustainable livelihoods. By tackling the root causes of wild meat use, the project aims to reduce pressure on wildlife, lower snaring levels, and support the recovery of key species such as African wild dogs and lions.


Community Conservation

ZSL runs a Conservation Education Programme in Tsavo focused on building long-term conservation awareness and stewardship among young people. Working with schools in communities surrounding the park, the programme helps learners understand conservation challenges, the risks associated with wild meat use, and the importance of protecting wildlife and ecosystems. Through curriculum-linked lessons, conservation clubs, and experiential learning, the programme empowers students to take positive conservation actions at school and within their homes, helping to shape future conservation leaders and strengthen community support for wildlife protection.


Education

WildCats Conservation Alliance is a ZSL programme in partnership with Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation. The Alliance combats poaching, habitat loss, and human–tiger conflict through supporting intelligence-led wildlife crime investigations, patrols and community engagement. Poaching of tigers has declined by almost 100% in the core area of the Kerinci Seblat National Park, home to an estimated 128 Sumatran tigers, making up around one-third of the wild population. Threats remain active from farming, illegal mining and prey depletion due to poaching and diseases such as African Swine Fever killing large numbers of wild boar and Sumatran bearded pigs - a key food source for tigers.

WildCats Conservation Alliance is a ZSL programme in partnership with Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation. In Khao Laem National Park we're working with an organisation called Freeland, to fund tiger conservation activities in this protected area along the Myanmar border. This under-resourced park is benefiting from camera trapping to gather data on the resident tiger population and systematic patrol monitoring - using the newest technology to understand the threats to tigers and prey species. Identified threats include poaching, illegal logging, mining and livestock grazing. Training to modernise the park management by mentoring rangers and park officials has been rolled out across the park to increase effective protection and address these critical threats.

An Amur leopard walks down a snow-covered incline towards the camera

Wild tiger populations, fragmented across ten countries in Asia, are vulnerable to diseases. One such disease is canine distemper virus (CDV), which has been found in several tiger populations and proves fatal in 40% of cases. Working in collaboration with scientists around the world, WildCats Conservation Alliance (a ZSL programme in partnership with Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation) is funding a project to develop a reliable and more  readily accessible test for detecting canine distemper virus antibodies in tigers and other wild carnivores. Understanding the spread of this disease is crucial to managing its impact, not just in tigers but in other cat species worldwide.

 A close up of an Amur leopard and a tiger sitting down with snow covered trees in the background

Through the Darwin Ranger Empowerment Project, ZSL has partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Forest Service to strengthen ranger training in Kenya. Together, we reviewed existing courses and created new materials to better prepare rangers to manage human–wildlife conflict and work closely with local communities. Trainers from both organisations were then trained at their academies, including Manyani in the Tsavo region. These trainers are now delivering the updated programme to rangers across Kenya, helping improve wildlife protection and community relationships nationwide.

Training Conservationists

Much of Greater London is serviced by two separate drainage systems. One collects rainwater and flows directly into our rivers, and the other takes foul wastewater from buildings to sewage treatment works to be cleaned. Misconnections between the two systems results in pollution pouring directly into our rivers via drains known as outfalls. The Outfall Safari Project was developed by ZSL in 2016 in partnership with Thames Water, the Environment Agency (EA) and communities in Greater London, as a citizen science project to identify and map these misconnections. Initially carried out on the River Crane, outfall safaris are now carried out by trained volunteers, on every tributary of the Thames within Greater London.

A group of citizen scientist volunteers in a river

Outfall Safari

Deep inside the forests of the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, ZSL is helping protect a plant found nowhere else on Earth. Through the EDGE Fellowship, botanist Abigail Garrino is carrying out the first-ever census of Gomphandra coi. By mapping where it grows, how it reproduces and what habitats it needs, her work provides the scientific foundation for conservation. Just as importantly, she is working with local communities to co-create a plan to protect the species. By combining science, local knowledge and mentoring future conservationists, ZSL is helping ensure this rare plant has a future in the wild.

Saving a plant

In southern India’s Kabini River, ZSL is supporting the protection of a little-known freshwater fish — the Nilgiri mystus. Through the EDGE Fellowship, scientist Dencin Rons Thampy is mapping where the species still survives and identifying threats to its breeding habitats. Working alongside fishers, tribal communities and government agencies, his research is helping shape the first long-term conservation plan for the species. By highlighting the importance of healthy rivers, this work supports biodiversity while protecting the freshwater systems that millions of people rely on.


River lifelines

Across the atolls of the Maldives, ZSL is helping secure a future for the Indo-Pacific leopard shark. EDGE Fellow Hamna Hussain Ali Didi is leading the first national effort to understand where these sharks live and how they use Maldivian waters. By combining scientific surveys, citizen science and collaboration with local communities, her work is identifying critical habitats and guiding protection. Leopard sharks are becoming a flagship for marine conservation in the Maldives - showing how healthy oceans can support both wildlife and island livelihoods.


