2005 – 2006

2005 – Building for the future

Working with communities is an importantpart of ZSL’s effort to involve local people

in the welfare of their wildlife

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Zoology at the University ofCambridge. This successfulcollaboration with our Institute ofZoology has generated numerousprogrammes of research. We aredelighted that this partnership willcontinue for another five years.

Our research projects continued toinfluence policy in some of the world’sleading conservation fields, includingthe trade in bushmeat, the assessmentof globally threatened species, diseaserisks to wildlife, and the ecology andbehaviour of our important nativespecies.

At Regent’s Park we opened anothertwo new-look enclosures. Our Meet theMonkeys exhibit and our African BirdSafari take us another step closer toachieving our vision to make it possiblefor visitors to London Zoo to seeanimals without the need for bars orbarriers.

The work continues apace, withimportant new developments lined upfor both our sites as well as in EastLondon where ZSL now has outlineplanning approval for its Biota! project– a unique conservation-based wildlifeexperience.

None of these achievements wouldhave been possible without the hardwork and dedication of ZSL staff andvolunteers and the continued supportof our Fellows, friends and supporters,for which we are truly grateful.

We look forward to the continuedprogress of our activities in 2006 toensure that the world’s wildlife not onlysurvives, but also thrives for futuregenerations.

Sir Patrick Bateson FRS

President, ZSL

Equally rewarding was our growingfinancial strength during 2005. In a yearovershadowed by the terrorist attacksin the capital, ZSL has been able todemonstrate solid and sustainedfinancial growth, with revenue from ourwebsite, retailing, catering and businessdevelopment operations all up on lastyear.

In this year’s report we have tried togive greater insight into some of ourmost exciting conservation programmes– a difficult task given there are somany. Fortunately, you can learn moreabout our work on our award-winning*website www.zsl.org (*Best Website –Visit London Awards November 2005).

2005 was another year of tireless workand campaigning by ZSL. The haltingof the construction of the Perevoznayaoil terminal on the Amur Bay nearVladivostok was particularly significantin light of our efforts to save the Amurleopard. The decision by the RussianGovernment to turn down the plannedterminal gives new hope for thiscritically endangered leopard and theunique forest and marine ecosystemsof Southwest Primorye. We aredelighted with this result.

We also celebrated the return to thewild of the world’s last wild horse,which was on the brink of extinction.Thanks to a successful breedingprogramme, Przewalski horses havebeen reintroduced to Mongolia. We areparticularly pleased because one ofthese horses was bred at Whipsnade.This demonstrates the value of captive-breeding programmes to restore wildpopulations – a real success story forworld wildlife.

Our work with native species broughtmore good news, with 726 field crickets– bred at ZSL – introduced on the Isle ofWight and at three sites in West Sussexas part of English Nature’s SpeciesRecovery Programme.

2005 also marked the fifth year of ourpartnership with the Department of

Reading this year’s Living Conservation report I am struck by the sheer breadth and vitality ofZSL’s conservation work around the world. It isalso extremely gratifying to observe so manysuccesses, ranging from our internationalanimal conservation and scientific researchprogrammes to our breeding of endangeredanimals and educational projects.

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January

April

February

May

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January Once again, the year got off to a flying start, with widespread mediacoverage for the annual stock-take of our Living Collection. OurRAW exhibition – featuring the diaries and photographs of ZSL’sfield conservation teams – also captivated visitors at London Zoo.

FebruaryIn early 2005, ZSL and partners launched a successful campaign tohalt the building of an oil pipeline terminal in key Amur leopardhabitat.

MarchLondon Zoo launched its state-of-the-art monkey walk-thoughwoodland, Meet the Monkeys, while at Whipsnade the Lions of theSerengeti enclosure opened – a showcase for ZSL’s carnivoreconservation work in the Serengeti.

April ZSL launched its awarding-winning website to critical acclaim. Asurvey commissioned by ZSL revealed that 83% of people inLondon thought that shopping trolleys were the objects mostlikely to be found in the River Thames!

MayOur Spermatology exhibition at London Zoo highlighted theimportant scientific research undertaken by the Institute ofZoology (IoZ). Also in May, our life-size model of a leatherbackturtle began a UK-tour as part of the 2004/5 European Associationof Zoos and Aquaria’s ShellShock campaign to raise awareness ofthe global threat to turtle species.

JuneZSL announced its new field study to monitor the European eel inthe tributaries of the Thames. Another ZSL study, published in thejournal Nature, unravelled the mystery behind the extinction of themoa – the world’s largest bird.

Our photographic round-up of 2005 highlights some of ZSL’s more significantevents and achievements from the year. For more information go to www.zsl.org

March

June

Highlights of our year

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July

October

August

November

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JulyLondon Zoo revealed its new vision for the future with the launchof the African Bird Aviary. A new African Rainforest area will openin the heart of the zoo in 2007 as part of this vision. It will behome to gorillas, black-and-white colobus monkeys and otherprimates as well as endangered birds and reptiles.

August Our Human Zoo exhibit opened to demonstrate the basic nature ofman as an animal and to examine the impact of Homo sapiens onthe rest of the Animal Kingdom. The Human Zoo sparkedinternational media coverage, with opposing opinions fuelling thedebate. In August we also released hundreds of British fieldcrickets into the wild at four locations around the country as partof an English Nature Species Recovery Programme.

September Our first ever Gay Sunday event burst on to the scene with aflamboyant mix of entertainment and animals. ZSL’s work indevising a mathematical formula to manage group-living speciesin captivity received an EAZA award.

OctoberLondon Zoo launched an exclusive exhibition showcasing thework of its vets in a series of 28 photographic panels. On 6 October a male white rhino calf was born at Whipsnade – thethird since June!

NovemberResearch commissioned by ZSL showed that Britain’s ‘twenty-somethings’ have the greatest fear of creepy animals, despitebeing seen as the nation’s dare-devils. ZSL also celebrated thebirth of its 25th and 26th Grevy’s zebra foals at Whipsnade.

DecemberAn international working group, co-ordinated by scientists at ZSL,made the important recommendation to re-classify the MongolianPrzewalski horse (previously categorised as extinct in the wild) toendangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.Completing the year on a high note – ZSL picked up three of thetop BIAZA awards at a prestigious ceremony.

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NORTH AMERICA

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ZSL’s Global Reach

ZSL operates on the ground delivering practicalconservation in over 30 countries around the world.A selection of our achievements is profiled here.

For more information on our work around the globe visit www.zsl.org

*A Darwin Initiative Grant funded project

1 Unique island wildlife. We are establishing a disease monitoringlaboratory and monitoring systems to safeguard the unique Galapagoswildlife that inspired Darwin’s The Origin of Species.*

2. Supporting biodiversity through sustainable trade. ZSL aims to givelocal people in the Brazilian Amazon an economic stake in the welfare oftheir wildlife by establishing sustainable wild-caught fisheries to supplythe aquarium trade.*

3. Building capacity. We are responding to the disease threat toendangered Dominican amphibians such as the ‘Mountain chicken’(pictured) by supporting education and awareness programmes.*

4. Protecting native British wildlife. Our health screening programmeshelp rebuild native species populations. ZSL's health checks andpostmortem screening support reintroduction and translocation projectsfor several species, including red kites and cirl bunting.

5. Providing a haven. At our Whipsnade site we have bred corncrakesand barberry carpet moths for release into the wild, and we manage thesite for native species. Our moats are a haven for native crayfishthreatened by an introduced American species.

6. Fighting for the future. ZSL projects are building new scope forecotourism, helping create economic value that encourages local peopleto support gorilla conservation. Our research into the bushmeat tradewill also help plan a future for gorillas.

7. Investigating wildlife health. Rinderpest, a disease of domestic cattle,has devastated plains game herds in sub-Saharan Africa. ZSL is advisingand supporting the African Union to research and, ultimately, eradicatethis disease.

8. Lasting relationships. Since 1987 ZSL has managed the King KhalidWildlife Research Centre, studying and breeding gazelles forreintroduction. Now ZSL is also involved in reserve management andmonitors released ibex and gazelle near Riyadh.

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© Yuri Shibney

© Andy Rouse

© Petr Velensky

9. Playing the long game. ZSL has trained local teams to protect andmonitor Kenya’s black rhino and supports sanctuary areas where theycan be reintroduced. Rhino numbers have grown by more than 25%since 1987.*

10. When National Parks are not enough. Many of East Africa’s carnivores,like hunting dogs, roam far outside protected areas. ZSL researches andmonitors carnivore populations while helping negotiate national andinternational conservation plans to protect carnivores across the region.

11. Picking up the pieces. In the 1990s, vulture populations in Indiadropped by over 90%. ZSL was instrumental in identifying the culprit (a cattle drug), and has now established breeding centres in India torebuild vulture populations.

