Annual Review 2003

The Zoological Society of LondonRegent’s ParkLondon NW1 4RY

Whipsnade Wild Animal Park DunstableBedfordshire LU6 2LF

www.zsl.org

ZSL PURSUES THIS MISSION BY: 1 KEEPING AND PRESENTING ANIMALS AT LONDON ZOO AND

WHIPSNADE WILD ANIMAL PARK IN ACCORDANCE WITH BEST PRACTICE; 2 GIVING PRIORITY TO

SPECIES THAT ARE THREATENED IN THE WILD; 3 INCREASING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF

ANIMALS AND THEIR WELFARE AND OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED IN THEIR CONSERVATION;

4 MAINTAINING AN OUTSTANDING EDUCATION AND INFORMATION PROGRAMME, PARTICULARLY

FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN AND FAMILIES; 5 UNDERTAKING FIELD CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES,

BOTH IN BRITAIN AND ABROAD; 6 DEVELOPING ITS ROLE AS A LEADING CENTRE FOR RESEARCH

AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND ANIMAL WELFARE; 7 FULFILLING ITS ROLE AS A LEARNED

SOCIETY AND FORCE FOR ZOOLOGY AND ANIMAL CONSERVATION THROUGH PUBLICATIONS,

SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS, LECTURES, THE AWARD OF PRIZES FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AND

THE PROMOTION OF CONSERVATION POLICY.

ZSL MISSION: To achieve and promote theworldwide conservationof animals and theirhabitats

1 President’s foreword

2 Worldwide Network

3 the zoological society of london

4 Review of the Year

7 Awards & Honours

9 Conservation & Science

16 Education & Information

21 The Zoos at Work

25 Fundraising & Grants

29 Library

30 Financial Information

The Zoological Society ofLondon(Registered Charity no. 208728)

Regent’s Park

London NW1 4RY

and at

Whipsnade Wild Animal Park

Dunstable

Bedfordshire LU6 2LF

Copyright © 2004

Review Editor Ian MeyrickAssistant Editor Diane Bratby

We extend our thanks to staff, colleaguesand other organisations for the use ofphotographs in this Review.

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Directors

Director General Dr Michael Dixon

(until 10 May 2004)

Commercial Director Brian Oldman

Conservation Programmes Director

Dr Glyn Davies

Finance Director Michael Bird

Human Resources Director Ian Meyrick

Director of Science, Institute of Zoology

Professor Georgina Mace

Zoological Director Chris West

further information

Director General’s Office 020 7449 6207

Membership Department 020 7449 6261

Conservation Programmes 020 7449 6304

Fundraising Office 020 7449 6582

Institute of Zoology 020 7449 6601

Library 020 7449 6293

London Zoo 020 7722 3333

Whipsnade Wild Animal Park 01582 872171

www.zsl.org

front cover: Plans were approved todevelop a major new Komodo dragonexhibit at London Zoo for opening in2004. This picture was taken at Regent’sPark in the 1920s.ZSL

this page: Plaque from the old LionHouse displayed on the Lion Terraces.

This is my last Foreword to a ZSL AnnualReview, for in June I will be handingover to Sir Patrick Bateson. So it isnatural that, following tradition, I use theopportunity to look back over the tenyears since I took over from FieldMarshal Sir John Chapple.

My predecessor had steered the Societythrough a difficult period of ‘survival’. Asthe finances were restored and balancesmoved firmly into the black, we realisedhis second goal of ‘revival’. But have weyet entered his third stage of ‘thrival’?

There are encouraging signs. Thanks inpart to our successful establishment ofthe case for VAT exemption our bankbalances are healthier than they havebeen for many years. The leadership ofour outstanding outgoing DirectorGeneral, Dr Michael Dixon, and our first-class team of Directors, has provided theOfficers and Council with the soundmanagement that is essential if theSociety’s policies are to be implemented.We are beginning what is bound to be along-drawn-out process of rebuilding ourtwo zoos as places where wonderfulanimals live and breed in spacious andnatural-looking settings. Our scientificresearch and programmes of worldwideconservation are stronger than ever.

But? But we have a long way to go invirtually every department of our work,not least because the need is increasingfaster than we and other bodies like uscan respond.

I write from the perspective of anecologist and conservationist and it istherefore with pride that I see ZSLgaining strengths in these areas. I urgethe Society, in the years ahead, to beeven more forceful in championing theurgent need for animal conservationaround the world. It is a tragic fact thatthere are already more of some

sub-species of large predator – like Asian lions, Sumatran and Siberiantigers and Amur leopards – in captivitythan in the wild. Several kinds ofrhinoceros are in like danger and amassive threat hangs over our nearestrelatives, the great apes. It is simplyunrealistic to believe that the pressureson their wild habitats will easily behalted or reversed. The world’s zoos andNational Parks are more and moreassuming the role of latter-day Noah’sArks – and this is placing on Societieslike ours an immense responsibility notonly to keep and breed endangeredspecies but to allow them lives of highquality in settings where their beautyand fascination can be appreciated by all who come to visit them.

