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The charity I work for, ZSL, is in real financial trouble. Zoos had to shut due to the pandemic, and got little financial help from the government. Please help ZSL keep the zoos open and conservation work going, if you can:
Sorry to do this but hopefully David Attenborough in the feed makes up for it.
Link here: https://www.zsl.org/support-us/donate-to-zsl
Link here: https://www.zsl.org/support-us/donate-to-zsl
Might have cried a bit at that vid. It has been a morning.
Zoos were such a huge part of inspiring me to go into conservation science. ZSL employs hundreds of conservation staff globally. It does some really awesome work (other than my own obviously!).
Zoos were such a huge part of inspiring me to go into conservation science. ZSL employs hundreds of conservation staff globally. It does some really awesome work (other than my own obviously!).
Some things ZSL does that you might not know about (many people think of it as just London Zoo!):
- Helps supply chain transparency and sustainability for Palm Oil, Rubber and Timber through @ZSLSPOTT
- Helps supply chain transparency and sustainability for Palm Oil, Rubber and Timber through @ZSLSPOTT
- Assists in managing protected areas through SMART Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool). Rangers log data from the field as they patrol, via an app on a smartphone or tablet, which feeds into a central software + builds a landscape picture of animal and human activity.
- Runs a programme called Net-Works which enables community to sell discarded fishing net for recycling - they're made into nylon yarn and sold to a company that makes them into carpets.
- Runs Thames surveys monitoring wildlife here in the Thames!
- Runs @LondonHogWatch - monitoring London's remaining populations of hedgehogs using camera traps and nocturnal surveys (one of which is in our very own Regent's park!)
- Runs @LondonHogWatch - monitoring London's remaining populations of hedgehogs using camera traps and nocturnal surveys (one of which is in our very own Regent's park!)
- Runs @SoapboxScience - a global programme promoting science communication and women in science
- Supports 28 EDGE fellows every 2 years, providing training and funding local conservation projects on evolutionary distinct and globally endangered species.
- Supports 28 EDGE fellows every 2 years, providing training and funding local conservation projects on evolutionary distinct and globally endangered species.
- Contains a whole ass academic department with 60+ staff and >60 PhD students.
There is a whole bunch more. I don't even know the extent of the work we do and I work there! There are just so many difference conservation projects run across the organisation.
The zoos are especially important for my work - this year we have been working with the keepers and the captive wild dogs. They've been trained to have a GPS collar fitted which allows us to trial new tech and gather data that will enable us to interpret our data from the field.
It's also great enrichment for the dogs so win win.
So when people say 'it's just a zoo' it could not be further from the truth. The zoos are just one small aspect of what ZSL as a charity does. But they feed into our conservation work, just as our conservation work feeds into the zoos.
Agh I didn't even mention the schools programme...blargh. See, too many things.