12. Joined-up thinking. Tigers are a flagship species for ZSL. We studytigers in Indonesia, we manage tiger breeding programmes for zoosacross Europe, Russia and Australasia, and we host one of the world’smost significant tiger funding agencies, 21st Century Tiger. Our grants toprojects in India, Russia and Sumatra help tackle wildlife trade, buildknowledge, mitigate tiger/human conflict, and improve local awareness.

13. Campaigning. ZSL leads international zoo conservation efforts forthe Amur leopard. In 2006, a ZSL-supported campaign succeeded inaverting the building of an oil pipeline through the key remaining habitat.

14. Achieving internationally. Ten years old in 2006, Project Seahorsehas had notable successes, including establishing 18 Marine ProtectedAreas (no-fishing zones) in the Philippines, surveys of European speciesand securing international agreement between 169 nations to managetrade in seahorses.

15. Raising the alert. ZSL surveys of Komodo dragon populations inareas of Indonesia have drawn attention to their decline and the need forconservation action. Steps are now being taken to establish a reserve forthe dragons on the island of Flores.

16. Emergency measures. In response to a catastrophic decline in turtle,tortoise and terrapin numbers due to the food and traditional medicinetrade in the Far East, ZSL has led an international campaign to establishcaptive-breeding populations of many species – now their only feasibleroute to long-term survival.

Living Collection

A ZSL vet gives this slow loris a clean bill of health

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Komodo Island of DragonsOur state-of-the-art Komodo Island ofDragons exhibit, which opened in 2004,was named Best Exhibit of 2005 by theBritish and Irish Association of Zoosand Aquariums. This innovativeenclosure – which allows visitors towatch these magnificent reptiles atclose quarters – continues to raiseawareness of this threatened species.

The Bird Collection

African Bird SafariThe opening of our African Bird Safariexhibit at London Zoo in 2005 provedto be a great success with staff andvisitors alike. Thirteen species arehoused in the aviary and so far we haveseen the successful fledging of Abdim’sstork, Madagascar teal and superbstarling.

Contact training means these birds arecomfortable in close contact withvisitors and this has significantlyimproved the visitor experience.

Breeding successThe year featured a number ofbreeding successes within our birdcollection. Of special note were what isthought to be ZSL’s first red-billedtoucans and a black-faced ibis. We werealso pleased to witness the successfulrearing of a black-footed penguin chickby its parents; previously, chicks haveneeded to be hand-reared.

At Whipsnade our teams reared a tinyrockhopper penguin chick and ourCaribbean flamingos produced threechicks thanks to new protocolsintroduced during the year to protecttheir eggs.

Reptiles and amphibiansIn 2005 ZSL joined forces withconservation teams around the globe to tackle the crisis facing the world’samphibians.

Our Herpetology Team played a centralrole in preparing a response to theproblem from the world’s zoos in theshape of an international action plan,presented by IUCN, the WorldConservation Union. ZSL has also givena further commitment to help conserveamphibians through captive care,breeding and disease research.

Tortoises and turtles As part of this global action plan, ZSLwas delighted by the news in 2005 thatits first attempt at breeding theendangered elongate tortoise and theNew Guinea red-bellied turtle had beensuccessful. A dedicated breeding facilityfor endangered freshwater South EastAsian turtles has also been establishedat Whipsnade. The Turtle Ark – fundedby the park’s volunteers – is home to 18endangered and six criticallyendangered species, making it the mostimportant freshwater turtle collection ina UK zoo.

As part of the year’s Shellshockcampaign (by the European Associationof Zoos and Aquaria), London Zoo’sAquarium Team also took Dermot (afull-sized inflatable leatherback turtle)on tour. Dermot travelled 4,032 miles to34 of the UK’s aquariums to highlightthe global threat to turtle species andraised an important £27,000 forconservation projects. These projectswill include re-establishing a turtleconservation project in Sri Lanka in thewake of the devastating tsunami in Asiaand a satellite-tagging programme forleatherbacks in Africa.

Three white rhinos and two Grevy’s zebra wereamong the new arrivals to take their first stepsat Whipsnade in 2005 thanks to ZSL’s successfulbreeding programmes. This pioneering workcontinues to make a huge contribution toanimal conservation on the ground and tobreeding practices around the world.

Also new to our Living Collection in 2005 werethree more new-look animal exhibits, all ofwhich helped to inspire more than a millionvisitors.

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Aquatic lifeIn 2005, another 16 new speciesentered our aquatic life collection.Among them were five criticallyendangered species of Mexicangoodeid (the last representatives ofAphanius dispar dispar from Bahrain),two species of pacu, a population ofAlgerian killifish and two populations ofa species of endangered Europeankillifish. This builds on ZSL’s decisionlast year to increase the number ofendangered species in our aquarium to18. The Mexican Potosi Pupfish (extinctin the wild) was one of the new speciesand we are now the lead co-ordinatoron the Taxon Advisory Group.

From our growing collection wesuccessfully bred from 19 species –eight for the first time at London Zoo –including a shoal of more than 100feisty red-bellied piranhas.

European killifish Our European killifish, which joined ourcollection during the year, are from agroup that is not only under threat butis also an important indicator of thehealth of wetlands. Action plans forfour priority species were implementedby ZSL’s Aquarium Team in 2005. Thefocus of this work is the endangeredCorfu killifish (Valencia letourneuxi),which has suffered in recent decadesdue to declining wetlands and landdevelopment in Greece. In May andOctober we carried out our firstassessment of the species with theHellenic Centre for Marine Research,Department of Inland Waters. Byinvestigating the distributions at allknown and suspected sites for V. letourneuxi we confirmed acontraction in the range of this speciesand a severe loss of suitable habitat. Aconservation management plan is nowbeing prepared.

The Biota! projectIn March, ZSL heard it has outlineplanning approval for its proposals tobuild the United Kingdom’s largestaquarium and living environment.Biota! will be owned and operated by ZSL and will incorporate fourcontrasting ecosystems, providing wetand dry habitats for marine andfreshwater wildlife. The conservation-based wildlife facility – the proposedcentrepiece of plans for the majorSilvertown Quays development in EastLondon – will expand ZSL’s work in theareas of research, education andconservation.

Conservation in action

Below: Fifty-six Bermudian landsnails (Poecilozonitescircumfirmatus) were sent to ZSL by the Bermuda Natural HistoryMuseum in February 2004 in aneffort to save this highly endangeredspecies. Thanks to the efforts ofZSL’s Invertebrate Team theseproduced a large number of snails in 2005, which have gone on toreproduce. Data obtained on clutchsize, incubation periods anddevelopmental rates are now helpingto inform in-situ conservationplanning for the species.

Above: Pupfish and Below: Corfu killifish.These were among 16 new species ofendangered fish to join the aquaticcollection in 2005

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Bugs and snailsIn 2005, the efforts of ZSL’s InvertebrateTeam led to the production of morethan 1,000 barberry carpet moth pupaeat Whipsnade. Fourth-generation giantweta crickets, second-generationBermudian land snails and fifthgeneration Frégate beetles were alsoproduced.

The success of ZSL’s breedingprogrammes allowed us to boost othercollections, with significant transfers toother institutions during the year. Ourgrowing population of Partula rosea atWhipsnade has also, effectively,secured the survival of the species.Other breeding successes included leafinsects, African flour beetles and up-side down jellyfish.

ZSL has now introduced a newinvertebrate breeding programme forthe Hercules rhino beetle, with helpfrom the breeding group at BesanconMuseum in France.

Changes to our Bugs exhibit at Regent’sPark will help to showcase oursuccessful breeding programmes andwill also allow visitors to experience anew bee garden.

Mammals2005 was a year of big changes for ourmammals collection, as ZSL’s multi-million pound project to improvehabitats in London and at Whipsnadetakes shape.

As part of these re-development plans,some of our small mammals weremoved to new facilities in the CassonPavilion where our exhibits have beenre-designed to remove the glass thattraditionally separates visitors fromanimals, their sounds and their smells!This more inclusive visitor experiencewill be an important feature of the newClore Centre when it re-opens inRegent’s Park in 2007.

London Zoo’s chimps were also movedto new surroundings at Whipsnade,where they will be gradually introducedto the group there. This will allow workto start on Gorilla Kingdom – another ofour new-generation exhibits.

New exhibits that opened during theyear far exceeded expectations, withour Lions of the Serengeti enclosurehelping Whipsnade to achieve recordvisitor numbers and our Meet theMonkeys exhibit in London proving tobe very popular with visitors.

There was more to celebrate with newarrivals for our Panay cloud rats, gentlelemurs, white rhinos and Grevy’s zebra.