If we are to do this, our work in the field and the laboratory must mergeseamlessly with the animal collections at Regent’s Park and Whipsnade, and we may need to establish more captivebreeding facilities close to the wild, aswe have done for some years in SaudiArabia. Our two zoos and the wonderfulnew aquarium that will, I hope, soon betaking shape at Silvertown Quays, mustbe developed as genuinely world-classinformation centres and shop-windowsfor animal conservation. We are boundto face financial constraints, for it wouldbe easy to spend hundreds of millions in improving our facilities, so thejudgement of priority will continue to bean exacting task for our Officers, Counciland Directors. One thing we can all beclear on is that we cannot accept second-rate facilities, even if they have historicand architectural merits – if, for example,we are prevented from developing as weshould at Regent’s Park because of ourinheritance of listed buildings, in myview the implication is that our maindevelopments will have to go elsewhere.

The choices will not be easy, but I amconfident that exciting and rewardingtimes lie ahead. I am grateful for thehonour the Society has done me byelecting me as your President for tenyears, and I wish my successor everygood fortune.

Sir Martin HoldgatePresident

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dfsd

president’sforeword

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worldwidenetworkZSL staff worked on a large number of conservation and research projectsthroughout the world in 2003. Many other collaborations are in development.

Americas

North AmericaUSA

South AmericaEcuador p15Chile p11

Europe

Croatia p11SpainUnited Kingdom

Africa

Cameroon p9Chad p10Democratic Republic of Congo p9Egypt p9Equatorial Guinea Gabon p9Ghana p9Kenya p10 & p22Mauritania p10MoroccoMozambique p10 & p13Namibia p10 & p11Niger p10Nigeria SeychellesSouth Africa p9Uganda p23Tanzania p11Tunisia p10 & p23

Asia

Afghanistan p22ChinaIndiaIndonesia p11Mongolia p10Nepal p12Philippines p13 & p21Russia/Russian Far East p12Saudi Arabia p9ThailandTurkey

Australasia

AustraliaFrench Polynesia p15

Patron Her Majesty The Queen

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the zoologicalsociety oflondon

Patron Her Majesty The Queen

Members of Council during 2003

President Sir Martin Holdgate CB, MA, PhD, DSc(hc), CBiol, FIBiol

Secretary Professor Paul H Harvey BA, MA, DPhil, DSc, FRS

Treasurer Paul Rutteman CBE, BSc (Econ), FCA

Sheila Anderson BSc, MIPR Richard Melville Ballerand MSM, BSc(Econ), BSc, DCouns, FRUSI* Professor Sir Patrick Bateson PhD, ScD, FRS (co-opted 7 October 2003)Professor John Beddington CMG, FRS* Professor David Bellamy OBE, BSc, PhD, CBiol, FIBiol, DSc(hc), DUniv(hc), Hon FLS*David Case†ÛStephen Cobb BA, DPhil†David Dixon BSc, PhD, FIBiol John Edwards MA, FLS Roger Ewbank OBE, MVSc, MRCVS, FIBiol Tony Fincham BSc, PhD*Steve Harrison† Ray Heaton CertEd, BEd, GIBiol, MSc, FRGS, FLS Professor Nigel Leader-Williams BVSc, PhD, MRCVS Professor David Macdonald MA, DPhil, FIBiol (Vice President) Timothy May BSc Azra Meadows MSc, PhD, CBiol, MIBiol, FLS Professor Paul Racey MA, PhD, DSc, FRSE, CBiol, FIBiol (Vice President)†Professor Jeremy Rayner MA, PhD†Martin Rowson MA (Vice President) Ken Sims Professor Roger Wheater OBE, CBiol, FIBiol, FRSA, FRSGS (Hon), FRZSS (Hon), FRSE†Malcolm Whitehead BSc* Harry Wilkinson OBE, MA, FCA Robert Wingate

† To 17 June 2003* From 17 June 2003

The year began with a great deal ofactivity on the zoo sites in preparationfor the visitor season. Increasedcommercial success has meant that ZSLcan begin to afford to make significantimprovements to each zoo site oversuccessive winters and, over time, thesechanges will dramatically change LondonZoo and Whipsnade. During the year atLondon Zoo there were substantialalterations to Barclay Court and the areaaround the main lawn, with outmodedlemur and gibbon cages being removedand lawn areas extended along with theprovision of a fine new children’splayground. In the Middle Garden a newseries of exhibits for otters, meerkatsand small primates (tamarins andmarmosets) was constructed under thetheme of Happy Families.Together withthe Woodland Walk developed last year,the whole area has been vastly improved.The Grade II listed Mappin Café wascomprehensively restored with generousfinancial assistance from The BritishLand Company plc and English Heritage,to whom we are most grateful. Finally, inDecember, the Southern Aviary wasdemolished to make room for a newKomodo dragon exhibit, which will openin 2004.

At Whipsnade there was a great deal ofnecessary expenditure on basicinfrastructure for visitors and arefurbished Splash Zone for the sealions.Work began in the autumn on a majorimprovement to our chimpanzee exhibitfor 2004. We also installed electronicpoint of sale systems (EPOS) on bothzoo sites to improve management of ourretail business, and new ticketingsystems to speed up entry into the zoos.Notwithstanding teething troubles, thesesystems facilitated further improvementin ZSL’s financial performance whilstimproving service to our visitors.

