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| Founded | 1826; 199 years ago (1826) |
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| Founders | Sir Stamford Raffles,Marquess of Lansdowne,Lord Auckland,Sir Humphry Davy,Sir Robert Peel,Joseph Sabine,Nicholas Aylward Vigors and others |
| Type | Non-profit organisation |
| Purpose | To promote worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats;London Zoo andWhipsnade Zoo, research in Institute of Zoology, field conservation |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 51°32′09″N0°09′27″W / 51.5357°N 0.1575°W /51.5357; -0.1575 |
| Website | www |
TheZoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwideconservation of animals and theirhabitats. It was founded in 1826.[1] Since 1828, it has maintainedLondon Zoo, and since 1931Whipsnade Zoo.
On 29 November 1822, the birthday ofJohn Ray, "the father of modern zoology", a meeting held in theLinnean Society in Soho Square led by Rev.William Kirby, resolved to form a "Zoological Club of the Linnean Society of London".[2] Between 1816 and 1826, discussions between Stamford Raffles, Humphry Davy, Joseph Banks and others led to the idea that London should have an establishment similar to theJardin des Plantes in Paris. It would house a zoological collection "which should interest and amuse the public."[3]
The society was founded in April 1826 bySir Stamford Raffles, theMarquess of Lansdowne,Lord Auckland,Sir Humphry Davy,Robert Peel,Joseph Sabine,Nicholas Aylward Vigors along with various other nobility, clergy, and naturalists.[3][4] Raffles was the first chairman and president, but died after only a few months in office, in July 1826. He was succeeded by the Marquess of Lansdowne who supervised the building of the first animal houses, a parcel of land inRegent's Park having already been obtained from the Crown at the inaugural meeting. It received a royal charter fromGeorge IV on 27 March 1829.[3]
The purpose of the society was to create a collection of animals for study at leisure, an associated museum and library. In April 1828, the Zoological Gardens were opened to members. In 1831William IV presented theRoyal Menagerie to the Zoological Society, and in 1847 the public was admitted to aid funding, and Londoners soon christened the Zoological Gardens the "Zoo".London Zoo soon had the most extensive collection of animals in the world.
A History of the ZSL, written byHenry Scherren (FZS), was published in 1905.[3] The History was criticised as inadequately researched byPeter Chalmers Mitchell in 1929; both histories were labelled inaccurate by John Bastin in 1970.[5]
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As the twentieth century began, the need to maintain and research large animals in a more natural environment became clear. Peter Chalmers Mitchell (ZSL Secretary 1903–35) conceived the vision of a new park no more than 70 miles (110 km) away from London and thus accessible to the public, and at least 200 acres (0.81 km2) in extent. In 1926, profiting from the agricultural depression, the ideal place was found: Hall Farm, nearWhipsnade village, was derelict, and held almost 600 acres (2.4 km2) on theChiltern Hills. ZSL bought the farm in December 1926 for £13,480 12s 10d. In 1928 the first animals arrived at the newWhipsnade Park—twoAmherst pheasants, agolden pheasant and fivered jungle fowl. Others soon followed, includingmuntjac deer,llamas,wombats andskunks. In 1931 Whipsnade Park was opened to the public as the world's first open zoological park.
In 1960–61,Lord Zuckerman, then Secretary of ZSL, raised funds from two medical foundations to found laboratories as anInstitute of Zoology where scientists would be employed by ZSL and undertake research.
The Society is aregistered charity under English law.[6]
| Zoological Society of London (Leases) Act 2024 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act to amend the Crown Estate Act 1961 to increase the maximum term of the lease that may be granted to the Zoological Society of London in respect of land in Regent's Park. |
| Citation | 2024 c. 20 |
| Territorial extent |
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| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 24 May 2024 |
| Commencement | 24 July 2024 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | Crown Estate Act 1961 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Zoological Society of London (Leases) Act 2024 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, fromlegislation.gov.uk. | |
Under theCrown Estate Act 1961, the ZSL had a maximum lease length of 60 years from theCrown Estate, but this was changed to 150 years by theZoological Society of London (Leases) Act 2024 (c. 20).[7][8][9]
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TheInstitute of Zoology is the scientific research division of the ZSL. It is a government-funded research institute, which specialises in scientific issues relevant to the conservation of species and their habitats. The Institute of Zoology focuses its research on five areas:evolutionary biology,genetics,ecology,reproductive biology and wildlife epidemiology. The Institute of Zoology was graded 4 in the 1997–2001 UK Research Assessment Exercise, and publishes reports annually. From the late 1980s the Institute of Zoology had been affiliated to theUniversity of London. In 2000 this was replaced with a partnership with the University of Cambridge, but in 2011, the institute became affiliated with University College London.[10]
ZSL runsLondon Zoo,Whipsnade Zoo and had planned to open an aquarium,Biota!. The society published theZoological Record (ZR) from 1864 to 1980, when theZR was transferred toBIOSIS. The Society has published theProceedings of the Zoological Society of London, now called theJournal of Zoology, since 1830. Since 1998 it has also publishedAnimal Conservation. Other publications include theInternational Zoo Yearbook andRemote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation.
The society administers the following award programmes:[11]
Individuals can be elected Fellows of the Zoological Society of London and therefore granted thepost-nominal lettersFZS.
LivingHonorary ZSL Fellows (Hon. FZS) comprise:[13]
The council is the governing body of the ZSL. There are 15 council members, led by the president and served by the secretary and treasurer. Council members are the trustees of the society and serve for up to five years at a time.[14]
The Presidency is a voluntary position, with the role of leading the ZSL Council. The Society's Presidents and their dates in office are:[15]
The post of secretary is honorary and under the society's constitution carries the responsibility for the day-to-day management of the affairs of the ZSL. The secretaries and their dates in office are:[16][17]
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