Above: One of three baby whiterhinos born at Whipsnade

Right: Our new-look Lions of theSerengeti exhibit attracted a recordnumber of visitors to Whipsnadeduring the year

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Research Award. Staff from LondonZoo and the Institute of Zoologyworked together to develop amathematical model anddemonstration tool for this work todetermine species, feed hosts,disease profiles and control options.

The specialist care and the expertiseof ZSL’s Veterinary Team were alsofeatured in the successful SuperVetsseries on BBC1 during the year. Theprogrammes highlighted ZSL’s

The tremendous success of ZSL’selephant breeding programme wasrecognised by the British and IrishAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums(BIAZA) in 2005, with a Commendation

for the husbandry and veterinary skillinvolved in the safe delivery andrearing of our first calf Aneena.

ZSL’s mosquito surveys at LondonZoo and Whipsnade also won theEuropean Association of Zoos andAquaria’s 2005 Conservation

impressive veterinary residencyprogramme – a major new co-operation between the RoyalVeterinary College and ZSL.

Recognition also came in the form ofa Commendation from BIAZA, whichpraised ZSL’s Veterinary Team’sdiverse activities, including veterinarycapacity building for Great Apesanctuaries in Africa and aparticularly difficult operation on awhite rhino at Whipsnade.

ZSL’s award-winning work

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Our pygmy hippos and greater one-horned rhino were also mated.

Aneena and Euan – our two Asianelephant calves – continue to do welland now accompany the rest of theherd on daily walks around the park.

New for Easter 2006 will be thewelcome return to London Zoo of oldfavourites, such as zebra, and theintroduction of new species, includingAfrican hunting dogs. These will besettled into our new Into Africa exhibit,which will highlight ZSL’s work withcarnivores in Tanzania. New viewingplatforms, periscopes and pods willallow visitors to get closer than everbefore to these animals.

Gardens and groundsZSL’s Garden Department continued tohave a major influence on our work toimprove habitats and the appeal of oursites in 2005. Plants, landscaping andthe introduction of woody branchesand leaf material to enclosures havebeen key elements to the success ofboth our Lions of the Serengeti exhibitand the walk-through bird aviary atLondon Zoo.

At Whipsnade, more than 10,000 youngtrees and 75,000 bulbs have beenplanted and 19 hectares of woodlandbrought back into management by ourHorticultural Team. Natural plantingschemes continue to be devised tofurther improve walkways and keyareas at our two sites, such asentrances and gathering points.

Increasingly, our work with plants islinked to ZSL’s new welfare-basedEnrichment Programme. This year, thepublic were enlisted to grow and dryherbs as part of our Can You Dig It?campaign. Keepers will use these driedherbs for the first time this winter tomaintain a fresh supply of greenery forour animals. The team’s efforts havealso concentrated on eco-friendlymeasures, including the collection ofrainwater for irrigation and the use ofpeat free compost to plant 100replacement trees at both sites.

Right: Planting schemes and fresh feedingideas are being used to enrich exhibits andthe lives of our animals

Below: 75,000 bulbs have been planted atWhipsnade

Conservation in the Field

ZSL’s work in the field is crucial to the survival of the world’s

most endangered species

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role in helping to reduce the risk ofchytridiomycosis spreading to otherCaribbean islands.

During the year, another ZSL teammember helped the University ofFlorence and the Indonesian authoritiesto complete an important surveylooking at the distribution and status ofKomodo dragons in eastern Flores.Despite positive reports confirming thepresence of these lizards at the surveysites, no dragons were found. Thisconfirmed fears that a combination ofdepleted prey and habitat loss isthreatening wildlife in both theDetusoko and Kotabaru peninsulas.This finding has highlighted theimportance of protecting the survivingKomodo dragon populations of westernand northern Flores from similar threats.

Other surveys and research during theyear included our on-going studies onthe social structure of Round Islandpetrels and our epidemiological andgenetic work on the Frégate beetle,which is helping to influence in-situconservation management practicesamid concerns that this beetle is on thedecline in the wild.

In 2006 ZSL will be involved in a grant-funded survey looking at the health ofcoral reef in the Chagos archipelago.This will form part of a major scientificfield mission in the first half of the yearand will be a key aspect of our work aspart of the UK Overseas TerritoriesConservation Forum.

In 2005 ZSL invested an incredible £2.4million in field projects to protect andmanage species and their habitatsaround the globe as part of its sixconservation programmes.

A dedicated team of programmemanagers has now been established tolead this important work and to developstrategic plans for the next five yearsthat will draw on the expertise of ZSL’sliving collections, scientists and fieldworkers – forging stronger integrationacross the Society.

Here we look at the conservation workcarried out in 2005, with some of theyear’s main achievements.

Island Ecosystems Following extensive field surveys, ZSLand its partners handed over a much-needed conservation managementstrategy to the French PolynesianGovernment for the region’s endemicpartulid and trochomorphid snails. TheAction Plan recommends these speciesbe regularly monitored, new predator-proof sites found, and populations inimmediate danger moved to safer sites.Greater protection status for key sites isalso recommended.

The important work being carried out atour new molecular epidemiology andgenetics laboratory in Galapagos alsoled to a re-think and a change in thelaw. In future, incoming aircraft will betreated with residual disinfection priorto their arrival in an effort to keep WestNile virus out. Our project work here isalso gathering base-line data on thehealth of tortoise populations andinvestigating the ability of Galapagossea lions and fur seals to fight disease.

Our Caribbean Amphibian ConservationProject has equipped a rapid moleculardiagnostic laboratory on the island ofDominica. This will have an important

ZSL’s conservation teams were involved in 45 projects in over 30 countries around theglobe in 2005. This vital work continues toaddress some of the world’s toughestconservation challenges and to deliver greaterprotection for wild animals.

Significant successes during the year includedstopping an oil pipeline from destroying theAmur leopard’s habitat in Russia and furthersteps to protect lowland gorillas in Africa.

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Bushmeat & Forests In 2005 ZSL continued its work to findan international solution to the over-hunting of wildlife for bushmeat. Usinga conference on Bushmeat andLivelihoods, ZSL challenged thegovernment on the need for a changein UK and EU development policy.

On the ground, we took over thetechnical management of the MikongoConservation Centre and continued ourwork with the Gabonese Government,promoting the ‘living value’ of lowlandgorillas through the development ofecotourism in West Africa. A newmanager and gorilla tourism officer,together with two volunteers and ateam of eight trackers have also beenappointed. Among the team’s firstchallenges has been to accustom thesegorillas to humans – a crucial stepbefore tourists can visit the group. Thislengthy process requires a tremendousamount of effort and during the year2,483 hours were spent tracking thefocal group of eight adults, including asilverback male and four juveniles. Thisclose contact has been rewarded withthe group remaining calm underobservation – an extremely good sign.

Tourists are already visiting the camp tosee the area’s primates, which includethe black colobus, putty-nosed, crownedand moustached monkeys, as well asthe local bird life. Approximately 160tourists visited the area during the year,with more than 40 visitors in thebusiest month of August. In responseto this, a survey was carried out toassess the impact of visitors on villagesin the gorilla tourism zone and atraining course was given to eco-guidesand trackers on the principles ofconservation and tourism. Towards theend of the year, school parties from thelocal villages were also invited to a talkat the camp on gorilla behaviour,supported by US, EU and Frenchgovernment funds.

In the Democratic Republic of Congowe completed our first year of work inthe Virunga National Park, which isbeing assisted by an EU grant. In spiteof transport issues and insecurity in thearea, considerable progress was madeto establish the project and integrate itsactivities in line with the area’s nationalpolicies and action, including the ICCN’sregional strategy for Great VirungaLandscape. Three key activities havenow been launched to: train the parkrangers, restore the Mutsora rangerstation, and support ranger patrols. Aspart of these activities, ZSL helped cover2,895 days of ranger patrols – about25% of all patrols in Virunga NationalPark in 2005.

Photogrph: Noëlle K

ümpel

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OPPOSITE PAGE

Top: ZSL continues to campaign for a solution tothe trade in bushmeat

Middle: Supporting National Park rangers forendangered gorillas in Virunga

Below: ZSL-trained trackers at work

THIS PAGE

Top: Surveillance of animals such as wildebeesthelps to influence conservation action on theground

Below: Tracking operations

Deserts & Rangelands In Africa, results from our disease-monitoring programme have beenencouraging, with signs that wildlife isno longer circulating rinderpest virus,and that the disease could now beextinct in cattle. The strategy developedby ZSL for African countries on theAvian Influenza pandemic also helpedensure preparatory measures were inplace before the first infection wasrecorded in Nigeria. Now that supportfor the Pan African Programme for theControl of Epizootic Diseases has beenfinalised, the trained teams left behindfollowing ZSL’s input will need toremain vigilant.

