We have been delighted to share a host of exclusive online and onsite events for you, our Fellows. From protecting the hihi in New Zealand to understanding animal training at ZSL, our colleagues have been able to bring you closer to the hear of our work, going behind the scenes like never before. Connecting you to ZSL's science, conservation and zoological work. ZSL Fellows are also offered priority invitations to selected events throughout the ZSL calendar.
Ahead of attending online events please read our Code of Conduct at ZSL Online Events. If you have any questions or queries please email fellowship@zsl.org
Upcoming Events
Fellowship Conference
Saturday 20 April 2024, 9:30am-5:45pm, Huxley Lecture Theatre London Zoo
We are excited to announce the inaugural ZSL Fellowship Conference, to be held at London Zoo on Saturday 20 April 2024 from 9.30am - 5.45pm.
This event promises to be a valuable opportunity for connecting both ZSL and Fellows through an impactful schedule of talks, engagement sessions, networking opportunities and more - allowing you to hear about the breadth of work from across the society.
read The full schedule and abstracts here.
There will be a variety of engagement sessions throughout the day. You can choose two to take part in, please check out the options below.
read more about the engagement sessions
Hedgehog Surveys
May TBC, London Zoo
Each year ZSL is part of a survey helping to monitor the health of our resident hedgehog population in Regents Park. Fellows join the ZSL team after hours at London Zoo to help locate, measure and mark any hedgehog residents that they find within London’s last hedgehog stronghold. The surveys are vitally important in enabling us to understand the health of the hedgehog populations across the year.
Dates to be announced shortly.
Student Fellowship Conference
TBC October 2024, London Zoo
Following the success of our 1st Student Fellowship Conference we are delighted to confirm that we will be holding our next conference in October 2024. Further details will be shared in due course.
Past Events
Upskill Yourself
Thursday 11 April 2024, 7pm-8:30pm GMT, Online via Zoom
Join us online on Thursday 11 April 2024 from 7pm - 8.30pm (Password: Fellows24)for an exclusive opportunity for continuing professional development (CPD) hours.
You will have the exciting opportunity to hear from three of ZSL's team as they uncover the top tips and tricks of navigating through your careers, some of which might come in handy on the outside too!
During the talks you will investigate written and spoken communications, discussing ways to improve your presentation skills by using storytelling. Furthermore, you will get some advice on how to engage with your audiences whether to a room of individuals or a conversation with a stranger.
We will finish with a look at the power of social media in science and the varied ways in which science communication skills can benefit your work and studies.
There will even be an opportunity to put forward your own questions. If you are working within science, conservation or animal husbandry, or just starting your career, this is a great way to get some top tricks and tips.
Speakers
• Sarah Forysth, Curator of Mammals, ZSL
• Harriet McAra, Science Communications and Events Manager, ZSL
• Lucy Brown, Public Engagement with Science Manager, ZSL
Monkey Forest Preview
Sunday 17 March 2024, 12pm-4pm, Whipsnade Zoo
Fellows joined us for a special preview where you will be immersed in the southeast Asian forest and learn all about our incredible animals. Explore the woodland home of our swinging langurs, chattering macaques, miniature water buffalo and snuffling babirusa.
Economic Possibilities in the Anthropocene by Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta
Wednesday 20 March 2024, 12:30pm, Huxley Lecture Theatre, London Zoo
Fellows were joined by one of the world’s leading thinkers on nature and economics. Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta has led the way on how to ensure nature is properly included in our economic frameworks, and not treated as a free good. He was commissioned by the British Government to write the ground-breaking Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, and has been a key voice for addressing the drivers of nature loss rather than the symptoms.
Thank you to everyone who attended in person.
Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians
Saturday 23 March 2024, 1pm-4pm, London Zoo
Fellows joined the ZSL team for a special preview of the new Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians at London Zoo. As part of the days festivities they listened to talks from Professor Andrew Cunningham, ZSL's Deputy Director of Science and Professor of Wildlife Epidemiology, and Dr Ben Tapley, ZSL's Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians.
Fellows heard from Andrew and Ben on ZSL's work to protect some of the world's rarest reptiles and amphibians. This included the Mountain chicken frog, which is now located in our new world-leading habitat.
Fellows then headed down to the new habitat for exclusive tours as some of the first into this new space.
