Today ZSL turns 200! We're celebrating our incredible, rich history – two brilliant centuries of learning, science, conservation and sharing the wonder of wildlife with millions. Here's to the next 200 years. And today we're taking the next step - announcing plans for a brand-new £20m wildlife health centre, the first in the UK to give people a window onto live vet procedures. zsl.org/news-and-events/news… #ZSLat200

What's it like to live alongside grizzly bears? 🐻👀 Our Wildest Moments podcast host @Benfogle speaks with Jennifer Walkus about her experiences in Coastal British Columbia. Joined by @ZSLWhipsnadeZoo zookeeper Sarah MacGregor, the trio explore the remarkable lives of bears. Catch up here: zsl.org/200/listen-and-watch… Wildest Moments is a ZSL podcast, produced by @peanutandcrumb in partnership with Mountain Warehouse.

Buckle up for another episode of our Wildest Moments podcast! 🎧🐻 Host @Benfogle speaks with Wuikinuxv First Nation councillor and environmental researcher, Jennifer Walkus about her experiences in coastal British Columbia - living alongside grizzly bears. Joining the conversation is @ZSLWhipsnadeZoo zookeeper Sarah MacGregor. Together, they explore what makes bears so remarkable - from their intelligence and complex behaviours to their seasonal rhythms - and reflect on how both communities and conservation zoos can play a vital role in protecting them. We inspire, inform and empower people to protect and restore wildlife - and sometimes that starts with one extraordinary story. Listen now: zsl.org/200/listen-and-watch… Wildest Moments is a ZSL podcast, produced by @peanutandcrumb in partnership with Mountain Warehouse. #ZSLat200 #WildestMoments

From empowering rangers to unlocking investment in nature - two days of impact, innovation, and partnership in Mombasa. Yesterday, our team in Kenya joined the British High Commission in Mombasa for an inspiring showcase of British-funded projects making a difference across the country. We showcased our work in Ranger Empowerment, strengthening law enforcement while building positive relationships between rangers and communities, alongside our anti-bushmeat campaign - both supported by the Darwin Initiative. We also demonstrated the live use of SERCA technology to monitor wild dogs, highlighting how innovation is strengthening conservation efforts. Today, we took the conversation from conservation impact to investing in nature. At a roundtable convened by the Mombasa Chamber of Commerce, alongside the Deputy High Commissioner, we engaged business leaders on the growing opportunities for nature-positive investment. Our spotlight? The Human-Wildlife Coexistence (HWCx) Outcome Bond - an innovative approach demonstrating how business and investment can help mobilise sustainable finance for people and wildlife to thrive together. 🌍 The message is clear: Conservation cannot rely on traditional funding alone. We need bold partnerships, innovative finance, and businesses ready to invest in a nature-positive future. A big thank you to the British High Commission, the Mombasa business community, and all partners driving this important conversation. The future of conservation is collaborative. The future of nature finance is now.

This Sunday 🌟 Our @ZSLLibrary is hosting an open morning on Sunday 18th October between 11am-2pm. Call in to say hello to the team and find out what this treasure trove has to offer, we can't wait to show you around. zsl.org/what-we-do/education…

Celebrating our 200th year, we’re hosting The Nature Assembly – a welcoming, youth‑led event designed to amplify your voice. You’ll explore what a positive future for nature could look like, connect with other young people, and co‑create recommendations directly with ZSL leaders, policymakers and partners. Tickets from £5, supporter and free tiers available. Travel bursaries offered 👉 zsl.org/news-and-events/even…

A huge thank you to everyone who joined our @ZSLLibrary team for an art collection tour this week 🎨 It was our first time taking part in the Art History Festival, and what better year to do it than our 200th? For two centuries, artists have helped us describe, study and share the natural world. Many of their original works are still in our collection today. There’s Elizabeth Gould, who illustrated the bird volume from the voyage of HMS Beagle, including the now iconic Galapagos finches. There’s Joan Procter, our first woman Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians, who often illustrated her own scientific papers. And there’s Major Henry Jones, who gave us more than 1,200 of his bird paintings. Some of these artworks now show species that are rare or extinct. Couldn’t make it? Discover the story of art and illustration at ZSL: zsl.org/news-and-events/feat… #ZSLat200 #ArtHistoryFestival