In Kenya, ZSL concluded the first phaseof its Black Rhino Programme, with theestablishment of a nationwideecological monitoring system. Thisprogramme – supported by the DarwinInitiative – has allowed us to train morethan 200 reserve staff, improving bothlocal expertise and sanctuarymanagement. Another two studentsachieved MScs in conservation biologyand 15 park ecologists were trained tocarry out vegetation surveys – nine ofwhich have been carried out. ElliottMorley MP, Minister of State (ClimateChange and Environment)complimented the project when hevisited Kenya recently.

In Mongolia, there was further praiseboth nationally and internationally for

our Steppe Forward Programme, whichaims to increase dramatically themonitoring of wildlife and to initiateconservation action. A national Red List workshop, held as part of theprogramme, looked at the distributionsof the Przewalski wild horse during theyear and made the significantrecommendation to ‘down list’ thisanimal from extinct in the wild tocritically endangered in the wild. This is good news for conservation teamseverywhere.

Our monitoring of gazelle and ibex atthe King Khalid Wildlife ResearchCentre in Saudi Arabia also continuedto provide valuable conservation data.Perhaps the most significant findingwas the re-appearance of ibex in theIbex Reserve following its scarcity since2004. This underlines the importance ofannual monitoring and the need forextensive approaches to managementboth inside and outside reserves. Wealso confirmed the presence of themountain gazelles and sand gazellesthat were reintroduced at Uruq BaniMa’arid; these continue to do well andhave become the Kingdom’s largestwild populations.

Three new initiatives got underwayduring the year. Our genetic workproduced interesting results on thetaxonomy of the three Tahr species;progress was made in extracting DNAsamples from dung, while wildlifehealth research focused on

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Mycobacteria and Eimeria pathogens;and conservation education cameunder the management of a newly-recruited manager with a clearprogramme for 2006.

The declining population of severalspecies of south Asian vulture continuedto be the focus of ZSL’s work in Indiaduring the year. Working with the RSPBand the Bombay Natural History Society,we continued to press the country toestablish breeding centres and to securea ban on substances harmful to vultures.In Nepal, this work is part of the NepalVulture Initiative, which was started inearly 2005 with the King Mahendra Trustin Kathmandu and other partners tofocus on training and raising awarenessof the problem. A captive breedingcentre is planned.

New for 2005 was our Thailand ElephantProject – involving one of Asia’s mostimportant wild elephant populations.This ZSL project is being supported bythe Darwin Initiative and will aim toresolve the human/elephant conflict thatexists, and support the management ofsome of the country’s National Parks.

Marine & Freshwater Following the devastating tsunami inAsia, ZSL continued its support for theMangrove Action Project in 2005. Theproject – to replace importantmangroves along the coastline ofnorthern Sumatra – is a major part ofthe recovery process for survivingcommunities and coastal ecosystems inthe region.

In April, we were awarded a DarwinInitiative Grant for a new project in theBrazilian Amazon varzea ecosystem.With our project partner, SociedadeCivil Mamirauá, we will developprotection systems for the biodiversityof fish within the reserve and improvethe sustainability of the trade inornamental fish from the Amazon. Thisproject is one of a number of economicactivities within the reserve that seek tomanage the growing pressure on itsnatural resources.

In Mozambique, we celebrated the

Top left: ZSL’s work in India is helping torebuild falling vulture populations

Above: Monitoring young eels and savingnative crayfish – some of ZSL’s UK projects

successful hatching of the 400th turtlenest being monitored on our projectbeaches. Our tagging programme hasdemonstrated remarkable site fidelity,with some females returning up toseven times to lay their eggs. Theresults are providing growing evidencethat the project beaches in Maluane areof high regional importance,particularly for hawksbill turtles.Genetic samples taken from thesegreen and hawksbill turtles will allowus to develop regional managementstrategies.

Back at home, ZSL’s ThamesConservation Project completed thefirst year of its Thames MarineMammal Sightings Survey. We receiveddetails of 192 sightings of 496 animals,with the results showing a clear patternof use. Bottlenose dolphins were seenin the mouth of the estuary duringspring and summer and harbourporpoises were noted all year round.Groups of grey seals and commonseals favoured the exposed sandbanksin the outer estuary while solitaryanimals have been recorded using theentire length of the river.

Traps were also set on the Thames andits tributaries as we began the work tomonitor the European eel (Anguillaanguilla), which is in decline acrossEurope. The Worshipful Company ofFishmongers and the EnvironmentAgency are funding this work, whichwill look for any decline in therecruitment of juvenile eels (elvers). Aspart of this work, ZSL has establishedthe UK Eel Conservation Group,bringing together governmentdepartments, conservation groups,industry, and academia to helpprioritise the UK eel conservation effort.

Further funding came during the yearfrom English Nature for research into

animal distributions across the country.The project will be modelled on thealready successful Tanzanian CarnivoreProgramme and will continue ourproductive partnership with theTanzania Wildlife Research Institute. Weaim to establish a database of allmedium to large mammals in thecountry through a network of volunteerdata contributors, with camera-trapsurveys and interviews to target data-deficient areas. This atlas will enable usto produce a full National ConservationAction Plan covering priority taxa suchas wild dogs, lions, cheetahs,elephants, rhinos, chimpanzees andother primates. Our long-runningcheetah study also continued to gatherimportant data in partnership with theWildlife Conservation Society, and withsupport from the Howard BuffetFoundation.

Our tiger work took ZSL teams to theunique mangrove forests of theSunderbans in Bangladesh. Withsupport from the Save the Tiger Fund,work is being carried out to estimatetiger numbers and to resolve the area’snotorious conflict between tigers andhumans. In Indonesia, our unique studyof tigers and wildlife that live outsidethe country’s protected areas alsoprogressed well. This work underpinsour survey on the distribution of largemammals in Sumatra, which is beingbacked by the Indonesian ForestryDepartment. Finally, on the tiger front,2005 proved a significant year for ourtiger-funding arm 21st Century Tiger.Generous donations from the public,European and Australasian zoos andthe UK’s Department of theEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairsmeant our funding for tiger conservationworld-wide passed the million poundmark early in the year.

In Russia, our focus on the criticallyendangered Amur leopard proved acrucial factor in a rare conservationvictory that saw the RussianGovernment throw out plans for an oilpipeline that would have cut throughthis animal’s habitat.

This welcome decision followed aninternational campaign co-ordinated by ZSL. It is hard to over-estimate thesignificance of this decision, which issure to give future companies pause for thought when contemplating similarprojects. Further success in Russiacame during the year with theannouncement that a Darwin InitiativeGrant will be made available to ZSLand the World Conservation Society(Russia) to help the country establish its own system to monitor the health of its leopards.

moved to the safety of our chimpanzeemoat at Whipsnade.

In 2005, ZSL’s Health SurveillanceProgramme concentrated on a numberof threatened native species with grantsfrom both English Nature and thePeople’s Trust for Endangered Species.This work included the development ofa new screening procedure for fieldcrickets, a disease risk analysis for thereintroduction of the pool frog fromSweden, and monitoring 40 red kitesprior to their release inNorthumberland.

As a key partner in English Nature’sSpecies Recovery Programme, ZSL alsobred more than 700 crickets for releaseinto the wild in 2005. More than 1,500barberry carpet moths were alsoreared.

In Cambridgeshire, our CorncrakeProject continues to help re-establishthe rare corncrake in the Fenlands. OurBird Team at Whipsnade successfullyreared another 78 chicks in 2005 forrelease – our highest total yet.

Carnivores & PeopleIn Tanzania, ZSL continued to expandits operations and began the work toproduce a Mammal Atlas that will map

the beautiful pink sea fan – a protectedUK coral species being threatened byan unknown virus and trawling. ZSLwill be looking to provide details of thecoral’s growth rates, reproductionpractices, and responses to changes inlight and temperature. These findingswill play an important part in providinga conservation plan for the pink sea fan.

UK Native Species Big improvements were made at oursites in London and Bedfordshireduring the year to assist with thebreeding of our native species.

At Whipsnade our new ButterflyGarden (opened in July) is alreadyattracting large numbers of comma,peacock and red admiral. Our new bathibernacula received a Special

Commendation from the ChilternsConservation Board and at London Zoonew log piles and bat and bird boxesare providing an important refuge forurban wildlife. More habitat corridorswere created during the year at LondonZoo and nearby Regent’s Park, and theroof of our Komodo House wasredesigned to encourage insects.

Another major success for 2005 wasour operation to rescue Bedfordshire’slast remaining population of white-clawed crayfish. Forty crayfish were

19

Left: Small tortoiseshell butterfly – one ofthe species in our new butterfly garden atWhipsnade

Below: African hunting dogs will beincluded in a new National ConservationAction Plan Ph

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ConservationScience

ZSL is leading the way in thedevelopment of new methods for

transporting animal sperm

21

of our research will help to overcomethe breeding challenges this presentsboth in our domestic flocks and wildspecies.

