ZSL London Zoo
ZSL London Zoo in Regent's Park is the world's oldest scientific zoo, founded by the Zoological Society of London in 1828 and continuously developed since as both a major visitor attraction and a centre for wildlife conservation science and animal welfare research. The zoo covers approximately 36 acres of the northern section of Regent's Park and houses over twenty thousand animals representing approximately seven hundred species, displayed in a combination of modern naturalistic exhibits and the historic buildings of earlier periods that give the zoo its distinctive character as a layered architectural and institutional history as well as a living animal collection.
The zoo's architectural heritage is one of its most distinctive features. The Penguin Pool designed by Berthold Lubetkin and completed in 1934, a modernist masterpiece of interlocking concrete ramps above an oval pool, is a listed building of exceptional architectural importance though no longer used for penguins. The Snowdon Aviary of 1965, designed by Lord Snowdon with Cedric Price and Frank Newby, is one of the pioneering examples of high-tension wire structure in architecture. The combination of these modernist landmarks with Victorian and Edwardian buildings and contemporary naturalistic exhibits creates a zoo of remarkable architectural variety.
The conservation and research work of the Zoological Society of London, which operates ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo as part of its broader scientific programme, includes field conservation projects in over fifty countries and scientific research programmes in reproductive biology, wildlife health and population genetics that contribute to the conservation of species both in captivity and in the wild.
The zoo's location in Regent's Park and its proximity to Camden Town and Central London make it one of the most accessible urban wildlife attractions in Europe.