The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) celebrates its bicentenary on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, with the announcement of a new £20 million wildlife health centre at London Zoo. The facility will offer public access to veterinary work and enhance ZSL's conservation efforts, which already include the Institute of Zoology, two zoos with 2.2 million visitors last year, and 2,764 projects across over 80 countries.
ZSL was founded on 29 April 1826, spurred by public outrage over the killing of Chunee the elephant at Cross's Menagerie on the Strand the previous month. Chunee, over three metres tall and weighing at least five tonnes, was shot by soldiers after injuring one keeper and killing another. The incident galvanised scientists and politicians to create an organisation for the scientific study and display of animals.
Over two centuries, ZSL has shaped culture and conservation. It coined the word 'zoo', inspired artists from Edwin Landseer to Beatrix Potter, and contributed to the birth of a quarter of all Sumatran tigers. The society's London Zoo has housed lions continuously since 1831, when William IV transferred the royal menagerie from the Tower of London, and about 5% of wild Asiatic lions have been born there since 1991.
The new wildlife health centre builds on ZSL's founding principles, focusing on the interconnection between animals, people and ecosystems. The society survived a major crisis in 1991, when a backlog of maintenance on 13 listed buildings threatened to close London Zoo. A member-led insurrection saved the zoo and refocused ZSL on conservation biology.
Former ZSL trustee Martin Rowson, who has been involved since joining the XYZ club at age seven, says the society's work encompasses 'everything' related to life on Earth. The anniversary marks not only a history of scientific achievement but also a continued commitment to global wildlife conservation.