Studying zoology, conservation or a related subject? This is your sign to join us as a ZSL Student Fellow 🎓 For just £48 a year, you'll recieve: 🌍 Exclusive online conservation training 🔬 The chance to take part in citizen science 📚 Access to zoological journals, plus borrowing rights at our @ZSLLibrary, one of the largest zoological libraries in the world 🎤 Discounts on our science symposia and exclusive Fellowship events 🦁 Unlimited entry to our two conservation Zoos - @zsllondonzoo and @ZSLWhipsnadeZoo Follow in the footsteps of Darwin and Attenborough, and become part of a global community that’s helping to shape the future of conservation. We share skills and knowledge to build a movement of conservationists equipped with the expertise, tools, and networks to protect and restore wildlife. Apply now 👉 zsl.org/support-us/fellowshi…

Huge news - hedgehogs, bumblebees, barn owls and puffins are heading for our banknotes. The Bank of England has revealed the four British animals that will appear on our cash. This is wonderful - putting UK wildlife in the palms of the public and raising awareness of these iconic species. And the timing couldn't be better. Today, together with WWF, our scientists published the latest Living Planet Index, which found that monitored wildlife populations have declined by an average of 73% between 1970 and 2022. But behind that headline are real reasons for hope: half of the populations we track are holding steady or growing. We're excited to see British wildlife on our currency, reflecting the value the public place on it. We all rely on nature, and it can recover - but it needs our investment, now more than ever. From research to fieldwork, and in our two conservation Zoos, we're working at the forefront of recovering wildlife. We've seen ecosystems start to recover and populations rebound. Our conservationists are busier than you might think, in some cases only a few feet from your front door. We regularly survey central London's last known breeding hedgehogs in Regent's Park, with The Royal Parks together with a cohort of dedicated volunteers. We empower citizen scientists to help monitor our waterways. We work together with local communities in vaccinating badgers against bovine TB. We've supported puffins, reintroduced countless invertebrates and so much more - all right here in the UK. We're ZSL, a science-driven conservation charity working to restore wildlife in the UK and around the world. Nature can recover, and British wildlife deserves more than 'just a spot in our wallets'. But it's a great start. Read more about the Living Planet Index 👉 zsl.org/news-and-events/news… More on the banknote announcement 👉 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwe8… #ZSLat200

Before The Owl and the Pussy-cat, there were lots of other birds. In June 1830, an 18-year-old Edward Lear was given permission to sketch in the Parrot House at London Zoo. Two years later, he self-published his own book of parrots, with 42 hand-coloured plates drawn from living birds. Lear went on to illustrate for some of the biggest names in early ZSL science. Our Prince Philip Zoological Library and Archives, one of the largest zoological libraries in the world, still holds seven of his original watercolours. Read the full story of Lear's time with us, from parrots to nonsense rhymes: zsl.org/news-and-events/feat… See more of our art collection - this week, our @ZSLLibrary is taking part in the Art History Festival for the first time. Join the team for a free tour of some of their favourite pieces on Tuesday 6 or Thursday 8 October. Email [email protected] to book: zsl.org/news-and-events/even… Throughout our 200-year history, we've been bringing people closer to wildlife in some incredible ways. We can't wait to see what the next 200 will bring. #ZSLat200

📢 Registration open: Greater Thames Estuary Restoration Conference 2026 If you’re involved in coastal habitat restoration, research, monitoring, or community engagement across the Greater Thames Estuary, or simply have an interest in habitat restoration and want to learn more about the work happening in the estuary, you’re invited to the Greater Thames Estuary Restoration Conference, taking place on 9 November 2026 at the Zoological Society of London. If you’re London-based and interested in finding out more about restoration and nature recovery on the Thames, we’d also love to welcome you. Connecting Practice and Learning Across the Thames Estuary, the conference will bring together restoration practitioners, landowners, regulators and scientists to share experiences and knowledge of restoration, explore innovative approaches and identify opportunities for collaboration across the estuary. The topics of discussion will include: • Transforming the Thames speed talks • Nature based solutions and innovation • Seascape restoration and connectivity • Driving restoration – finance, incentives and delivery • People, place and restoration • Future planning Registration is free and open now. Go to the transformingthethames.co.uk to find out more and register. Please help us spread the word by sharing this event with colleagues and networks working across the Greater Thames Estuary and beyond. #ThamesRestoration26 #Restoration #Conservation #CoastalHabitats #ThamesEstuary #NatureRecovery #Biodiversity #Ecology #EnvironmentalScience #HabitatRestoration #KnowledgeExchange