During the year the IoZ also continuedits studies into a relatively newpathological condition affecting whales,dolphins and porpoises similar to ‘thebends’ in human divers. Our work onthe Defra-funded Cetacean StrandingProject has furthered our understandingof the condition. The Institute ofZoology also contributes to a nationalmarine mammal database and tissuebank that supports a diverse range ofcollaborative research activities.

A further generous contribution fromthe Rufford Maurice Laing Foundationwill help ZSL and the WorldConservation Union (IUCN) develop theIUCN Sampled Red List Index and toproduce web and CD-ROM versions ofthe IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies. The IUCN Sampled Red ListIndex will be the first index to measureglobal trends in the conservation statusof the world’s species. The CD-ROMand web versions of the list will make iteasier to use and more accessible to abroad audience.

Institute of Zoology staff also workedwith collaborators in the University ofCambridge and with colleagues in ZSLto agree a new five-year science plan.The plan will help ZSL to prioritisefunding and grant applications, as wellas guiding expenditure from our ownresources, and should enable us todemonstrate a clear scientific niche.The new plan will come into effect from2006, gradually replacing the sciencequestions that were addressed in thelast five-year plan.

Full details of the research activities ofthe Institute of Zoology can be found inthe IoZ’s scientific report Science forConservation 2004-5 at www.ioz.ac.uk

In 2005, the Institute of Zoologycelebrated the fifth anniversary of itspartnership with the University ofCambridge. This alliance, which hasprompted numerous research activitiesand working partnerships, will becontinued for a further five years.

On the international stage, the IoZ’sresearch work in 2005 continued to playa major role in influencing policy onkey conservation issues, including: thetrade in bushmeat, the globalassessment of threatened species,disease risks to wildlife, and theecology and behaviour of UK nativespecies.

In April, this work took ZSL to Dominicawhere IoZ teams are tackling theemerging problem of chytridiomycosis.This vital work into this infectiousdisease is being funded through Defra’sDarwin Initiative and will involve thedevelopment of a management plan tominimise the risk of this diseasespreading. Expertise developed by ZSLwithin Dominica will be made availableto other Caribbean islands at risk.

In the spring, the Institute alsolaunched a three-year research projectto investigate the causes of disease inUK garden birds as the co-ordinatingpartner of the Garden Bird HealthInitiative. The aim of the project is topromote the conservation and welfarebenefits of feeding garden birds. Thisinitiative has the backing and fundingof numerous organisations. (see Thankyou on page 36 for a full list ofsponsors)

In 2005 we also received a grant fromDefra to investigate the use of thenatural properties and products of thesheep oviduct to prolong the lifespan ofspermatozoa. Storing semen for arelatively short time at ambienttemperature is necessary whenattempting artificial insemination withmales and females that are situatedsome distance apart and wheresufficient time is required fortransporting semen between locations.This is a problem for assisted breedingof wild species such as antelope, but isalso a specific and important limitationin sheep farming. It is hoped the results

The Institute of Zoology’s work aims toanticipate and respond to conservationresearch priorities around the world. By sharingits findings, the IoZ – ZSL’s scientific researchwing – is also working to improve the world’sability to protect wildlife.

22

Communicating scienceA varied programme of meetings andthe publication of scientific books andjournals formed a major part of theInstitute’s work in communicating itsfindings and other information betweenresearchers, professional zoologistsand the public during the year.

Scientific MeetingsWriter, photographer and broadcasterAdam Hart-Davis presented ahumorous and informative overview ofearly animal enthusiasts in the 2005Stamford Raffles Lecture entitled:Stuffed, mummified and pickled: thework of some outstanding earlynaturalists.

Scientific Meetings were held monthlythroughout the academic year andcovered a range of subjects, includingBiomimetics: the science of looking tonature for technological inspiration; The Thames Estuary: awash withbiodiversity; Animal invasions; andWild Animal Disease Surveillance in the UK. In March, our debate oncloning endangered species focused on the contribution of cloning toconservation and examined thepractical and ethical issues as well asthe prejudices that confront this rapidlydeveloping area of research. A seconddebate on elephant conservation, heldlater in the year, prompted a livelydiscussion on the complexcircumstances surrounding themanagement of the species in Africa.

Above: Colourful TV presenter Adam Hart-Davisdelivers ZSL’s Stamford Raffles Lecture

Below: ZSL’s scientific publications

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ZSL publicationsThe Journal of Zoology, ZSL’s pre-eminent international journal dedicatedto academic zoology, continues toattract an increasing number of high-quality research papers and reviews.

Our Conservation Biology book seriesincludes titles that reflect our researchinterests and provides an extensivereview of particular topics. People andwildlife: conflict or co-existence, editedby Rosie Woodroffe, Simon Thirgoodand Alan Rabinowitz, was published in July.

Our newest journal, AnimalConservation, provides a forum forrapid publication of novel peer-reviewedresearch into conservation of animalspecies and their habitats. Subjectscovered by the journal includepopulation biology; epidemiology;evolutionary ecology; and conservationeconomics.

Volume 39 of our International ZooYearbook was published in 2005. Thededicated section on zoo animalnutrition includes articles onformulating and evaluating the diets ofa diverse range of species. Thereference section includes a list of Zoosand Aquariums of the World, a

ZSL was involved in a number

of exhibitions during 2005.

The Frozen Ark project, launched atthe Natural History Museum, is acollaborative effort to create acollection of genetic material onendangered species to assistconservation and science in thefuture. The IoZ was also heavilyinvolved in both the Spermatologyexhibition and RAW photographicexhibition at London Zoo. Theseprovided visitors with an insight intothe Institute’s work in reproductivebiology and provided zoo visitorswith a chance to view the diariesand photographs of its researchersin the field.

comprehensive list of zoo associations,and a register of international studbooks.

During the year we reviewed ourpublishing arrangements and will beswitching to Blackwells in 2006 in orderto exploit fully the potential forelectronic publishing. It follows sevensuccessful years with CambridgeUniversity Press. This should allowfurther growth of our AnimalConservation journal and will presentnew opportunities for the Journal ofZoology and the International ZooYearbook.

Above: Ram sperm in ice – from the IoZSpermatology exhibition

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This page: Some of ZSL’s impressivecollection of artwork

Opposite: ZSL’s award winners for 2005

ZSL’s Library

ZSL’s popular library loaned Fellowsand ZSL staff more than 2,000 titles in2005 and many more took advantage of our upgraded on-line catalogue(https://library.zsl.org). Work has nowstarted to create an online catalogue of ZSL’s paintings, sculptures andartefacts with funding from the Michael Marks Trust.

Further efforts to improve access toZSL’s unique collection included therefurbishment of our reception andlibrary lobby during the year. This willmake it easier to get to the ReadingRoom, where some of ZSL’s oilpaintings will now be on show.

Library displays during the year helpedto showcase other prized possessions,including ZSL’s collection of Darwinletters and the hand-written traveljournals of William Baird.

Behind-the-scenes tours were providedfor library visitors from SparsholtCollege and Antwerp Zoo and ourhonorary Visiting Scholar, ProfessorGeoff Moore, from the University ofLondon Marine Biological Station inMillport, returned. ZSL is keen toencourage applications from otherscholars who would benefit from thesame privileged access to ZSL’scollection.

Some of ZSL’s important collections willbe on display at other venues in thecoming months. This follows ZSL’sdecision to loan Frederick York’sphotographs of rare and extinctanimals from the 1800s to the MuseumFolkwang in Essen and drawings byGeorge Edwards to the Royal Collegeof Physicians.

We continue to be able to share thisunique resource thanks to thededication of our team of volunteers,Fellows and the Friends of ZSL whosupport the library with their time, bydonating books, archives, zooephemera, and funds for theconservation of items in our collection.

25

ZSL’s Scientific AwardsZSL recognises outstandingachievements in the field of zoologicalresearch and conservation through itsannual presentation of awards. The2005 award winners are:

THE PRINCE PHILIP PRIZEFor the best zoological project by an

A-level student, or equivalent.

Ailsa Guenevere Bradbury, ofWallington High School for Girls, forher project: Investigation into thesensory responses of Calliphora larvae.

THE THOMAS HENRY HUXLEYAWARDFor the best doctoral thesis produced

in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.

Dr Andrew Gardner, University ofEdinburgh, for his thesis: Developmentsin the theory of social evolution.

THE SCIENTIFIC MEDALAwarded to research scientists below

40 years of age for distinguished work

in zoology.

Dr Daniel Haydon, University ofGlasgow, for his use of mathematicalmodels to clarify our understanding ofpopulation biology; and to

Professor Andy Purvis, Imperial CollegeLondon, for his contribution to thefields of macroecology, conservationbiology and phylogeny estimation.