Until mid-June, visitor numbers werecomfortably ahead of 2002 at both zoos,

but through the rest of the summerattendances were disappointing. LondonZoo suffered like many attractions in thecapital from lower tourist numbersfollowing the war in Iraq and the fear ofterrorism and SARS. In addition, theextraordinarily hot weeks in Augustdiminished visitor numbers at both zoossignificantly and these lost visits werenot made up through the rest of theyear. As a result, paid attendances of815,000 and 445,000 were recorded atLondon Zoo and Whipsnade respectively.

The zoos’ excellent conservation breedingwork continued with notable births ofMalayan tapir and okapi calves, andFrancois’ langur and tamandua babies,amongst a great many others. Inaddition, ZSL spearheaded the EuropeanAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums’ Tigercampaign which raised over Û285,000across Europe for field conservation.

The internationally acclaimed scientificwork of the Institute of Zoology (IoZ)expanded significantly during the yearwith many new grants won and largeimportant ones renewed. The UK MarineMammals Strandings Project funded bythe Department of Food, Environmentand Rural Affairs (DEFRA) was renewedand this group made the national presswith their research finding that navalsonar systems apparently interfere withdolphin and whale behaviour resulting in them suffering mortality from gasbubble disease (‘the bends’). At theBritish Association for the Advancementof Science meeting ZSL scientists andconservation staff also made theheadlines with important research inseveral African countries on thebushmeat trade. At the end of the yearthe IoZ invited an independent, externalreview group to undertake a detailedreview of our scientific researchactivities. The group’s report madeimportant recommendations which weshall implement in 2004 and beyond.

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review of the year

above: New souvenir tickets were introducedfor visitors.

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Our Conservation Programmes advancedsignificantly during the year with theappointment of managers to furtherextend our programmes in Bushmeatand Forests, and Marine and Freshwater.In addition, our Jambi tiger project inSumatra was expanded with furtherfinancial assistance from the oil-palmplantation owners. We also continuedimportant work in protected areasmanaged from the King Khalid WildlifeResearch Centre in Saudi Arabia, despiteheightened tension in the region.Political issues regrettably did, however,restrict our plans both to extend work onthe Babai River and to establishveterinary clinics in the Royal BardiaNational Park in Nepal, but we hope tocontinue with these projects in duecourse. Our work on native speciesconservation also increased with a newcommitment to use our two zoo sites topromote and interpret such projects. AtLondon Zoo the canal banks have beenreplanted and are being managed for UK native species conservation withadditions such as bat and bird boxesalready in widespread use. Work withEnglish Nature and RSPB continued withnational press coverage of releases ofBritish field crickets, bred as previouslyat London Zoo, and of corncrakes, bredat Whipsnade and released at NeneWashes. We made further commitmentsin the year to continue work in FrenchPolynesia with Partula snails.

ZSL’s consultancy on and involvement in the aquarium being planned forSilvertown Quays in London Docklandscontinued. The entire Silvertown Quaysdevelopment plan was submitted foroutline planning consent in Decemberand a detailed application for theaquarium itself is due to be submitted inApril 2004. The project is to be pursuedby ZSL through a subsidiary charitywhich will shortly be established. Thescale of this project is large and theaquarium will be competitive on the

world stage and, as a result, a majornew attraction for London. Mostimportant from ZSL’s point of view, it willbe a showcase for good science andconservation work in marine and fresh-water habitats, and demonstrate thataquariums of this scale can be managedon a sustainable basis. Fish for the exhibitsare already being bred and we arepropagating coral colonies for installationin the pre-opening phase. A significantfundraising campaign for the aquariumwill commence in the spring of 2004.

For many years ZSL has fought a testcase, on behalf of and in co-operationwith the charitable zoos in the UK,concerning cultural exemption for VATpurposes. In March 2002 the ultimateappeal court – the European Court ofJustice in Luxembourg – ruled in favourof ZSL’s assertion that the UKGovernment should correctly interpretEuropean legislation and grant zoos, runas charitable institutions and managedby unpaid trustees, the same status asthose in other EC countries. That is, theyshould qualify for cultural exemptionand not be required to charge VAT onadmissions to their sites. In March, weceased paying over the VAT componenton admission charges and, at the end ofthe year, HM Customs & Excise finallyagreed the settlement of sums paid oversince the correct legislation should havebeen implemented. As our accounts for2003 show, these changes have realisedretrospectively the larger surpluses that we should have been making since1990, and allow plans for significant

refurbishment and capital investment innew projects.

Lest we be carried away by improvedfinancial performance, we were remindedby the pre-budget announcement at theHouse of Commons last November ofhow tenuous some windfalls can be. The Chancellor of the Exchequerannounced his intention of withdrawingthe current extension of Gift Aid used by charities that treat admission chargesto their sites as day membership. In2003 we realised over £850,000 from this scheme, but the Government seemsfirm in its intention to remove thisbenefit, probably from April 2005. Wewill watch the follow-up to the 2004Budget with interest and continue tolobby with the many other charitableorganisations similarly affected by thisimpending change.

