The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their

habitats In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

, and since 1931

Whipsnade Park ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo and safari park located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos (the other being ZSL London Zoo in Regent's Park, London) that are o ...

History

On 29 November 1822, the birthday of

John Ray John Ray FRS (29 November 1627 – 17 January 1705) was a Christian English naturalist widely regarded as one of the earliest of the English parson-naturalists. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after ...

, "the father of modern zoology", a meeting held in the Linnean Society in Soho Square led by Rev. William Kirby, resolved to form a "Zoological Club of the Linnean Society of London". 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 the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. It would house a zoological collection "which should interest and amuse the public." The society was founded in April 1826 by Sir Stamford Raffles, the Marquess of Lansdowne,

Lord Auckland Baron Auckland is a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in 1789 when the prominent politician and financial expert William Eden was made Baron Auckland in the Peerage of Ireland. In ...

, Sir Humphry Davy,

Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

, Joseph Sabine,

Nicholas Aylward Vigors Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 – 26 October 1840) was an Ireland, Irish zoologist and politician. He popularized the classification of birds on the basis of the quinarian system. Early life Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow on 17 ...

along with various other nobility, clergy, and naturalists. 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 in Regent's Park having already been obtained from the Crown at the inaugural meeting. It received a Royal Charter from George IV on 27 March 1829. 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 1831 William IV presented the Royal Menagerie to the Zoological Society, and in 1847 the public was admitted to aid funding, and Londoners soon christened the Zoological Gardens the " Zoo".

soon had the most extensive collection of animals in the world. ''A History of the ZSL'', written by Henry Scherren (FZS), was published in 1905. The History was criticised as inadequately researched by Peter Chalmers Mitchell in 1929; both histories were labelled inaccurate by John Bastin in 1970. 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 away from London and thus accessible to the public, and at least in extent. In 1926, profiting from the agricultural depression, the ideal place was found: Hall Farm, near Whipsnade village, was derelict, and held almost on the

Chiltern Hills The Chiltern Hills is a chalk escarpment in England. The area, northwest of London, covers stretching from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast - across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire. ...

. ZSL bought the farm in December 1926 for £13,480 12s 10d. In 1928 the first animals arrived at the new

—two Amherst pheasants, a golden pheasant and five

red jungle fowl The red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus'') is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. It was formerly known as the Bankiva or Bankiva Fowl. It is the species that gave rise to the ...

. Others soon followed, including muntjac deer, llamas, wombats and

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...

s. In 1931 Whipsnade Park was opened to the public as the world's first open zoological park. In 1960–61,

Lord Zuckerman Solomon "Solly" Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman (30 May 1904 – 1 April 1993) was a British public servant, zoologist and operational research pioneer. He is best remembered as a scientific advisor to the Allies on bombing strategy in the Second Wo ...

, then Secretary of ZSL, raised funds from two medical foundations to found laboratories as an Institute of Zoology where scientists would be employed by ZSL and undertake research. In June 2015 ZSL rebranded, taking on a new tagline—"Let's Work for Wildlife". The new brand will be used to boost awareness in the UK and beyond of ZSL's global conservation programmes, scientific research, fundraising and wildlife education through the charity's two zoos. The Society is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

under English law.

The Institute of Zoology

The Institute 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 the University of London. However, in 2000 this was replaced with a partnership with the University of Cambridge.

Zoos and publications

ZSL runs

ZSL London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, t ...

, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and had planned to open an aquarium, Biota!. The society published the ''

Zoological Record ''The Zoological Record'' (''ZR'') is an electronic index of zoological literature that also serves as the unofficial register of scientific names in zoology. It was started as a print publication in 1864 by the Zoological Society of London, a ...

'' (''ZR'') from 1864 to 1980, when the ''ZR'' was transferred to BIOSIS. The Society has published the ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'', now called the ''

Journal of Zoology The ''Journal of Zoology'' is a scientific journal concerning zoology, the study of animals. It was founded in 1830 by the Zoological Society of London and is published by Wiley-Blackwell. It carries original research papers, which are targeted t ...

'', since 1830. Since 1998 it has also published '' Animal Conservation''. Other publications include the ''International Zoo Yearbook'' and ''

Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation ''Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation'' is an academic journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) about ecology and remote sensing. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal ha ...

''.

Awards

The society administers the following award programmes: * Frink Medal *

Stamford Raffles Award The Stamford Raffles Award is an award of the Zoological Society of London. It is "For distinguished contributions to zoology by amateur zoologists or professional zoologists in recognition of contributions which are outside the scope of their profe ...

Silver Medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

* ZSL Scientific Medal *

Marsh Award for Conservation Biology The Marsh Award for Conservation Biology, established 1991, is an award run in partnership between the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Marsh Charitable Trust that recognises an individual for his or her "contributions of fundamental sci ...