194 Annual General Meeting
Thursday 23 November 2023, 7pm Huxley Lecture Theatre, London Zoo and Online
Fellows joined us as we discussed ZSL's activities and successes from the 2022-2023 financial year. Find further information on the associated Annual General Meeting webpages.
Pre-Annual General Meeting Fellows Talk
Thursday 23 November 2023, 6pm
Fellows listed to ZSL's Curator of Birds Gary Ward on Zoo Based Bird Conservation: Restoriation of Extinct in the Wild. Alongis de ZSL's Section Manager of Herpetology, Dave Clarke FRES on The Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians.
Student Conference
Saturday 21 October 2023, 9am-3:30pm Huxley Lecture Theatre, London Zoo
Fellows joined us for the ZSL Student Conference at London Zoo. Students will have the opportunity to network with other Fellows from across the country, gain enrichment making skills in activities for our Whipsnade Zoo chimps and London Zoo Lemurs, participate in lectures, gain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours and see our wonderful animals for a wild day out!
CSIP: Stories from the field
Thursday 28 September 2023, 6pm GMT Online
A dolphin is found dead stranded on a remote beach by a dog walker. Why did this even occur? How did it die? For the last 30 years these questions have been asked by the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP). CSIP is a collaborative research programme led by the Institute of Zoology and funded by the UK Government. Our teams travel across the coastline of UK identifying the causes of cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises), marine turtles, seals and shark strandings. Through their detailed investigations we are able to learn about the state of the wider marine ecosystems and the impacts we are having on it. Join CSIP Project Manager Rob Deaville as he discusses his field work for the last 30 years, illustrated with fascinating images and videos.
Facilitated by Harriet McAra, Lucy Brown, Lyndsey Isaac and Rob Deaville
Watch now
Veterinary Networking Opportunity
Saturday 25 March 2023, 11am GMT In Person
Thank you to those who joined us for a morning with the Whipsnade Zoo Veterinary and Primate teams as we celebrated World Veterinary Nursing Month. Fellows came behind the scenes as we look at the veterinary practices that take place at our conservation Zoos and how our zookeepers monitor and care for our animals through behavioral training and enrichment. After our talks, Fellows joined us for a hot drink and networking.
The other end of the scale - postmortems on our tiniest residents
Thursday 19 January 2023, 6pm GMT Online
Last year, our pathologist, Dr Simon Spiro, showed you how he performs a post mortem examination on one of the zoo’s largest animals, taking you inside a 2 tonne rhinoceros. This year, Simon will take you to the other end of the scale, showing how he is able to make diagnoses of our tiniest animals, including key conservation species such as our Partula snails, freshwater pupfish and even microscopic coral polyps. This talk will make use of a virtual microscope to take you deep inside these miniscule animals to explore how biology works on a small scale, how this can be affected by disease and what we can do about it.
Cold, dark and deep - ZSL's marine research in Greenland
Tuesday 20 December 2022, 6pm GMT Online
Seabed habitats in the deep-seas around Greenland are poorly known, due to the difficulties in accessing cold and deep marine habitats. ZSL researchers have spent a decade studying the wide variety of corals, sponges and other habitats that can be found in Arctic Greenland. Dr Chris Yesson will talk about his work surveying the seabed using both expensive state of the art remote operated vehicles and low cost camera systems, showcasing a recent survey that documented a complex mixed coral community close to an economically important trawl fishery. Join us to see the beautiful habitats of the Arctic and learn how ZSLs research is supporting sustainability efforts in a remote and extreme environment.
Facilitated by Lucy Brown, Lyndsey Isaac and Dr Chris Yesson
How do you renovate an icon: The Snowdon
Monday 3 October 2022, 7pm Online
As part of the celebrations to mark the opening of Monkey Valley at London Zoo, join us for an exclusive online event to hear key members of the project team explain how we renovated the iconic Grade II* listed Snowdon structure from start to finish. From concept and design, right through to the build and how we made the move as smooth as possible for our troop of Eastern black and white colobus monkeys, we’ll share with you the highs and lows of renovating a gravity defying landmark! Made possible by a £4 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we invite you to celebrate this masterpiece, as well as hear about our award-winning community engagement work which is being delivered in conjunction with the project.
Facilitated by Holly Bestley and Lyndsey Isaac.