The year closed with our DirectorGeneral, Dr Michael Dixon, announcinghis intention to resign his post tobecome Director of the Natural HistoryMuseum. Mike will leave us in earlyMay, having been in post for a little overfour years. During his time with ZSL, hehas conceived and led the implementationof major changes in ZSL. Reorganisationfrom a divisional to a cross-Societyfunctional organisation has resulted inmore coherent policy-making andcollaborative working. Our internationalconservation work and reputation hasgrown considerably. The financialposition is stronger than for many years,and business and strategic plans have

been developed that indicate an excitingand secure future for ZSL. Mike leaves astrong management team behind him,and we wish him well in his importantnew post.

Sir Martin Holdgate will be retiring fromthe Presidency of the Society thissummer. With consummate skill, Martinhas steered the Society through a verydifficult period. His total commitment toconservation biology, his vision, hispolitical effectiveness and his ability to communicate on their own terms withanybody he meets have all been used togreat effect in the service of the Society.Martin has transformed ZSL. He leavesus thriving, and generations ofzoologists will be grateful for hisachievements on their behalf.

Professor Paul H Harvey FRSSecretary

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Review of the year left: Artist’s impression of the proposed newaquarium at Silvertown Quays which willshowcase good science and conservationwork in marine and freshwater habitats,managed on a sustainable basis. Terry Farrell and Partners

middle: Dr Michael Dixon, Director General,will leave ZSL in early May to becomeDirector of The Natural History Museum.Ian Meyrick ZSL

right: Sir Martin Holdgate.Brian Aldrich

The ZSL Frink Medal forBritish Zoologists

For significant and original contributionsby professional zoologists to thedevelopment of zoology in its widerimplications. Awarded to:Professor Quentin Bone, for his use ofanatomical, ultrastructural, histochemicaland experimental techniques to increaseour understanding of the functioning ofthe central nervous system and for hisoutstanding contribution to zoology.

The Scientific Medal

Awarded to zoologists 40 years of ageand under, in recognition of scientificmerit to:Professor Mike Bruford, of the Universityof Cardiff, for his role in developingmolecular genetic techniques to revealthe structure of natural populations, andfor applying his results to conservationbiology; and to: Dr Edward Charles Holmes, of theUniversity of Oxford, for his analyses ofgene sequence data and phylogeneticanalysis to reveal the evolution andpopulation dynamic structure of disease-causing viruses.

The ZSL Marsh Award forConservation Biologysponsored by the Marsh Christian Trust

For contributions of fundamental scienceand its application to the conservation ofanimal species and habitat. Awarded to: Professor Stuart Pimm, of DukeUniversity, USA, for his contribution toconservation biology.

The ZSL Silver Medal

Category 1Awarded to a member of staff of the rankof Curator (or the equivalent in non-menagerie departments) or above, or anHonorary Consultant, for long anddistinguished service to the Society orfor outstanding achievement, to: Peter Olney, for his work to promotegood practice and responsiblemanagement of wildlife in captivity, andhis broader work for the zoo community.

Category 2Awarded to a Fellow of the Society orany other person for contribution to theunderstanding and appreciation ofzoology, including such activities aspublic education in natural history andwildlife conservation: Professor Aubrey Manning, for hisoriginal and outstandingly informativetelevision series that has helped a widergeneral public to appreciate the originsand functions of the British landscape.

The BIOSIS Award forCommunicating Zoology

Awarded to an individual for acommunication of a zoological naturethat has an outstanding impact on ageneral audience: Dr Olivia Judson, of Imperial College,London, for her book Dr Tatiana’s SexAdvice to All Creation.

The Stamford Raffles Award

For distinguished contribution tozoology, open to amateur zoologists orto a professional zoologist in recognitionof contributions which are outside thescope of his or her professional activitiesand principal specialisation. Awarded to:Chris du Feu, for his contributions toornithology.

The Thomas Henry HuxleyAwardsponsored by the Marsh Christian Trust

For original work submitted as a doctoralthesis. Awarded to:Dr Graham Taylor, of the University ofOxford, for his thesis Animal flightdynamics: mechanics of stability andcontrol.Letter of commendation goes to runner-up Dr James Poulet, of the University ofCambridge, for his thesis Soundprocessing in the singing cricket.

The Prince Philip Prizesponsored by the Marsh Christian Trust

Open for competition to pupils, under 19 years of age, of schools or otherplaces of education in the UnitedKingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isleof Man, on the basis of an account ofpractical work involving some aspects of animal biology. Awarded to:Stuart Goodfellow, of St Paul’s CatholicCollege, Sunbury-on-Thames, for hisessay The effect of habitat fragmentationon the invertebrate population on golfcourse heathland.

Honorary Fellowship

Awarded to:Professor Sir Brian Follett, of theUniversity of Oxford, in recognition ofhis research on circadian rhythms, hisoutstanding contributions to promotingzoology at every academic and politicallevel possible in the UK, his work for theZoological Society of London as amember of the Awards Committee, andas a contributor towards promoting andrefereeing candidates for the ScientificMedal since he retired from theCommittee.

