28 April 2026
Today is our birthday!
Two hundred years ago – on 29 April 1826 – a group of visionary scientists and naturalists gathered in London with a bold ambition: to create a collection of animals for scientific study and to advance the world’s understanding of wildlife.
What started in a modest plot in Regent’s Park became the world’s first scientific zoo. It became a place where Victorian scientists could observe and learn. Where Charles Darwin developed his thinking. Where the British public saw their first giraffe, their first hippopotamus and their first giant panda. Where Beatrix Potter sketched animals for inspiration and A.A. Milne’s son named his teddy bear after a real resident called Winnipeg.
From those beginnings, ZSL grew into something far greater than our founders could have imagined – a global conservation charity working in over 50 countries, leading breeding programmes that bring species back from the brink, publishing science that shapes how the world protects wildlife, and training the conservationists who will carry this work into the future.
Two centuries, one mission
The world has changed beyond recognition since 1826. But what hasn’t changed is the sense of wonder that started it all – that moment when someone encounters an animal and sees the world differently. The curiosity that drives a child to become a scientist and the connection that makes someone care enough to act.
For 200 years, ZSL has created those moments. Through London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo, we’ve introduced millions of people to wildlife they’d never have encountered otherwise. By inspiring, informing and empowering people we’ve turned wonder into understanding, understanding into action, and action into real, lasting change for wildlife around the world.
A journey through time
To mark this extraordinary milestone, we’ve created something special – a film that takes you on a journey through our 200-year story.
From those pioneering early days to the scientists and keepers whose dedication shapes ZSL today, to the wildlife that continues to inspire us all – this film celebrates the moments of discovery, the triumphs of conservation, and the enduring connection between people and wildlife that has defined us for two centuries.
Whether you’ve been part of the ZSL family for decades or you’re discovering us for the first time, we hope it gives you a sense of what these 200 years have meant – and what’s still to come.
Here’s to the next 200
The challenges facing wildlife today are immense. Climate change, habitat loss, poaching, disease – the threats are greater than ever before. But so is our determination to meet them.
We step into our third century armed with 200 years of scientific knowledge, driven by the same curiosity and wonder that started it all, and supported by a global community who believe, as we do, in a world where wildlife thrives.
To everyone who has been part of this journey – our Fellows, members, patrons, supporters, staff, volunteers, and every single person who has visited our zoos or championed our cause -thank you. You are part of this story.
Happy 200th birthday, ZSL.
Here’s to wildlife. Here’s to wonder. Here’s to the next 200 years.