Leopard sharks

In Indonesia’s peat swamp forests, ZSL is helping protect one of the world’s rarest crocodilians - the Sunda gharial. Through the EDGE Fellowship, Herdhanu Jayanto is building the first detailed dataset on this species in Berbak–Sembilang National Park. Working closely with park rangers, students and local communities, his research lays the groundwork for long-term monitoring and protection. By pairing field science with community involvement, ZSL is helping safeguard both peat swamp ecosystems and the people who depend on them.


Swamp guardians

High in Papua’s Cyclops Mountains, ZSL is supporting conservation of one of the world’s most unusual mammals - Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna. After the species’ rediscovery, EDGE Fellow Gison Morib (Jeff Wonda) is now mapping where echidnas live, what habitats they need, and how local communities view them. Using camera traps, ecological surveys and community engagement, his work is shaping a conservation plan rooted in local stewardship. ZSL’s support is helping ensure this extraordinary animal is protected by the people who share its mountain home.


Echidna return

On the island of Mindoro, ZSL is supporting efforts to save the tamaraw - a wild buffalo found nowhere else. EDGE Fellow John Carlo Santos is working with Buhid Indigenous communities to better understand why hunting occurs and how threats can be reduced respectfully. By combining wildlife crime-prevention science with cultural understanding, his project supports solutions shaped by local people. This inclusive approach helps protect tamaraw populations while respecting Indigenous traditions and strengthening community-led conservation.


Tamaraw

In Luzon’s Pantabangan–Carranglan Forest Reserve, ZSL is helping protect rare plants often overlooked in conservation. EDGE Fellow John Charles Altomonte is studying four threatened Pandanus species, mapping where they grow and why they matter to local communities. By combining scientific research with Indigenous knowledge, his work supports stronger legal protection for these plants within regional management plans. ZSL’s support helps ensure plant conservation is valued alongside wildlife — strengthening both biodiversity and community stewardship.

Plants matter

The hills of Kangra are home to one of India’s last wild populations of white-rumped vultures. Through the EDGE Fellowship, Malyasri Bhattacharya is identifying key nesting and feeding areas using GPS tracking and field surveys. Her work also brings communities together to establish vulture-safe zones and protect food sources. Outreach events, school programmes and a national Vulture Festival are helping restore pride in this vital species. ZSL’s support links science and community action to help vultures return to Himalayan skies.

Vultures

In Nepal’s Manaslu Conservation Area, ZSL is helping conserve the West Himalayan yew - a tree valued for both medicine and culture. EDGE Fellow Prakash Poudel is carrying out the first focused surveys of the species, while working with communities to promote sustainable use. His project is co-developing Nepal’s first harvest guidelines for the yew, balancing livelihoods with conservation. By linking science, policy and local stewardship, ZSL supports a future where forests and communities thrive together.


Forest medicine

The cloud forests of the East Khasi Hills are the only home of Ilex khasiana, a critically endangered tree. Through the EDGE Fellowship, Raktima Basumatary is mapping remaining populations and working with local communities to understand threats. By blending ecological research with traditional knowledge, her work supports practical, culturally grounded conservation solutions. ZSL’s support helps protect a species found nowhere else - while empowering communities to safeguard the forests they depend on.



Cloud forests

In Vietnam’s Central Highlands, ZSL is helping uncover the secrets of a little-known amphibian. EDGE Fellow Tran Thi Tuyet Dung is studying the endangered yellow-spotted spadefoot toad in Kon Ka Kinh National Park. Until now, almost nothing was known about its breeding or early life. By documenting calls, tadpoles and threats - and working with local communities - her research provides the first evidence needed to protect the species. ZSL’s support turns discovery into conservation action.



Unknown toads

In Sri Lanka’s rainforests, ZSL is helping protect a bird found nowhere else — the Serendib scops owl. Through the EDGE Fellowship, Waruni Tissera is mapping the owl’s range in Sinharaja Forest Reserve and Makandawa, using field surveys and citizen science. Working with wildlife guides and communities, her project promotes ethical observation and forest stewardship. By combining research with local involvement, ZSL is helping ensure this elusive owl continues to thrive in its rainforest home.



Owl forests

On Margarita Island, ZSL is helping protect the world’s largest sea turtle. Through the EDGE Fellowship, Adara González is strengthening conservation for leatherback turtles by analysing past nesting data and setting up standard monitoring for the future. Her work also looks at how rising sand temperatures and invasive plants affect turtle survival. Alongside research, she is working with local communities, resorts and hotels to build education programmes and sustainable funding for long-term protection. By linking science, tourism and local action, ZSL is helping ensure leatherbacks continue to return to Margarita’s beaches.



