ZSL

14/06/2026

🤝 Join ZSL at London Climate Action Week 2026

From ocean conservation and sustainable finance to conservation technology and youth leadership, ZSL experts will be contributing to some of the week's most important climate and nature conversations.

Highlights include:
🌊 Ocean Hub at Kanaloa House
🐟 Economist Enterprise Ocean Event
🪙 N4C Invest with Nature (hosted at London Zoo)
🌱 Future Streets Forum
🦁 LCAW Youth Summit
🌍 EarthFest

Our specialists, researchers and conservation educators will be sharing insights from our international work in over 80 countries and work in the UK alongside our London and Whipsnade conservation zoos.

If you're attending London Climate Action Week, we'd love to connect.

13/06/2026

In 2018, this funky turtle took the world by storm 🐢

When we announced this bottom-breathing turtle had been added to the ZSL EDGE of Existence list, these incredible photos from Chris Van Wyk took the world by storm.

First established in 2007, EDGE Lists have previously been published for Amphibians, Birds, Corals, Mammals and most recently - plants. Now the spotlight has turned to reptiles, resulting in a list of the top 100 conservation priorities for a class of animals that includes turtles, crocodilians, snakes and lizards. Each species is given an EDGE score, which combines extinction risk with how isolated (or unusual) that species is on the Tree of Life, providing an at-a-glance guide to both its evolutionary uniqueness and conservation status. On the reptiles list, this ‘punk turtle’ came in at number 30.

If such a thing as a viral turtle ever existed – the Mary River turtle absolutely fitted the bill at the time. It’s distinctive appearance inspired people to act and raise awareness worldwide. T-shirts were printed, Melbourne's punk scene held a fundraising concert, a crowdfunder raised over AU$15,000 - and Cate Blanchett voiced a Mary River turtle puppet for the Wilderness Society's Save Ugly Animals campaign.

It's one of our favourite examples of what happens when people discover just how weird and wonderful the natural world really is. Here at ZSL, we inspire, inform and empower people to protect and restore wildlife - and sometimes, it can start with a turtle with great ‘hair’.

📸 Chris Van Wyk

13/06/2026

How do you eliminate a disease? 🦠🧪

This is the question that ZSL researcher Professor Rosie Woodroffe explores in our latest blog post, which unpacks the science behind a revolutionary new strategy to tackle a devastating cattle disease in England.

Launched earlier this week and informed the latest scientific evidence – including from Rosie’s own work - the strategy identifies where the biggest difference can be made to address bovine tuberculosis – including the deployment of a cattle vaccination by 2030.

The key to controlling the disease lies in focusing on controlling it in cattle.
However, the science shows that for every 17 herds infected by other cattle, one is infected by wildlife. That’s why Rosie and her team are working with farmers to deepen our understanding of the disease, and identify the most cost-effective way to deliver targeted badger vaccinations as a compliment to cattle-focused measures.

By working together and following the science, we can create a future free of bovine tuberculosis.

🔗Read more at:

As the UK government launch a new strategy to eliminate a devastating cattle disease from England over the next 12 years, ZSL’s Professor Rosie Woodroffe explains how science empowers us to find solutions that work for everyone

13/06/2026

Wishing our royal patron, HM King Charles III a very happy birthday 👑

Find out more about his support for ZSL through the years 👉 https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/organisation/ZSL-Royal-Patron-King-Charles

12/06/2026

This week, a new strategy to tackle a devastating cattle disease was launched – informed by our cutting-edge research 🐄💉

Bovine tuberculosis is a significant threat to Britain’s cattle. It has devastating impacts on the wellbeing of farmers and their livelihoods – and costs around £100 million a year in England.

While rates in cattle have started to fall in recent years, quicker declines are needed urgently.

Bringing together the expertise of farmers, vets, scientists and policy makers, the strategy uses the latest scientific evidence to identify what actions will make biggest difference for farmers – including the deployment of cattle vaccinations by 2030.

Here at ZSL, we’ve been at the forefront of bovine tuberculosis research for more than four decades.

While the majority of cases of the disease come from other cattle, for every 17 herds infected by other cattle, one is infected by wildlife.

That’s why we’re working with farmers to deepen scientific understanding of the disease in wildlife, allowing us to find practical, science-based solutions to help make bovine tuberculosis a thing of the past.