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ZSL recognises outstanding achievements in the field of zoological research andconservation through its annual presentation of awards and prizes.The awardsfor contributions to zoology for 2003 are:

awards &honours

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this page: ZSL continues to focus on eco-tourism at the Mikongo Conservation Centre,situated in Lopé National Park in Gabon.Troy Inman

opposite page top: Aerial surveys ofsavannah in Virunga National Park revealedalarming declines in wildlife populations,notably elephants and hippopotami.Jakob Bro-Jorgensen ZSL

opposite page bottom: Snapshots of speciestaken by hunters, such as this mandrill, formpart of the research on bushmeat hunting.Noëlle Kümpel ZSL

Bushmeat & Forests

In the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), we continue our support to thewildlife authorities in order to strengthenthe management of protected areasthrough a Darwin Initiative project. Stafffrom the Virunga National Park went fora six-week ranger training course inSouth Africa and the participants nowtrain their colleagues back in DRC. Theurgency of upgrading Park operationswas highlighted by aerial surveys in thesavannah sections of the Virunga Park,which revealed alarming declines inwildlife populations, notably elephantsand hippopotami. To understand thecauses of wild animal declines in thearea, ZSL has launched a researchprogramme on bushmeat hunting in and around the Park.

Also in DRC, as we hold a breedingpopulation of the threatened speciesokapi at London Zoo, we have made anumber of contributions to support theOkapi Reserve.

At the Mikongo Conservation Centre,situated in Lopé National Park in Gabon,we continue to focus on ecotourism. Our Conservation Volunteers search forand follow selected gorilla groups, to getthem used to the presence of tourists. As gorilla viewing becomes easier andattracts more tourists, long-termmanagement of the Park will need tofocus on generating funds to supportconservation management and bringbenefits to Gabonese society. As tourismdevelops, we continuously monitor thehealth status of the gorillas, which aresusceptible to human diseases.

Through our investment in the UKBushmeat Campaign, we continue toinform UK and EC government policy.We hosted a Campaign conference inDecember, which brought togetherministers and representatives from

Ghana, Cameroon and the UK, theEuropean Parliament, the timber industryand various NGOs. The conference builton the recent African Forest LawEnforcement and Governance (AFLEG)Ministerial Declaration, and encourageddiscussions about optimal solutions forsustainability of bushmeat hunting inAfrican forests.

In terms of inter-zoo links, we continuedour support of the West African PrimateConservation Action, through aconsortium of European zoos that fundprimate conservation work in Ghana inpartnership with their Wildlife Department.

Research on bushmeat hunting has ledto the development of new analyses andan approach to assess the impacts onmulti-species prey communities. Modelpredictions can also be used to aid theinterpretation of incomplete field reports,such as snapshots of the species takenby hunters. This will improve our abilityto assess the sustainability of multi-species hunting systems using thelimited information typically available.

Deserts & Rangelands

This year saw the end of the St Katherine’s Protectorate Project, afterseven years. John Grainger has movedon to new conservation work after hisconsiderable achievements in Sinai,where he brought together humanculture and biodiversity as inter-linkedfeatures for tourism development. The St Katherine’s Visitor Centre was openedthis year, leaving a lasting legacy interms of infrastructure, to complementthe local management capacity that hadbeen built.

In Saudi Arabia, work at the King KhalidWildlife Research Centre continues, withnew equipment in the Genetics Laboratory,which now analyses samples from all

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ZSL’s conservation and science is co-ordinated across the Society under six keyprogrammes: Bushmeat and Forests, Deserts and Rangelands, Carnivores andPeople, Marine and Freshwater, UK Native Species, and Island Ecosystems.The work on these programmes may take place in the zoos, in the Institute ofZoology, or by Conservation Programmes staff in the UK or in the field. Here we report on our work during the year in each of the programmes.

conservation &science

over the region. In the Ibex Reserve,rangers continue to monitor themountain gazelle and ibex populations,focusing management to address theincreasing threats from hunting,livestock and wood-cutting.

As part of a long-term study ofreproductive characteristics in the Mhorrgazelle we have investigated thehypothesis that male gazelles can notonly recognise the current reproductivestatus of females but, using behaviouraland olfactory cues, can also obtaininformation about the likely quality ofovulation and probability of conception.Analysis of faecal oestrogen/progesteroneratios during a series of reproductivecycles in relation to the behaviour of avasectomised male lent support to thishypothesis and also demonstrated that themale could anticipate the onset of oestrusapproximately three days in advance.

Our other long-standing rangelandsproject, the Pan-African project for theControl of Epizootics (PACE) based inNairobi, has continued withinvestigations of rinderpest reports incattle of northern Kenya and warthogs ofMauritania, as well as numerous trainingworkshops. Monitoring and preventativework have, however, been interrupted bydelays in agreeing an extension to thePACE programme.

Two important Darwin Initiative projectswere awarded to ZSL this year. Onecontinues our long-standing work withblack rhinos in Kenya, in collaborationwith Kenya Wildlife Service and IUCN, by training wildlife rangers in rhinomonitoring and patrol techniques.The second project extends our area of rangeland conservation action toMongolia, where field courses andcomplementary support activities arebeing used to build up a new cadre of ecologists through the University of Mongolia.

Our project on chacma baboons inNamibia has led to the development of anew model to explain how animals co-ordinate their activities to make sure thatall individuals derive benefits fromforaging in a group. Mathematicalmodels developed with our University ofCambridge collaborators (recentlypublished in the journal Nature) showthat in pairs of animals, one animalshould make all the decisions, but this‘leader’ doesn’t need any specialproperties (such as being dominant orlarger). In fact, the leader is quite oftensimply the hungrier member of the pair.Furthermore, the best behaviour for ananimal can be summarised as a rule-of-thumb: ‘if I am hungry, I should forage; ifI’m not, then I should copy my colleague.’