Turtle futures

In the Nausori Highlands, ZSL is supporting the recovery of a threatened tree found only in Fiji. EDGE Fellow Ana Tibinaliva Lutua is working with local partners, including NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, to develop a community-led recovery plan for Dacrydium nausoriense. By bringing together existing science, local knowledge and practical management planning, her work strengthens long-term protection while building local capacity for conservation. This approach helps ensure that rare forest species - and the communities who depend on them - can thrive together.


Forest recovery

On Providencia Island, ZSL is helping uncover whether a rare bat still survives. EDGE Fellow Andrea Martínez Bulla is searching for the Caribbean lesser funnel-eared bat using acoustic surveys that record echolocation calls. Working with local communities, she is also training people to use monitoring equipment and helping develop automated tools to identify the species. This research will reveal whether the bat persists - or is at risk of disappearing locally - while building the foundations for community-led conservation on the island.

Bat detectives

In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, ZSL is helping protect rare conifer trees found nowhere else on Earth. Through the EDGE Fellowship, Elton John de Lírio is reassessing the extinction risk of three Podocarpus species. His work includes mapping where these trees still survive, clarifying their identity, and identifying threats. By building a national network of researchers and proposing targeted conservation actions, ZSL is helping safeguard some of South America’s most ancient and overlooked plants.


Ancient trees

At Rio Doce State Park, ZSL is supporting the return of the red-billed curassow - a bird once lost from much of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. EDGE Fellow Gabriel Carvalho de Ávila is helping guide reintroduction efforts through field monitoring, community involvement and education. By working with local schools, tourism guides and birdwatchers, his project builds public support while generating data to protect the species long-term. This work shows how people and wildlife recovery can move forward together.



Forest return

Along the coasts of the Yucatán Peninsula, ZSL is helping protect lemon sharks through collaboration, not conflict. EDGE Fellow Ilse Martínez Candelas works with fishers, communities and scientists to map shark populations using both local knowledge and field data. Partnering with Mar Sustentable Ciencia y Conservación and IMIPAS, her work supports gene banking and shared conservation strategies. This community-based approach strengthens protection while respecting local livelihoods.



Sharks and people

In the forests around Rio Doce State Park, ZSL is helping protect one of South America’s most elusive mammals - the giant armadillo. EDGE Fellow Lucas Barreto studies how armadillos move between forest fragments and where wildlife corridors could reconnect habitat. He also works with beekeepers to reduce conflict and leads education campaigns to raise awareness. By combining research, coexistence solutions and community engagement, ZSL is helping safeguard the last viable armadillo populations in the Atlantic Forest.


Hidden giant

In the mountains between Coahuila and Nuevo León, ZSL is helping conserve a rare carnivorous plant. EDGE Fellow María Susana Sánchez Chávez is working with local communities to protect habitat for Pinus culminicola. Her project includes creating a large community-agreed exclusion zone, collecting seeds and planning restoration. By putting local people at the heart of conservation, ZSL supports long-term protection rooted in shared stewardship.


Mountain flowers

In eastern Cuba, ZSL is helping amplify the voices of rare frogs. EDGE Fellow Mariam Curbelo Cruz is using acoustic monitoring to track Barton’s robber frog in the forests around Baracoa. By combining sound recordings, habitat data and satellite imagery, her work reveals where frogs survive and why. She also trains young scientists and works with communities to raise awareness of this unique ecosystem. ZSL’s support helps ensure Cuba’s amphibians - and future conservation leaders - are not lost.


Frog voices

In Utría National Park, ZSL is supporting protection of the great green macaw. EDGE Fellow Mónica Franco Gutiérrez is gathering the first detailed data on where macaws nest and move, while exploring innovative tools such as call-recognition technology. Working with local communities, her project builds understanding and support for conservation. This work strengthens both macaw protection and the long-term impact of local conservation leadership.

Macaw forests

In Cornwall, ZSL is working directly with fishers to reduce accidental wildlife bycatch. By listening to fishing communities in places like Newlyn and Mevagissey, ZSL identified what motivates fishers to take part in conservation. These insights helped shape a seabird bycatch reduction trial with the UK Government’s Clean Catch programme and fishing companies in Scotland. Designed collaboratively - including fisher-led decisions - the trial achieved full participation. This people-centred approach shows how trust and shared design can deliver real conservation impact.


Fishing together

From its office in Tuguegarao City, ZSL Philippines supports protection of the Philippine Rise - one of the country’s most important offshore ecosystems. The PROCA project aims to establish a vast marine protected area covering 150,000 square kilometres, while strengthening community-led management across 10,000 square kilometres of coastal waters. Working with government agencies and local stakeholders, ZSL helps ensure science, communities and policy come together to protect ocean life far beyond the shoreline.

