The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is celebrating successes across both ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo after winning big at the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) 50th Anniversary awards ceremony.
ZSL walked away with a total of 14 awards from the event held on 8 June, with key acknowledgements in a variety of categories such as animal breeding, care and welfare, conservation, education, exhibits and research.
Zoological director David Field said: “The BIAZA Awards are designed to illustrate best practice in zoos and aquaria across Britain and Ireland. The volume and variety of awards won across the board is a wonderful demonstration that ZSL is not only leading the way in the welfare of animals, we are at the forefront in exhibit design, horticulture and animal training.”
In addition to the Zoos’ collective achievements, Luke Harding from ZSL London Zoo’s herpetology department won this year’s ‘Rising Star’ award for going above and beyond in his role to further the goals of the Zoo.
A full list of ZSL’s award winners is below:
Animal Breeding, Care & Welfare
| Chytriodiomycosis in caecilian amphibians, diagnosis and treatment | ZSL London Zoo | Gold |
| Breeding the Critically Endangered Lake Oku clawed frog (Xenopus longipes); a world first | ZSL London Zoo | Gold |
| Disease risk analysis for Schmallenberg virus in zoological collection | ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | Silver |
| The UK’s first accredited training course for venomous reptile management in zoos | ZSL London Zoo | Silver |
Research
| Clinical use and application of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in a zoological collection | ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | Silver |
| Survival and fatal elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus-1 infections in juvenile Asian elephants – lessons learned and recommendations on anti-herpesviral therapy | ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | Silver |
Conservation
| BIAZA fen raft spider project 10 BIAZA collections: ZSL London Zoo, Beale Park, Bristol Zoo, Chessington World of Adventures, Chester Zoo, The Deep, Dudley Zoo, Lakeland Wildlife Oasis, Tilgate Nature Centre, Reaseheath College | Gold |
Exhibits
| In with the Spiders | ZSL London Zoo | Silver |
| Butterfly House and West African dwarf crocodile exhibit | ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | Silver |
| The reality of the Asian turtle crisis | ZSL London Zoo | Bronze |
Education
| Evaluating the impact of a multi-visit learning package for school groups | ZSL London Zoo | Gold |
| Engaging zoo visitors with ZSL experts at Sunset Safari | ZSL London Zoo | Silver |
| Early years programming | ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | Bronze |
| Development of a native species Discovery and Learning space | ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | Bronze |