In addition to these large projects, wehave conducted rapid surveys in theSahel, working with a consortium ofinterested parties to look for addax,scimitar-horned oryx and gazelles in keyareas of Chad and Niger. Populations ofthese striking animals have sufferedseverely from the impacts of war, andare vulnerable to hunting by heavilyarmed ’sportsmen’; very few were found.More encouraging have been thepositive reports of scimitar-horned oryxreintroductions in Tunisia, where ZSLworked with Marwell Zoo and others tomonitor the reintroduced population. The abundance of large mammals in theCabo Delgado project area in northernMozambique was also good news.

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Conservation & Science top: Monitoring animals after release isneeded to ensure viable populations aremaintained in the wild.Tim Wacher ZSL

bottom: A laboratory technologist loads DNAsamples into an automated analysis machineat the KKWRC Conservation GeneticsLaboratory.KKWRC ZSL

Carnivores & People

In Jambi, Sumatra, our work on tigersliving in agricultural landscapescontinues to develop. Working inpartnership with oil-palm company PT Asiatic Persada, we have recruitedskilled and dedicated Indonesian staffand, with funding from CDC CapitalPartners, we are constructing a purpose-built office and accommodation building.

With the help of grants from 21stCentury Tiger and the Tufton CharitableTrust, we launched the first everradiotelemetry study of Sumatran tigers,aiming to find out how the tigers areusing these habitats. In May we capturedand radio-collared a magnificent maletiger, Slamet, who is now being regularlytracked. Camera-trap studies, with supportfrom the Save the Tiger Fund, tell us thatthere are at least nine additional tigers in the areas so far surveyed.

In Tanzania, our new CarnivoreProgramme, run jointly by ZSL and theTanzania Wildlife Research Institute(TAWIRI) and funded by the DarwinInitiative, is now well under way with thecarnivore centre built and running andtwo new project scientists recruited.Tourists and local people are encouragedto contribute information on carnivoresightings to the database throughprogramme materials such as the firstedition of the Carnivore Bites newsletter,Cheetah and Wild Dog Watch leaflets and Carnivore Atlas sheets, all of whichhave been widely distributed(www.habari.co.tz/carnivores).

Our long-running Cheetah ConservationProgramme in Tanzania has also beenspearheading new census techniques forcheetahs, to provide hard evidence ofthe decline in cheetah numbers and sopersuade governments to strengthenconservation action. The project is alsoworking through the use of leaflets and

posters to influence tourist behaviour, inorder to reduce harassment of cheetahsin the Serengeti National Park.

In Chile, genetic research funded by theDarwin Initiative has shown that thecritically endangered Darwin’s fox, whichsurvives in only two small populationstotalling about 500 animals, is a fullspecies in its own right. The foxes are incontact with domestic dogs whose healthstatus is extremely poor, and who maywell be carrying canine distemper. Wehave radio-collared both foxes and dogsto study their interactions and are carryingout a programme of disease testing.Wildlife health is also a focus of our jackalstudy in Namibia, where canine distemperhas contributed to high mortality; and in Croatia we are helping to establishsound population estimates for bearsand wolves using faecal DNA analysis.

In 2003, working with Anglo-Russiancharity AMUR, we completed a Foreign Office funded study of the

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top: Telemetry fixes from the tiger Slamet’sradio-collar so far indicate a minimum homerange size of 50 km2, though more time isneeded to establish the full extent of hismovements.Dawn Scott

middle: Webpage fromwww.habari.co.tz/carnivores

bottom: Most of the remaining cheetahs liveoutside protected areas.Sarah Durant ZSL, Tanzania Carnivore Program

socio-economic factors associated withconservation in the Russian Far East. Thisinformation will feed into conservationstrategies for both Amur leopards andAmur tigers.

Closer to home, ZSL is co-ordinating the European Association of Zoos andAquariums’ current conservationcampaign, which is raising funds fortiger conservation. A hundred andtwenty-three participating zoos in morethan 20 European countries had raisedover £190,000 by the end of the year; the campaign is so popular that it hasbeen extended for a second year inEurope, and was adopted by theAustralasian Zoo Association. Wechannel the money to nine wild tigerprojects through 21st Century Tiger (a fundraising partnership between ZSLand Global Tiger Patrol).

We are working with the IUCN/SSC CatSpecialist Group to develop an onlineCat Conservation Projects Database. Thisis now capable of storing data on thefunding, activities and achievements ofconservation projects targeted at anyspecies of wild cat. It will be madepublicly available as soon as tiger dataentries for 2003 are complete, and willprovide a valuable tool for conservationpractitioners and funders.