* Marsh Award for Marine and Freshwater Conservation * Thomson Reuters/Zoological Record Award for Communicating Zoology * Prince Philip Award and Marsh Prize * Charles Darwin Award and Marsh Prize * Thomas Henry Huxley Award and Marsh Prize * the Landseer Medal

Fellows

Individuals can be elected Fellows of the Zoological Society of London and therefore granted the

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

FZS.

Honorary Fellows

The ZSL's Honorary Fellows include: *1975: Jean Anthony, Jean Dorst *1977: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh *1984:

Ernst Mayr Ernst Walter Mayr (; 5 July 1904 – 3 February 2005) was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned Taxonomy (biology), taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, Philosophy of biology, philosopher o ...

*1988:

Milton Thiago de Mello Milton Thiago de Mello (born February 5, 1916) is a veterinarian and the dean of Brazilian primatology. He is a strong voice for biological conservation of Brazil's megadiverse flora and fauna. As a professional veterinarian and zoological resear ...

*1990: Knut Schmidt-Nielsen *1991: Emperor Akihito of Japan *1992:

Edward O. Wilson Edward Osborne Wilson (June 10, 1929 – December 26, 2021) was an American biologist, naturalist, entomologist and writer. According to David Attenborough, Wilson was the world's leading expert in his specialty of myrmecology, the study of ...

*1996: John Maynard Smith *1997: Miriam Rothschild *1998: Sir David Attenborough *1999: Sir Robert May *2001: Patrick Bateson *2002:

Robert McNeill Alexander Robert McNeill (Neill) Alexander, CBE FRS (7 July 1934 – 21 March 2016) was a British zoologist and a leading authority in the field of biomechanics. For thirty years he was Professor of Zoology at the University of Leeds. Early life and e ...

, CBE, FRS *2002:

William G. Conway William Gaylord Conway (November 20, 1929October 21, 2021) was an American zoologist, ornithologist and conservationist. William Gaylord Conway was born on November 20, 1929, in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his career with the St. Louis Zoo ...

*2003:

Brian Follett Sir Brian Keith Follett (born 22 February 1939) is a British biologist, academic administrator, and policy maker. His research focused upon how the environment, particularly the annual change in day-length (photoperiod), controls breeding in ...

*2004:

Sir Martin Holdgate Sir Martin Wyatt Holdgate (born 14 January 1931 in Horsham, England) is an English biologist and environmental scientist. Early life Holdgate was born in Horsham, England on 14 January 1931, grew up in Blackpool, and was educated at Arnold Sc ...

*2005:

Sir John Krebs John Richard Krebs, Baron Krebs, Kt FRS (born 11 April 1945) is an English zoologist researching in the field of behavioural ecology of birds. He was the principal of Jesus College, Oxford, from 2005 until 2015."Elliott Coues Award, 1999: Si ...

Katherine Ralls Katherine S. Ralls is an American zoologist and conservationist who is Senior Research Zoologist Emerita at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park. Ralls' research interests are in the behavioral ecology, genet ...

Sir Brian Heap Sir Robert Brian Heap (born 27 February 1935) is a British biological scientist. He was educated at New Mills Grammar School in the Peak District, Derbyshire, and the University of Nottingham (where he earned his BSc and PhD). He also has an MA ...

*2006: Sir John Lawton *2007:

John Beddington Sir John Rex Beddington HonFREng (born 13 October 1945) is a British population biologist and Senior Adviser at the Oxford Martin School, and was previously Professor of Applied Population Biology at Imperial College London, and the UK Govern ...

*2011:

Lord Moser Claus Adolf Moser, Baron Moser, (24 November 1922 – 4 September 2015) was a British statistician who made major contributions in both academia and the Civil Service (United Kingdom), Civil Service. He prided himself rather on being a non-mathe ...

*2012:

Desmond Morris Desmond John Morris FLS ''hon. caus.'' (born 24 January 1928) is an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology. He is known for his 1967 book ''The Naked Ape'', and for his televisi ...

*2013:

Ken Sims Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in t ...

Council

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.

Presidents

The Presidency is a voluntary position, with the role of leading the ZSL Council. The Society's Presidents and their dates in office are: * Sir Stamford Raffles (1826) * Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1827–1831) * Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby (1831–1851) * Prince Albert, Prince Consort (1851–1862) * Sir George Clerk, Bt (1862–1868) *

Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale Colonel Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale, (9 November 1824 – 29 December 1878), known before 1862 as Lord Arthur Hay and between 1862 and 1876 as Viscount Walden, was a Scottish soldier and ornithologist. Life Lord Arthur Hay was born ...

(1868–1878) * Sir William H. Flower (1879–1899) *

Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford Herbrand Arthur Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford, (19 February 1858 – 27 August 1940) was an English politician and peer. He was the son of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West, daughter of George Sack ...