THE FRINK MEDALAwarded to a professional zoologist

for substantial and original

contributions to the advancement of

the science.

Professor Geoff Parker FRS, Universityof Liverpool, for his contribution to our

understanding of the roles of sexualselection, parent-offspring conflict andsibling rivalry in evolutionaryprocesses.

THE STAMFORD RAFFLES AWARDFor distinguished contributions to

zoology by amateur zoologists or,

exceptionally, professional zoologists

for contributions outside the scope of

their professional activity.

Dr Peter Grubb, for his remarkable bodyof research on mammalian systematics.

THE MARSH AWARD FORCONSERVATION BIOLOGYFor contributions of fundamental

science and their application to the

conservation of animal species and

habitats.

Professor Bill Sutherland, University ofEast Anglia, for contributions toconservation biology.

THE MARSH AWARD FOR MARINEAND FRESHWATERCONSERVATIONFor contributions of fundamental

science and their application to

conservation in marine and/or

freshwater ecosystems.

Ian Boyd, Professor of Natural Historyat the University of Saint Andrews, andDirector of the Natural EnvironmentResearch Council Sea MammalResearch Unit, for his pure and appliedresearch into the management ofmarine ecosystems.

THE BIOSIS AWARD For the public communication of

zoology.

Charles Clover, the Environment Editorof the Daily Telegraph, for his book: TheEnd of the line. How over fishing ischanging the world and what we eat.

THE SILVER MEDALFor a significant contribution to the

understanding and appreciation of

zoology.

Alastair Fothergill, BBC Natural HistoryUnit, for his contribution to thedirection of Deep Blue.

HONORARY FELLOWSHIPSAwarded to: Professor Sir Brian Heap,University of Cambridge; Professor SirJohn Krebs, University of Oxford, andDr Katherine Ralls, Smithsonian NationalZoological Park, Washington, DC.

Below: Hammer head shark from theaward-winning BBC Deep Blue series

Discovery andLearning

The hornbill – helping to highlight conservation issues

27

Parks at Nakuru and Tsavo West whereit is helping to train education wardens.This project is linked to ZSL’s work hereprotecting black rhinos in conjunctionwith the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Life-long learningAs part of ZSL’s commitment to life-long learning, we ran more of ourpopular evening classes: AnimalEcology & Conservation (now in its12th year); Animal Diversity: Birds; andThe Natural History of Great Britain.These courses include a day-long tourof the Society’s Living Collection andattracted over 100 attendees during the year.

On-site innovationsThe opening of our new Meet theMonkeys exhibit provided us with anideal opportunity to demonstrate ourcommitment to improving the visitorexperience. Cartoon-based signs,opportunities for play and for visitors toask questions have all been introducedwith good effect, as have unobtrusivesigns, sounds and mist in thelandscaped surroundings of our AfricanBird Safari. Our Lions of the Serengetiexhibit, which opened at Whipsnade atEaster, has also provided a graphicbackdrop for our new story-led visitor’stour highlighting the important issuessurrounding lion conservation andZSL’s work with carnivores in Tanzania.Other exhibits received a face-lift in2005, with new standardised designsand signs introduced at London Zooand Whipsnade to complement theselatest additions. Major graphics projectswere also used to revamp both our siteentrances and parking and bus stops at Whipsnade.

A more ambitious approach at London

Schools’ programmeOur school visits, again, attractedthousands of visitors to our sites inLondon and Bedfordshire during theyear. Indeed, numbers expected atLondon Zoo in 2005 were set to exceedthe previous year’s figures up until thedevastating terrorist attack in the capitalon 7 July. This resulted in thecancellation of 8,000 pre-booked visits.At Whipsnade, while attendancesremained fairly stable, there was apleasing 10% rise in the number ofschools taking up educational sessions.

Throughout the summer, school visitorswere tracked at both zoos to see whichareas they use, and in London teacherswere also asked how ZSL might bettersupport their visits. Meeting a commonrequest for staff or volunteers to beavailable to talk to and interpret theexhibits will be a focus of ourvolunteer-led activities in 2006.

New for the year was our Killer Jellyfishshow (a reference to the plastic bagsthat end up in the sea) and our revisedStudy Days for A-level students, both ofwhich proved particularly popular.

ZSL Outreach initiativeConsiderable progress was made onthe development of our Outreachprogramme, which will include our newLiving Green initiative. Thispresentation will encourage youngstersto take a greater interest in wildlife,their environment and sustainableliving. Youngsters will be encouragedto re-use, reduce and recycle itemssuch as mobile phones, clothes, drinkcans and toys.

In addition to our UK-based Outreachinitiative, ZSL’s Education Team alsocontinued its work in Kenya’s National

ZSL’s Education and Interpretation teamsfocused on fresh ideas to reach new audiencesin 2005. A Lion King Trail, greater publicparticipation, and the Living Green educationalinitiative were some of the activities used totake the conservation message to more people.

Research gathered during the year on the“visitor experience” will help our teams takefurther strides in 2006 towards our goal: toinspire more people to take an active interest inwildlife conservation.

28

Zoo’s Reptile House saw theintroduction of stunning new signs andsnappy new exhibit labels, which haveprovided a fresher look and feel to thewhole visitor experience. Inside, theactivity area has been turned into aflexible performance space forpresentations and our forthcomingsnake handling sessions! Bright,interactive display cases and somestunning floor projections of our ownanimals have also made this space anattractive and interesting place to be,even when there are no events running.

At Whipsnade, the daily talks atenclosures were given a fresh approachas volunteers and keepers workedtogether to provide a commentary onfeeding activities. These are provingpopular with visitors.

Fun for all the family Our Education Team again used keyholidays to deliver family events,including a very popular Lion King Trailas well as our Christmas Pantopromotion in London. This year, visitorswere invited to twin the characteristicsof traditional pantomime characterswith their opposite number from theAnimal Kingdom.

Top left: New signs and trails have beenintroduced at London Zoo

Below: A keeper with one of ZSL’smagnificent harris hawks

ZSL teams at Whipsnade Wild

Animal Park and London Zoo

provide visitors with an opportunity

to watch animals in action as part

of a full programme of shows and

free-flying bird displays.

These close encounters continue to

raise awareness of individual

species, the threats animals face,

and ZSL’s conservation efforts.

29

Activities were also held at both zoos aspart of the Europe-wide ShellshockCampaign to raise awareness of thethreat to Asian turtles. Most specialevents are supported on both sites byour loyal volunteer teams.

Our display ‘monoliths’ at London Zooagain came into their own during theyear for three separate photographicexhibitions highlighting the importantwork of ZSL’s conservation, science andveterinary teams. We now have plansfor similar display structures that willallow Whipsnade to run exhibitions in 2006.

Families also gave a warm welcome toGuido the Black vulture, and Winstonthe skunk – the latest star performers tojoin our ever-popular animalpresentations. Our growing eventsprogramme in 2005, in addition to ourdaily programme, has had aconsiderable impact on our externalprofile and visitor numbers at bothsites. Further presentations and animalroutines are planned for London Zoo in2006, including a series of displays thatwill provide visitors with their firstbehind-the-scenes look at the work ofthe zoo and its staff.

Our Children’s Zoo project – which willbring new facilities and opportunitiesfor our younger visitors – is scheduledfor completion in 2008.

Above: ZSL provides visitors with moreopportunities to ‘meet the animals’

Right: Pantomime proved a popular themefor Christmas

Financialinformation

African hunting dogs will join ZSL’s collection in 2006

31

have agreed to increase funding from11% to 12% as a step towards fundingfuture liability levels. This is monitoredby ZSL and the Pension Fund Trusteeson a regular basis.

Trustees’ Statement

accompanying the Group

Summarised Financial

StatementsThe Group Summarised FinancialStatements are not the statutoryaccounts but a summary of informationrelating to the Group Statement ofFinancial Activities, Group Statement ofCash Flows and the Group BalanceSheet. The full Trustees’ Report andfinancial statements, from which thesummarised financial statements arederived, have been externally examinedby Ernst & Young LLP and its auditreport on them is unqualified. The fullTrustees’ Report and financialstatements and Ernst & Young LLP’saudit report on them were approved on25 April 2006 and 11 May 2006respectively and will be submitted tothe Charity Commission. Copies can beobtained from the Finance Director atThe Zoological Society of London,Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees on 11 May 2006

Paul Rutteman, CBE, BSc (Econ), FCA

Treasurer

ZSL remains dependent on its two zoosfor the bulk of its income. In 2005,London Zoo visitor numbers were813,455, a reduction of 31,118 on theprevious year. Whipsnade’s visitornumbers were 474,723, an increase of51,982 against last year. The totalnumber of visitors for the two zoosrose by 20,864 on 2004. If it had notbeen for the large shortfall in visitors inthe summer months following theterrorist attacks in London there wouldhave been an even greater increase.