Marine & Freshwater

Our DEFRA-funded research on diseasethreats to turtles and marine mammalsgave rise to some ground breakingfindings: marine mammals can get ‘thebends’. In a high profile paper in Nature,we reported the first evidence of gasbubbles and associated tissue trauma insix dolphins, a porpoise and a beakedwhale from UK waters. The paper alsoreported the pathological findingsfollowing an investigation conducted bythe University of Las Palmas (Gran

Canaria) into a mass stranding of beaked whales in the Canary Islands inSeptember 2002. Further research isneeded to confirm the actual mechanismof these novel findings in both studies,but the coincidence of the Canariesbeaked whale mass stranding with anaval exercise using mid-frequencyactive sonar suggests that sonarexposure may have had a role.

In March, we undertook our secondexpedition to the Babai River Valley,Nepal. Situated in the Royal BardiaNational Park, the Babai River is a rarewarm water system. The Babai fishpopulations were shown to be diversewith 49 species recorded, including themuch prized mahseer. Followingimplementation of our earlierrecommendations for the managementof the fish pass, fish movements throughthe dam were improved. The currentthreats to the fish were the increasinglevels of poaching, frequently usingpesticide poisoning, which is also a

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Conservation & Science top: Researchers believe that sonar exposuremay be responsible for the stranding ofcetaceans, like this sperm whale.Matthew Perkins ZSL

bottom: Checking diversity of the fishpopulation in the Babai River Valley, Nepal.ZSL

public health concern. However, due topolitical insecurity in the region theproject has had to be put on hold.

In Mozambique, the Cabo DelgadoBiodiversity and Tourism Project (CDBTP)has carried out scientific surveys ofcoastal and marine habitats around theislands of Vamizi, Rongui and Macaloe,which have confirmed their exceptionalconservation value. Large fringing reefswere found to be healthy and productivewith over 125 coral species, and reef fish populations were extremely diverse(354 reef species identified to date, ofwhich 21% have never been recorded inMozambique before). By working withthe resident communities, local fisherswere selected by community leaders tobe employed and trained as turtlemonitors. This new programme has beenhighly successful, resulting in theprotection of over 160 nests of green and hawksbill turtles to date.

The Community Fund supportedconservation work of Project Seahorsecontinues in the Philippines. A furtherthree community-based Marine ProtectedAreas (MPA) are being established, andbaseline surveys of two were completedto establish site boundaries, mapsubstrate type, and evaluate the healthof the fish and coral populations. The bi-annual monitoring of the six existingMPAs continued. As part of theaquaculture initiative, a pilot study wasundertaken to investigate seahorseranching to afford protection for thepregnant male seahorses prior to givingbirth and thereby assist the recruitmentof juveniles into the diminishingpopulations. The trials determined thatranching in this manner stressed the sea-horses, making them more vulnerable todiseases, and the system was abandoned.

The fishers’ alliance KAMADA,established and supported by ProjectSeahorse, continues to grow in status

and has been active in trying to help thegovernment in fighting illegal fishingand to enforce fishery laws. Respondingto the fishers’ concerns, the Governor of Bohol agreed to help deputise themas fish wardens and consequently jointhe Coastal Law Enforcement Counciloperations in their respective areas. InJuly, Project Seahorse hosted a nationalworkshop and brought together twenty-six institutions to develop a minimumset of measures and indicators to assessthe environmental impact of sustainablelivelihood approaches. The workshopresulted in the first national network oflivelihood practitioners in the Philippines.

Successful reproduction is essential forthe production of viable offspring andpropagation of the species; good qualitygametes (sperm and eggs) are thereforevital. In the majority of fish species,where external fertilisation is the norm,the gametes are released into theexternal environment and are thereforevulnerable to the detrimental effects of environmental pollutants, fluctuationsin water temperature and alterations insalinity. We have been conductingresearch on how fish sperm quality(motility and morphology) is affected byheavy metals and salinity, and morerecently we have been investigating theeffects of water-borne hormonally-activecompounds on sperm production andfertility in freshwater fish.

UK Native Species

Our ongoing support for breedingspecies in the English Nature SpeciesRecovery Programme continued: fieldcrickets, dormice, Barberry carpet moths,and corncrakes were all reared andreleased. Moreover, ZSL vets carried outhealth screening of birds, mammals andinvertebrates from many institutions,prior to reintroductions.

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top: A Cabo Delgado Biodiversity and TourismProject to monitor and protect turtle nests on Rongui and Vamizi Islands in Mozambiquehas resulted in thousands of juvenile turtleshatching and returning to the sea. CDBTP

middle: Large fringing reefs were healthyand productive with 125 coral species andreef populations were extremely diverse.CDBTP

bottom: The Project Islands lie across ashallow, deltaic system of mudflats andmangroves from the mainland. Eastwards,the majority of the islands are bounded bybathymetric intrusions providing proximityto deep water of the Mozambique Channel.Adaptation of an Admiralty Map by ZSL

Our high levels of success in rearing andreleasing 2,210 field crickets (into threesites) continued, but it was particularlysatisfying this year to have benefitedfrom the warm weather to produce over3,000 Barberry carpet moth larvae – byfar our largest over-wintering stock. Evenmore satisfying, given the hard lessonslearned in 2002, was the successfulrearing of over 60 concrake chicks frombreeding birds at Whipsnade, of which50 were released into the Nene Washes.We now wait to see if they find their wayback after migrating to Southern Africafor the winter. Ospreys have done it, let’shope the corncrakes will too!