Zoom link to follow shortly.
Annual General Meeting
Thursday 24 November 2022, Time TBC
Join us as we discuss ZSL's activities and successes from the 2021-2022 financial year.
Further information coming soon!
Additionally, we are delighted to invite all Fellows to join our upcoming ZSL Science and Conservation lectures, which are now running online throughout the academic year. Join future talks or catch up here: zsl.org/IoZYouTube.
Explore ZSL's Science and Conservation Events
Silage packing at Whipsnade Zoo
Hoofstock team: Friday 26 August and 1 September
Primate team: Wednesday 31 August, Saturday 3 and Monday 5 September , all sessions 2pm – 3:30pm, Whipsnade Zoo
Thank you for all of our Fellows who have joined us for exclusive volunteering with our hoofstock and primate keepers. Volunteers have helped us prepare and store browse for a plentiful and fresh food source for our browsing animals over the winter months.
Life & Death - early veterinary care at London Zoo: Library and Archive Tour
Thursday 23 June 11am and 3pm, and Saturday 2 July 11am and 3pm, London Zoo
To celebrate Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month that took place in May, our Library and Archive team are running a new tour to highlight items in the archives relating to the earliest days of veterinary care at London Zoo. On the tour you will see handwritten journals by ZSL's first veterinarians, view our 'Death Books' which describe the animals causes of death of (dating back to 1870), and discover what happened to some of the animals after they died.
Tours usually last around 30 minutes, but we advise setting aside a little longer so you can look through items at your leisure afterward.
Please contact library@zsl.org with your preferred time slot to reserve your space. Please contact library@zsl.org with your preferred time slot to reserve your space. There is no step free access for the tour, if you would like to attend but this could cause you a particular issue, please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make for you.
Hedgehog Surveys
6,7, 13, 14 May 2022 , Times below, London Zoo
Thank you to all of our Fellows who joined us for the hedgehog surveys at ZSL London Zoo. During the surveys they registered 9 hedgehogs which is down from the previous years surveys of 15. Fellows helped us to locate, measure and mark hedgehogs that we find in London’s last hedgehog stronghold. You may also hear and see what some of our animals get up to when our Zoos close for the evening!
Exclusive Library Tours and Teas
Monday 11 April 10:30am, Saturday 23 April, 10:30am/2:30pm, London Zoo
Our ZSL Prince Philip Library and Archives team are pleased to offer several small group tours for Fellows and Patrons during April. These will include a talk and the chance to get up close to fascinating highlights including a selection of historic books, archive items and beautiful artworks from the unique collection. You will then head to the ZSL Council Room to hear a short talk about ZSL’s history based on the pictures in there with a tea or coffee.
Inside a Rhino post mortem - the promise, pathology and practicalities
Monday 28 February 2022, 6pm GMT, Online Exclusive
Weighing nearly 2 tonnes and with skin up to 5 cm thick, a post-mortem examination on a rhinoceros is no easy job. In this event, ZSL’s wildlife pathologist Dr Simon Spiro will talk you through the post-mortem of a southern white rhino, covering everything from the practicalities of working on such a massive creature to the pathological lesions identified and what they mean for this animal and the species as a whole. The event will also cover the wide variety of research projects and collaborations that tissues from the rhino will feed into, allowing the animal to continue to contribute to rhino conservation and science even in death.
Please be aware that this event will feature photography, time-lapses, video, CT-imagery and microscopy to allow fellows to experience the post mortem themselves at every scale. Audience discretion is advised.
Library Tours
Monday 29 November and 6 December, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm 4pm, Onsite at ZSL London Zoo
Join Emma, ZSL's Deputy Librarian, on 29 November and 6 December for an exclusive Fellows’ tour of ZSL’s Library & Archives. You’ll have a chance to see a selection of historic books, archives and beautiful artworks in this unique collection, and there will be an opportunity to ask our team your burning questions. If you would like to attend a tour please contact library@zsl.org to book a future date.
Conservation Science on the Korean Peninsula
Tuesday 30 November, 6pm GMT, Online Exclusive
Join Joshua Powell, a PhD student in the Institute of Zoology and UCL, and a visiting research student at Seoul National University's College of Veterinary Medicine, as he discusses conservation on the Korean Peninsula, with a particular focus on the region's diverse mammal biota. Joshua will highlight the ecological history of big cats in North and South Korea; new research on trends in the wildlife trade of badgers; and efforts to re-establish a self-sustaining bear population in a country of similar size and human population density as England.