Income figures benefited from a furtherincrease in Gift Aid recoveries on daymembership, which amounted toalmost £1.9 million compared to £1.5million in 2004. However, the changesto the Gift Aid rules included in the2005 Finance Act, which are effectivefrom 6 April 2006, may well reduce thefuture income. Obviously, this wouldreduce our ability to improve andmaintain our sites.

Both the Institute of Zoology andConservation Programmes maintainedtheir revenues with new grants in 2005,but these relate to specific projects and,whilst supporting the mission of theSociety, do not add to the overallsurplus to fund future development.

Our costs rose compared to 2004, inareas that included maintenance,expenditure on staff, and facilities toimprove the effectiveness of ZSL, aswell as general wage and inflation rises.

The total capital spend of £4.5 millionincluded: the Meet the Monkeys walk-through, the African Bird Safari, theCasson’s small mammal redevelopment,and the commencement of works toredevelop the Clore and main officebuilding at Regent’s Park, thecompletion of the new Lions of theSerengeti exhibit and the hippoenvironmental waste watermanagement system at Whipsnade.

The improvement on the valuation ofinvestments in ZSL’s Pension Fund hasbeen maintained and the fund is still ina satisfactory position. The Trustees

ZSL recorded a consolidated surplus onoperations of £3.5 million and an overallsurplus, after profits on valuation ofinvestments, of £4 million. These compare withfigures of £1.9 million operating surplus andoverall surplus of £2.1 million in 2004. Thisresult includes an accrual of £2.3 million for alegacy receivable in 2006.

Summary Group Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2005

Year Year

to 31.12.05 to 31.12.04

£000 £000

Incoming resources

Incoming resources from charitable activities:Animal collection 17,212 16,068Science and research 3,739 3,785Conservation programmes 816 541

Incoming resources from generated funds:Voluntary income 3,051 590Activities for generating funds:

Subsidiaries trading turnover 5,326 5,515Other 45 –

Investment income 886 827Other incoming resources 1 –Pension finance income 200 200

Total incoming resources 31,276 27,526

Resources expended

Charitable activitiesAnimal collection 18,074 15,910Science and research 4,177 4,336Conservation programmes 1,539 1,446

Cost of generating fundsCosts of generating voluntary income 329 152Fundraising trading

Subsidiaries costs of goods sold and other costs 3,067 3,346Other 456 277

Investment management costs 8 7Governance costs 101 118Other resources expended 4 –

Total resources expended 27,755 25,592

Net incoming resources before other recognised gains 3,521 1,934

Other recognised gainsGains on investments 459 211Actuarial gains on pension scheme 300 100

Net movement in funds 4,280 2,245

Reconciliation of funds

Total funds balance brought forward 39,066 36,821

Total funds balance carried forward 43,346 39,066

Summary Group Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 December 2005

Year Year

to 31.12.05 to 31.12.04

£000 £000

Net incoming resources before other recognised gains 3,521 1,934

Add: Recovery of Value Added Tax andrelated interest, net of professional fees – 9,995

Add: Depreciation 2,248 1,9965,769 13,925

Less: Purchase of tangible fixed assets (net of disposals) (4,543) (4,430)(Deduct)/Add: Sale of fixed asset investments (net of purchases) (35) 98

1,191 9,593

Changes in other assets and liabilities (1,540) (274)

Net cash (outflow)/inflow (349) 9,319

32

Group Summarised Financial Statements

1

1 The amounts for 2004 have been restated to reflect the adoption of FRS 17 “Retirement Benefits”.

Independent Auditors’ Statement to the Trustees of the

Zoological Society of LondonWe have examined the Group’s Summarised Financial Statements for the yearended 31 December 2005, which comprise the Summary Group Statement ofFinancial Activities, Summary Group Statement of Cash Flows and the SummaryGroup Balance Sheet.

This report is made solely to the Trustees. To the fullest extent required by thelaw, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Trustees,for our work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and auditorsThe Trustees are responsible, as trustees, for the preparation of the SummarisedFinancial Statements. We have agreed to report to you our opinion on thesummarised statements’ consistency with the full Financial Statements, whichwere approved by the Trustees on 25 April 2006 and on which we signed ouraudit report on 11 May 2006.

Basis of opinionWe have carried out the procedures we consider necessary to ascertain whetherthe Summarised Financial Statements are consistent with the full FinancialStatements from which they have been prepared.

OpinionIn our opinion the Summarised Financial Statements are consistent with the fullFinancial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2005.

Ernst & Young LLP

Registered AuditorLondon

11 May 2006

Summary Group Balance Sheet at 31 December 2005

31.12.05 31.12.04

£000 £000

Fixed assets

Tangible assets 20,122 17,826Investments 3,681 3,187

23,803 21,013

Current assets

Stocks 364 296Debtors 4,071 2,428Cash at bank and in hand 16,848 17,197

21,283 19,921

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (3,440) (3,268)

Net current assets 17,843 16,653

Pension asset 1,700 1,400

Net assets 43,346 39,066

Funds

Unrestricted 31,850 30,8043,274 3,086

Restricted 1,106 995 5,416 2,781

Total Funds excluding pension assets 41,646 37,666

Pension reserve 1,700 1,400

Total Funds 43,346 39,066

33

– General– Designated– Endowments– Other

Group Summarised Financial Statements (continued)

1

1 The amounts for 2004 have been restated to reflect the adoption of FRS 17 “Retirement Benefits”.

Thank you!

Our meerkats continue to delight the crowds

35

Art Porcine LtdBPBritish SaltCambridge University Press CBCGenus-ABSIKEANetwork RailNippon Koei UK LtdPaper Round Protector Cases Rio Tinto plcTimbmetXY, Inc

Individual donations Evelyn AlbistonHRH Princess AlexandraGerard ArnholdAlan BaconAlok BasuMartin BennyLea Blinoff Jason BodyNicky BrennanElaine BrownIain BulleyPauline CarterTerry CarterBarbara Clark Dr Jonathan Cloke Dr David CoxZoe CoxElizabeth DayLisa DwyerThe Duke of EdinburghJohn Edwards Penelope Edwards Lyla ElichaoffCatherine FaulksEdwin FieldPatricia ForsbergChristine Gebhard Emily HarryJustin HawkinsM HughesCathy JonesCarol KemmDean LanzanteRosanna LaurenceLouise MartiniDeborah Mason Dr Alastair McCance

We are not able to list every individual,but would especially like to thank thefollowing:

The Development AdvisoryCommitteeThis committee, which met for the firsttime in October under the chairmanshipof ZSL President Professor Sir PatrickBateson, has been brought together toprovide expertise, advice and contactsto support the organisation’sDevelopment Department.

Max AlexanderJoan Bakewell Stephen O’BrienDr David CohenMo DuncanDr John Hemming Johnny HornbyLord Claus Moser Lord Swraj Paul Lady Valerie SoltiDavid Taylor Max Ulfane

Legacy In August 2005, ZSL was overwhelmedto hear that it had been left a legacy of£2.3million by Delene Welch, who sadlydied in February 2005. A volunteer at ZSLfor more than 10 years, her gift – to developnew enclosures for animals at LondonZoo – will make a major contribution tothree projects at our Regent’s Park siteover the next 12 months.

Supporter schemes ZSL received a record £1.6 million fromits supporter schemes in 2005. Thisincludes revenue from the Friends ofZSL, our Fellows, the annual pass andanimal adoption schemes. New for2005, was a scheme offering supportersthe chance to adopt an animal in thewild. The scheme highlights six keyanimals that ZSL is working hard toconserve.

CompaniesAbel and ColeAconaAllpets Anglo American plc

We are delighted to thank the manyorganisations and individuals who supportedZSL with their time and money during 2005.This financial assistance and the work of ourdedicated volunteers play a valuable role insupporting the Society’s global activities toconserve wildlife and protect habitats worldwide.