🔗 Read more at: https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/news/new-strategy-launched-address-devastating-cattle-disease

08/06/2026

This World Ocean Day, we’re celebrating some of our favourite wins for marine wildlife:

🌊 A global treaty to protect the ocean beyond national borders – The High Seas Treaty - came into force this year, laying out legally binding rules to protect marine life

🌱 $5 million has been secured to help us recover coastal ecosystems across the Greater Thames Estuary, including vital fish nurseries and bird nesting grounds

🐟 150,000km ² of marine habitat in the Philippine Sea will be protected through a new protected area – safeguarding the waters for both marine life and local communities

🧴 We helped eliminate the need for 9 million single-use plastic bottles through introducing water fountains across London, and removed 137,000 bottles from the Thames

🦈 More than 70 species of sharks and rays now have stronger protections against unsustainable trade

The ocean is under pressure, but these wins show us what’s possible when we work together 💪 Join us in celebrating World Ocean Day and share your favourite marine success story below 💙

🔗 By supporting our work, you can be a part of our journey to protect the ocean https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/habitats-and-regions/habitats/marine-and-freshwater

📷 Reef Manta Ray © Leila Scheltema

06/06/2026

This talking mongoose hoax inspired a whole movie 📽️

In 1931, a family on the Isle of Man claimed a voice had taken up residence behind their farmhouse walls. It introduced itself as Gef - an 80-year-old mongoose from New Delhi who spoke multiple languages and loved a gossip. The story gripped the nation, and hairs supposedly belonging to Gef were sent to our experts for scientific analysis.

Fast forward to 2019, and our Biobank volunteers stumbled across those hairs nearly 90 years on - still preserved on a slide, tucked alongside lemur hairs and platypus venom glands (yes, really). Analysis suggests they're most likely from a domestic dog. The Irving family did have a border collie...

Strange enough to inspire Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, the 2023 film starring Simon Pegg. Even stranger that the evidence ended up with, and remains, with us.

📸 Alamy & Everett Collection

05/06/2026

A new study published today shows the world has been gaining more mangroves than it has been losing since 2010, driven by stronger legal protections, restored ecosystems and growing public awareness of why these extraordinary forests matter.

We've seen this first-hand. In the Philippines, we've spent years restoring and protecting 10,000 hectares of mangroves alongside local communities - training over 10,000 conservationists and mangrove specialists to help manage and safeguard them for the long term. That work is at the heart of what we do: restoring habitats so people and wildlife can thrive together.

There's still much to do - particularly in West and Central Africa, where mangroves continue to face serious threats. But today's findings are proof that nature can recover, and that conservation works.

Swampy mangrove forests are staging a surprise comeback - which is good news for coastal communities and the climate.

05/06/2026

An inspiring evening exploring the connections between the health of people, nature and the planet 🌍💚⁣
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From global zoonotic disease prevention to the human-induced impacts of chemical pollution on marine mammals, our latest Wild Talks event was a powerful reminder that wildlife health isn’t separate from human health. As a leader in wildlife health research, ZSL works to understand the profound implications of the interconnectedness of humans, animals and ecosystems. ⁣
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Our panel of speakers explored how scientific research and real-world action are helping to safeguard the future of our planet by recognising these vital connections, discussing topics from building early warning systems for future pandemics, to engaging and training the next generation of wildlife veterinarians and conservationists. ⁣
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As said by the evening’s host “I'm very persuaded that the mandate for action comes from people like the people in this room. I can't think of a better place to locate action than ZSL and the amazing work that we've heard about”⁣
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A huge thank you to Professor Chris van Tulleken for hosting such a thought-provoking discussion, and to speakers Dr Javier Sánchez Romano and Dr Rosie Williams from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, and Cat Hickey from our Conservation Education team, for sharing their expertise and insights on the importance of a One Health approach. ⁣
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05/06/2026

An inspiring evening exploring the connections between the health of people, nature and the planet 🌍💚

From global zoonotic disease prevention to the human-induced impacts of chemical pollution on marine mammals, our latest ZSL Science and Conservation Events Wild Talks was a powerful reminder that wildlife health isn’t separate from human health. As a leader in wildlife health research, at ZSL, we work to understand the profound implications of the interconnectedness of humans, animals and ecosystems.

Our panel of speakers explored how scientific research and real-world action are helping to safeguard the future of our planet by recognising these vital connections, discussing topics from building early warning systems for future pandemics, to engaging and training the next generation of wildlife veterinarians and conservationists.

As said by the evening’s host Professor Chris van Tulleken “I'm very persuaded that the mandate for action comes from people like the people in this room. I can't think of a better place to locate action than ZSL and the amazing work that we've heard about”

A huge thank you to Professor Chris van Tulleken for hosting such a thought-provoking discussion, and to speakers Dr Javier Sánchez Romano and Dr Rosie Williams from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, and Cat Hickey from our Conservation Education team, for sharing their expertise and insights on the importance of a One Health approach.