Facilitated by Charlotte Coales and Lyndsey Isaac
Annual General Meeting
Thursday 10 November 2021, 7pm GMT, Online
Thank you to all those who joined us for the 192 Annual General Meeting. Hosted by ZSL President, Professor Sir John Beddington CMG FRS, alongside our Director General, Dominic Jeremy, ZSLTrustees and the ZSL Executive Committee (ExCo). The meeting provided a unique opportunity to hear about ZSL’s activities and successes throughout the year ending April 2021, and an update on how ZSL is emerging from the COVID 19 pandemic with renewed purpose to secure our vision for a world where wildlife thrives. Thank you to those who joined, presubmitted questions and raised questions during the evening
Facilitated by the ZSL Governance team
Paleoart: Fellows Exclusive Walk of the Week
Travel back with ZSL Presenter, Victoria, to the land of the dinsours at ZSL Whipsnades Zoorassic park (now closed) to find out find out how artists are able to draw animals, never seen by the human eye and how this is an ever changing process. Most importantly we will look into why Paleoart is so important in today’s world.
Facilitated by Victoria Catzeflis and Lyndsey Isaac
Working with Wildlife
Monday 18 October, 6pm GMT, Online Exclusive
Are you interested in pursuing a career in animal husbandry, wildlife conservation or research? Or are you wondering what kind of careers you could go into with a biology degree (or similar)? Join three of our experts, as they discuss their roles at ZSL, explaining what their work involves and their career paths so far. There will be plenty of time for Q&A, giving you the opportunity to ask your questions and gather helpful advice.
Facilitated by Charlotte Coales and Lyndsey Isaac
Giants of the Galapagos Fellows Preview at London Zoo
Saturday 3 October, 10-3pm
Giants of the Galapagos opens to visitors at London Zoo, simply arrive and present your yellow Fellows card.
Digital Preview of Giants of the Galapagos
1 October 2021, 8am
Patrons and Fellows are invited to meet our London Zoo reptile team to find out more about the incredible, international work of our keepers and how they care of our trio of tortoises. You’ll be one of the first to explore Dolly, Polly and Pricilla’s new home at this live event before Giants of the Galápagos opens to visitors on 9 October.
Facilitated by Lyndsey isaac
Whipsnade Heritage Walk: Celebrating 90 wild years - Revised
Thursday 9 - Monday 13 September, onsite exclusive
Journey back in time to 1931 with our experienced guide, to learn about the rich and diverse history of Whipsnade Zoo. Find out some of our lesser known but fascinating stories about the people, animals and the place. You’ll hear about influential buildings, the famous faces who have walked through our gates and about our 90 years of incredibly impactful work.
Future Zoo: a journey to recovery
Thursday 13th May, 1pm GMT
Join our Zoos’ Chief Operating Officers, Kathryn England and Owen Craft for a lunchtime catch up as they walk you through the exciting upcoming changes to our Zoos as we rebuild after the devastating financial impact of the pandemic.
You will hear more about our most recent animal moves, key animal updates and our new building plans with the chance to ask questions directly to the team. These essential works, underpinning our world leading animal care, have been enabled through our loan and we are actively fundraising against these necessary costs to protect ZSL’s future. These amazing new spaces will allow us to engage millions of people each year with wildlife through unique and engaging storytelling, highlighting ZSL’s vital international work and supporting our vision for a world where wildlife thrives.
Facilitated by Amelia Scudamore and James Wren
Breakfast with the Elephants for Patrons, Fellows and invited guests
Thursday 8 April, 9am GMT
Grab your breakfast and your herd at home to join our Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) as they wake up to a new day, live from Whipsnade Zoo. Whilst the Zoo is closed and ahead of reopening on 12 April, come behind closed doors and see these majestic animals like never before. You'll hear from direct from their keepers about what it takes to care for these endangered animals and all about their morning routine. You'll also have a chance to ask our keepers all of your elephant and animal questions!