36

Trusts and foundationsAnn R Elfers Conservation FundBorn Free FoundationBridge House TrustBritish Veterinary Association Animal

Welfare Foundation Cheetah Conservation Fund, NamibiaClore Duffield FoundationThe Violet and Milo Cripps Charitable

TrustDonald Forrester TrustHoward Buffett FoundationThe Howlett Mabrouk Shanekoe

FoundationThe Ibbetson Charitable TrustKaplan Scholarship AwardThe Leverhulme TrustThe Marsh Christian TrustMichael Marks Charitable TrustMorris Animal Foundation The Rose FoundationRufford Maurice Laing FoundationTufton Charitable TrustThe Sir Mark and Lady Turner

Charitable SettlementThe World Land TrustWillow Foundation

We received legacy donations

in 2005 from:

Philippa BurgessJoan Mary DelveNigel GravesDr Harold GoodwinVera Mary GuasconiHarry Percival HarfieldAnn Gillian HewisonHarry KleemanBarbara Winifred LanderJohn David PerryEdna Florence SharpLionel SimmondsNorman SquiresMary WheelerSusan Williams

Memorial donations:Brenda Kypta – in memory of

Reginald Lanworn Pamela Read – in memory of

Christopher ReadGroup donation – in memory of

Phyllis Rumbold

Garden Bird Health Initiative The IoZ, as co-ordinating partner of theGarden Bird Health Initiative, would liketo thank the following sponsors forsupporting this initiative. They are:CJ Wildbird Foods Ltd, Gardman Ltd,Cranswick Pet Products, The BirdcareStandards Association, BritishVeterinary Association Animal WelfareFoundation, RSPB and the UniversitiesFederation for Animal Welfare.

Shepreth Wildlife ParkSmithsonian InstitutionSt Louis Zoo*Stuttgart ZooTwycross ZooUniversities Federation for Animal

Welfare University of PadovaUniversity of Cardiff University of GironaUniversity of London, Imperial College University of London, Queen MaryWelsh Mountain ZooWildlife Conservation SocietyWoodland Park Zoo, Seattle**Partula Consortium

SchoolsBromley High School

Statutory and other grantmaking bodiesArchives Libraries Museums London Biotechnology and Biological Sciences

Research Council (BBSRC) The British CouncilCaspian Environment Programme

(Global Environment Fund)Center for Tropical AgricultureChilterns Conservation BoardCommonwealth Commission (via RVC)Department of Environment, Food and

Rural Affairs – Countryside StewardshipScheme, Darwin Initiative and Woodland Grant Scheme

Direction de l’Environnment, French Polynesia

Economic and Social Research Council Engineering and Physical Sciences

Research Council (EPSRC)Environment AgencyEuropean UnionThe European Union of Aquarium

CuratorsEnglish NatureForestry Commission – Woodland

Grant SchemeGlobal Environment Fund – Caspian

ProgrammeGreater London Authority Greater London Authority and Save the

Trafalgar Square Pigeons GroupThe World Conservation Union (IUCN)Joint Nature Conservation CommitteeLondon Development Agency National Fish and Wildlife Service –

Save the Tiger FundNatural Environment Research Council National Commission for Wildlife

Conservation & Development, Saudi Arabia

National Institute of Health Research Councils UK

Scottish Natural HeritageSociety for Reproduction and FertilityWorld Bank

Paru MehtaVanessa Mitchell-ThomsonKate MorrisDr G MyerDr Philip F NolanMartyn & Sylvia Notley Lee PageAnna ParryJay PatelLord Milo ParmoorProfessor Roger RideoutSarah & Bob Rihal and Alice FrenchThe Rose FamilyIan SmithSarah SolmssenChristine Thorpe Neil Reid and Sam TubbAlex TyeKirsty WalkerHarry Wilkinson

LotteryHeritage Lottery Fund

Non-governmental organisations,societies, zoos and universitiesAdelaide Education ServiceArtis ZooAssociation for the Study of Animal

Behaviour Australasian Regional Association of

Zoological Parks and AquariaAuneau ZooBanham ZooBoras DjurparkBritish Ecological Society British Herpetological Society Columbus Zoo and AquariumConservation InternationalCopenhagen ZooDetroit Zoo*Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust*EAZA Shellshock CampaignEdinburgh ZooFota Wildlife ParkHelsinki ZooKrefeld ZooKolmarden ZooLa Trobe UniversityMulhouse ZooMagdeburg ZooMarwell Zoological ParkNorth of England Zoological Society Ocean Park Conservation Foundation

(Hong Kong)Office du Parc National de l’AhaggarOuwehand ZooParc Zoologique de Thoiry*Perth ZooPrimate Society of Great BritainPrimate Society of LondonRoyal Irish AcademyThe Royal Society Royal Veterinary CollegeRoyal Zoological Society of Scotland*Safari Beekse BergenSaint Louis Zoo

PUBLICATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSCo-ordinator & Editor Dawn KingsfordDesign Martin Parker at silbercow.co.ukPrinter Witherbys, on Chromomat Club which is chlorinefree, acid-free, bio-degradable and manufactured fromsustainable sources.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Director General’s Office 020 7449 6207

Membership 020 7449 6228

Conservation Programmes 020 7449 6304

Development 020 7449 6582

Institute of Zoology 020 7449 6610

Library 020 7449 6293

London Zoo 020 7722 3333

Whipsnade Wild Animal Park 01582 872171

www.zsl.org

We extend our thanks to ZSL staff and other organisationsfor the use of photographs in this publication.

Copyright © 2006 Zoological Society of London

PatronHer Majesty The Queen

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL DURING 2005

President

Professor Sir Patrick Bateson PhD, ScD, FRS

Secretary

Professor Paul H Harvey DPhil, DSc, FRS

Treasurer

Paul Rutteman CBE, BSc(Econ), FCA

Sheila Anderson BSc, MCIPR * Vice PresidentRichard Melville Ballerand FRUSIProfessor John Beddington CMG, FRSProfessor David Bellamy OBE, BSc, PhD (Hon), FLS,DCS, DUniv, CBiol, FIBiol, FRINBrian Bertram MA, PhD, CBiol, FIBiolAlison Cook PhDDavid Dixon PhD, FIBiol +John Edwards MA, FLS *Andrew Greenwood MA, VetMB, DipECAMS, FIBiol,FRCVSRay Heaton CertEd, BEd, GIBiol, MSc, FRGS, FLS Professor David Houston BSc, DPhil *Nick Jackson MBE (co-opted 17 February 2005)Professor James Kirkwood BVSc, PhD, FIBiol, MRCVSProfessor David Macdonald MA, DPhil, DSc, FIBiol Vice President +Azra Meadows BSc, MSc, PhD, CBiol, MIBiol, FLS +Mark Ridgway BSc, PGCE, FLS *Sean Rovai DCA, MTSIMartin Rowson MA Vice President +Ken Sims Vice PresidentMalcolm Whitehead BSc (Hons)Harry Wilkinson OBE, MA, FCA Robert Wingate MSc +Professor Roger Wotton PhD *

+ to 21 June 2005* from 21 June 2005

DIRECTORSDirector General Ralph Armond MACommercial Director Brian Oldman BAConservation Programmes Director Glyn Davies PhDFinance Director Mike Russell FCMAHuman Resources Director Ian Meyrick BA, FCIPDDirector of Science, Institute of Zoology

Professor Georgina Mace OBE, FRSZoological Director (position vacant)

PatronHer Majesty The Queen

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL DURING 2005

President

Professor Sir Patrick Bateson PhD, ScD, FRS

Secretary

Professor Paul H Harvey DPhil, DSc, FRS

Treasurer

Paul Rutteman CBE, BSc(Econ), FCA

Sheila Anderson BSc, MCIPR * Vice PresidentRichard Melville Ballerand FRUSIProfessor John Beddington CMG, FRSProfessor David Bellamy OBE, BSc, PhD (Hon), FLS,DCS, DUniv, CBiol, FIBiol, FRINBrian Bertram MA, PhD, CBiol, FIBiolAlison Cook PhDDavid Dixon PhD, FIBiol +John Edwards MA, FLS *Andrew Greenwood MA, VetMB, DipECAMS, FIBiol,FRCVSRay Heaton CertEd, BEd, GIBiol, MSc, FRGS, FLS Professor David Houston BSc, DPhil *Nick Jackson MBE (co-opted 17 February 2005)Professor James Kirkwood BVSc, PhD, FIBiol, MRCVSProfessor David Macdonald MA, DPhil, DSc, FIBiol Vice President +Azra Meadows BSc, MSc, PhD, CBiol, MIBiol, FLS +Mark Ridgway BSc, PGCE, FLS *Sean Rovai DCA, MTSIMartin Rowson MA Vice President +Ken Sims Vice PresidentMalcolm Whitehead BSc (Hons)Harry Wilkinson OBE, MA, FCA Robert Wingate MSc +Professor Roger Wotton PhD *

+ to 21 June 2005* from 21 June 2005

DIRECTORSDirector General Ralph Armond MACommercial Director Brian Oldman BAConservation Programmes Director Glyn Davies PhDFinance Director Mike Russell FCMAHuman Resources Director Ian Meyrick BA, FCIPDDirector of Science, Institute of Zoology

Professor Georgina Mace OBE, FRSZoological Director (position vacant)

Front cover: Gorilla Kingdomopens at London Zoo in 2007

THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON

(Charity registered in England & Wales no. 208728)

Regent’s ParkLondon NW1 4RYand at Whipsnade Wild Animal ParkDunstableBedfordshire LU6 2LF

www.zsl.org