Philippines Rise

From its base in Iloilo City, ZSL Philippines leads REVIVE - a project helping bring mangroves back to life across Iloilo and Guimaras provinces. Mangroves have often been cleared for fishponds, leaving coastlines exposed and communities vulnerable. REVIVE supports the restoration of abandoned ponds back into healthy mangrove forests, while promoting mangrove-friendly aquaculture and sustainable coastal enterprises. By working closely with local communities, governments and businesses, ZSL helps turn restoration into real livelihoods - protecting coastlines, storing carbon and supporting fisheries that people depend on.

Restoring mangroves

The ZSL Philippines Country Office was formally established in 2010 and is headquartered in Iloilo City, with additional offices in Pasig, Cebu and Tuguegarao. From here, ZSL works across mangrove, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems nationwide. The team leads conservation programmes for species including seahorses, dugongs, freshwater eels and pangolins, working closely with communities, government and partners. By combining science, policy and local knowledge, ZSL Philippines plays a central role in protecting biodiversity while supporting sustainable livelihoods across the country.

Pangolin climbing tree caught on camera trap in the dark at El Nido, Philippines

ZSL Philippines

Based out of ZSL Philippines Country Office, ZSL helps lead the Philippines National Blue Carbon Action Partnership. This pioneering initiative brings together government, communities and partners to protect and restore coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass - nature’s powerful carbon stores. The partnership has developed a national roadmap that sets priorities for climate action, biodiversity protection and sustainable finance. By linking science, community leadership and innovative funding, ZSL is helping ensure blue carbon ecosystems are valued, restored and protected for the long term.

Nature Finance

In northern Mozambique, ZSL co-leads the Our Sea Our Life programme with local partner associação do meio ambiente. Together, they support coastal communities to manage their own fisheries through Community Managed Fisheries Areas. These locally led systems protect marine life while securing food and income. Alongside this, ZSL supports pilot bivalve farming and mangrove regeneration, helping build sustainable livelihoods and restore vital coastal habitats. The result is stronger communities, healthier seas and greater resilience to climate change.

Two people seen from behind walking along the shore of a beach in Mozambique

Our Sea Our Life

On India’s northern border, Sohelwa Wildlife Sanctuary is emerging as a vital link in tiger recovery. ZSL is working in this transboundary landscape where forests connect India and Nepal through the Kamdi corridor to Banke National Park. This corridor allows tigers, leopards and elephants to move safely across borders - a key requirement for long-term survival. ZSL’s work focuses on restoring habitat at narrow “bottlenecks,” improving space inside the sanctuary, and supporting coexistence with local and Indigenous communities. By combining science, local knowledge and conflict-reduction, the project helps big cats move freely without being pushed into human-dominated areas.


Corridor cats

In 2009, Nepal recorded just 121 wild tigers. Working with the Government of Nepal, ZSL helped turn this crisis into a conservation success across the Terai Arc Landscape. ZSL strengthened tiger monitoring, improved park security and supported livelihoods in protected areas such as Parsa, Banke, Bardia and Shuklaphanta. As a result, tiger numbers in Parsa alone rose from four to 19 in under a decade. Nepal went on to nearly triple its national tiger population, exceeding global targets. Today, ZSL is expanding this success beyond parks into corridors and community forests.

Tiger comeback

Across Nepal, canals and roads can be deadly barriers for wildlife. ZSL Nepal is working with irrigation departments, wildlife authorities and local communities to change that. Together, they design and install simple escape ramps in irrigation canals, allowing animals to climb out safely. These ramps have already reduced wildlife deaths in and around protected areas. ZSL is monitoring how animals use the ramps and sharing the evidence with government partners, helping scale up this approach nationwide. It’s a practical example of how small design changes can make infrastructure safer for both people and wildlife.

Wildlife ramps

Along the Welsh coast, ZSL is helping connect people with the ocean. In the Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau SAC, Project SIARC brings fishers, scientists, schools and communities together to better understand sharks, skates and rays. Through citizen science, education and hands-on research, the project builds shared knowledge while celebrating Wales’ rich marine life. By strengthening trust and collaboration between those who study the sea and those who depend on it, ZSL and partners are helping safeguard Welsh waters for future generations.

A group of people having a photograph taken on the beach

Sea connections

ZSL’s Angel Shark Project works with researchers, fishers and government authorities to secure the species’ future. The project combines scientific surveys with public awareness and community engagement, helping people recognise and report angel sharks while supporting protection measures. By working across science, policy and local knowledge, ZSL is helping ensure these ancient sharks continue to survive in the shallow waters around the islands.

Map of Connections

From the moment ZSL was founded in London in 1826, our story began to reach far beyond the city