(1899–1936) *

Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow Richard William Alan Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow (23 August 1876 – 9 June 1945), styled Viscount Cranley until 1911, was a British peer, diplomat, parliamentary secretary and government minister. Background and education Viscount Cranle ...

(1936–1942) *

Henry Gascoyne Maurice Henry Gascoyen Maurice (24 May 1874, Marlborough, Wiltshire, Marlborough – 12 May 1950) was President of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea 1920–1938 and President of the Zoological Society of London 1942–1948. He also ...

(1942–1948) *

Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, (6 May 1895 – 26 November 1950), known as the Marquess of Hartington from 1908 to 1938, was a British politician. He was the head of the Devonshire branch of the House of Cavend ...

(1948–1950) *

Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, (23 July 1883 – 17 June 1963), was a senior officer of the British Army. He was Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, during the Se ...

(1950–1954) * Sir Landsborough Thomson (1954–1960) * Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1960–1977) * Solly Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman (1977–1984) * Sir William MacGregor Henderson (1984–1989) *

Avrion Mitchison (Nicholas) Avrion Mitchison (born 5 May 1928) is a British zoologist and immunologist. Biography Mitchison was born in 1928, the son of the Labour politician Dick Mitchison (Baron Mitchison of Carradale in the County of Argyll, who died 197 ...

(1989–1992) * Field Marshal Sir John Chapple (1992–1994) *

(1994–2004) * Professor Sir Patrick Bateson (2004–2014) * Professor Sir John Beddington,

CMG CMG may refer to: Companies * Capitol Music Group, a music label * China Media Group, the predominant state radio and television broadcaster in the PRC * China Media Group Co., Ltd., publicly listed Chinese holding company in the media sector * ...

, FRS (2014–present)

Secretaries

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: *

(1826–1833) * Edward Turner Bennett (1833–1836) * William Yarrell (1836–1838) * John Barlow (1838–1840) * William Ogilby (1840–1847) *

David William Mitchell David William Mitchell (4 August 1813 – 1 November 1859) was an English zoologist and illustrator. Life and work Mitchell was born in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, the eldest son of Alexander Mitchell of Gerard's Cross. He matricula ...

(1847–1859) * Philip Lutley Sclater (1859–1902) *

William Lutley Sclater William Lutley Sclater (23 September 1863 – 4 July 1944) was a British zoologist and museum director. He was the son of Philip Lutley Sclater and was named after his paternal grandfather, also William Lutley Sclater. Life William's mother, J ...

(1903) * Peter Chalmers Mitchell (1903–1935) *

Julian Huxley Sir Julian Sorell Huxley (22 June 1887 – 14 February 1975) was an English evolutionary biologist, eugenicist, and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century modern synthesis. ...

(1935–1942) * Sheffield Airey Neave (1942–1952) *

Anthony Chaplin, 3rd Viscount Chaplin Anthony Freskyn Charles Hamby Chaplin, 3rd Viscount Chaplin (14 December 1906 – 18 December 1981) was a British hereditary peer and an amateur zoologist and musician. Biography Born in 1906, Chaplin was the son of Eric Chaplin, 2nd Viscount Cha ...

(1952–1955) * Solly Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman (1955–1977) *

Ronald Henderson Hedley Ronald Henderson Hedley CB FZS (2 November 1928 – 11 July 2006) was a British zoologist who was Director of the Natural History Museum from 1976 to 1988. Career Hedley was first employed at the Natural History Museum in 1955. In 1971, he w ...

(1977–1980) * Erasmus Darwin Barlow (1980–1982) *

John Guest Phillips Professor John Guest Phillips FRS FZS (13 June 1933 – 14 March 1987) was an eminent biologist. He was born in Swansea and educated at Llanelli Boys' Grammar School and the University of Liverpool; where, after gaining his BSc, he joined t ...

(1982–1984) *

Richard M. Laws Richard Maitland Laws (23 April 1926 – 7 October 2014) was Director of the British Antarctic Survey from 1973 to 1987; Master of St Edmund's College, Cambridge, from 1985 to 1996 and Secretary of the Zoological Society of London. Education ...

(1984–1988) *

Barry Albert Cross Sir Barry Albert Cross (17 March 1925 – 27 April 1994) was a British biologist. He was a fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often s ...

(1988–1992) * Professor

, CBE, FRS (1992–1999) *

Paul H. Harvey Paul H. Harvey One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: (born 19 January 1947) is a British evolutionary biologist. He is Professor of Zoology and was head of the zoology department ...

(2000–2011) * Professor Geoffrey Boxshall, FRS (2011–present)

Arms

Notes

External links

Official website
* Bennett, Edward Turner (1830–31
''The gardens and menagerie of the Zoological Society..., two volumes''
{{Authority control Zoological societies Learned societies of the United Kingdom Biology societies 1826 establishments in England Scientific organizations established in 1826 Scientific organisations based in the United Kingdom Charities based in London Nature conservation organisations based in the United Kingdom