Facilitated by Holly Bestley and Lyndsey Isaac
My family and other fish: Conserving Wildlife in the Thames
Wednesday 17 March 2021, 6pm GMT
Hear from ZSL Conservationist, Joe Pecorelli, as he gives an overview of ZSL's work along the Thames Estuary. Joe highlights some of the incredible wildlife that can be found in this iconic river, and explains how you, our Fellows, can get involved with helping ZSL to monitor and protect the river for future generations.
Facilitated by Charlotte Coales and Lyndsey Isaac
Pathways to conservation
Monday 8 March 2021, 6pm GMT
Listen to ZSL's panel of Conservationist Kate Moses, Keeper Daniel Kane and Post-Doctorial Researcher, Daniella Rabiotti as they discuss their Pathways to Conservation. Gain some insider knowledge and top tips to help you on your own journeys, each career journey is unique - including yours.
Facilitated by Holly Bestley and Lyndsey Isaac
How to train a dragon, after hours with Jim Mackie, ZSL's Animal behaviour management officer.
Thursday 25 February, 6pm GMT
How do you crate train a lemur to visit the vets? How do you weigh a meerkat? Join us after hours to get these answers with educational officer Holly Bestley and Animal Behaviour Management Office, Jim Mackie, to learn about animal training at ZSL. ZSL has a long history of applying the principles of behavioural science in its animal training programmes. With the last decade, keepers have embraced techniques to enhance animal welfare using trained behaviours for veterinary care and improved husbandry. Done through the methods of reinforcement training, one component of BF Skinners theory of operant conditioning. Continuing our long tradition as a scientific pioneer.
For those who did not get your questions answered, Jim has kindly responded. You can take a look at the additional Q&A here.
Facilitated by Holly Bestley and Lyndsey Isaac
Recovering New Zealand's ray of sunshine, the hihi, from the brink of extinction
Wednesday 27 January 2021, 6pm GMT
Join IoZ researcher Jon Ewen, Honorary Research Fellow Stefano Canessa and recent IoZ PhD student Caitlin Andrews as they discuss the scientific work that has gone into saving one of New Zealand's iconic songbirds. Until recently, the hihi or stitchbird, was both rate and poorly understood. Like many endemic birds in New Zealand, its numbers and distribution plummeted with the introduction of mammalian predators, until only a remnant population survived on Little Barrier Island. Thanks to successful conservation management and research, the species is now one of the better studied and can be seen at several translocation sites on and around the North Island of New Zealand.
Facilitated by Charlotte Coales, Eleanor Darbey and Lyndsey Isaac
Monitoring Garden Wildlife Health (GWH) using Citizen Science
Tuesday 1 December 2020, 6pm GMT
Listen to IoZ researcher and wildlife veterinarian Katharina Seilern-Moy as she discusses the GWH project, a collaborative project between ZSL, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Froglife and the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Katharina will explore how Citizen Science can be used as a tool to monitor the health of, and identify disease threats, to British wildlife, using the example of GWH, which focuses on garden birds, hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians. Learn about how the project works and how data collected by the public can provide valuable insight into wildlife health and examples of what has been learnt so far.
Annual General Meeting 2020
Tuesday 17 November 2020, 5pm GMT
We were delighted to welcome Fellows to the ZSL's 191 Annual General Meeting, ZSL's first digital AGM. ZSL's activities, vision and financial performance for the financial year ending April 2020 were presented to Fellows alongside ZSL's Executive Committee discussing the impact on ZSL in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Facilitated by ZSL Governance and Fellowship
The Living Planet Report 2020
Tuesday 6 October 2020, 6pm GMT
The Living Planet Report is a leading science-based publication on the state of the planet and associated challenges and solutions. Produced biennially by the WWF, in collaboration with ZSL and a number of organisations, measures human pressures and impacts on the planet. Join ZSL's researchers as they discuss the 2020 publication, the crucial role of their research and reporting on trends in 20,811 monitored populations of 4,382 vertebrate species.
Facilitated by Charlotte Coales, Eleanor Darbey and Lyndsey Isaac
Predicting a Pandemic - Tackling the global Zoonotic emergency
Thursday 30 July, 6pm GMT
Join Professor Andrew Cunningham, ZSL's Deputy Director of Science and Professor of Wildlife Epidemiology, to discuss the serious public heath threats emerging from the interactions between wildlife and humans.
Facilitated by Lyndsey Isaac