Work continues at our own zoos toimprove habitats for native species. TheWoodland Walk at London Zoo nowoffers a picturesque path to a picnicarea, with labelled trees, bird and batboxes. In the canal-side shrubbery,warblers have been recorded duringmonthly bird surveys, and confirmedwhich areas are important for housesparrows within London Zoo – one of thefew sites where they are to be found inRegent’s Park. The recovery of theVallence End site at Whipsnadecontinues to progress well. Vegetativesurveys are carried out each year by theEcologist from the Bedfordshire CountyCouncil, and animal species are recordedby Whipsnade staff. This area is adjacentto the Site of Special Scientific Intereston the chalk grasslands at Whipsnade, an area which is actively managed withinput from English Nature.

Several bumble bee species in the UKhave undergone steep declines in recentdecades. However, many aspects of thebasic biology of these importantpollinators, which could be of use intheir conservation, remain poorly known.One mysterious aspect of bumble beebiology concerns the number of coloniesthat utilise a given area for foraging. Doone or a few colonies send workers to

gather pollen and nectar at a site, or domany colonies share resources there?ZSL scientists devised and implementeda genetic technique for answering thisquestion. We showed that, for twocommon bumble bee species, the buff-tailed bumble bee (Bombus terrestris)and the common carder bee (B. pascuorum), the number of colonieswhose workers visit foraging sites(cemeteries, gardens, parks andwasteground in London) is high(between 65 and 100 colonies per hectare).This implies that urban areas could bevery valuable for bumble beeconservation. In addition, since bumblebees appear to forage over wide areas,conservation efforts in any environmentshould involve the provision of a networkof foraging sites. We are now trying toapply the technique and these conclusionsto studies of scarce bumble bees in the UK.

In collaboration with the Wildfowl andWetlands Trust, we have been studyingthe behaviour of foraging geese as their

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Conservation & Science this page: Young queen of the Great YellowBumble Bee (Bombus distinguendus), ascarce bumble bee species now almostentirely confined in the UK to Scottishislands, which is being studied by IoZscientists in collaboration with CambridgeUniversity and RSPB.Andrew Bourke ZSL

food resource becomes depleted. Ourlatest work based on photographicsequences of barnacle goose flocks overtime, combined with computer-intensiveanalysis shows that the most successfulforagers in a flock are largely unaffectedby food depletion, while the leastsuccessful foragers experience foragingconditions that are increasinglyunfavourable in larger or longerestablished flocks.

Island Ecosystems

A contract has now been signed with theFrench Polynesian government toproduce a long-term strategy and actionplan for conservation of endemic snails.This is a welcome commitment forconservation of this invertebrate group,and allows ZSL to continue monitoringthe status of Partula snails, and theinvasive predatory snail that has alreadyeliminated many endemic species. Staff in B.U.G.S! (formerly Web of Life)also contributed funds to this field work through their Friendly SpiderProgramme fund-raising.

Worldwide, endemic island fauna are atincreasing risk from introduced diseases.Funded by a Darwin Initiative grant, ZSL is establishing a wildlife pathologylaboratory in the Galápagos to helpidentify and manage disease threats tothe endemic biodiversity of the islands,in collaboration with the GalápagosNational Park, and University ofGuayaquil, Ecuador. In addition tobuilding the laboratory, we will trainEcuadorean veterinarians, scientists andNational Park staff in wildlife pathologyand disease surveillance techniques. The facility and staff will contribute to adisease-monitoring programme that willact as an early warning system, givingEcuadorean researchers the long-termcapacity to identify and respond towildlife disease in the archipelago.

Green Teams at ZSL

Terms of Reference were agreed forGreen Teams at both Whipsnade andRegent’s Park, which meet monthly, andan internal newsletter (electronicallycirculated!) now keeps staff apprised of issues and planned action. A ZSLenvironment policy is being formulated,and the Environmental Audit ofWhipsnade carried out by CranfieldUniversity is being reviewed. Specificaction has been taken to reduce energyand water use, which has alreadyresulted in a saving of £40,000 at theRegent’s Park site this year.

scientific report

Full details of research work in theInstitute of Zoology is publishedannually in Science for Conservation, the annual scientific report, which isavailable on request.

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top: Over 2000 field crickets were released atthree separate sites in West Sussex and theIsle of Wight.Dave Clarke ZSL

middle: Over 60 corncrake chicks weresuccessfully reared at Whipsnade of which 50were released into the Nene Washes.ZSL

bottom: Partula suturalis. One of 56 endemictree snail species made extinct on theSociety Islands.ZSL

ZSL education

This year saw the amalgamation of theWhipsnade and London education teamsinto a single ZSL-wide EducationDepartment. The informal collaborationof the last few years evolved into thestart of a formal planning process todevelop a ZSL-wide strategy for educationalprogrammes and interpretation. Ananalysis of educational visits by schoolsand colleges on both sites enabled us toplan for expansion, particularly atWhipsnade, and to prepare for the newaquarium at Silvertown Quays.

Schools & Colleges

Attendances by schools at London Zooand Whipsnade fell slightly this year.However, we still exceeded 30,000educational visits to Whipsnade, a levelachieved for the first time only last year.Schools visits at London were 74,000.

In addition to the Outreach programmeat Whipsnade, which continues to bepopular, we supplemented the tours inthe Park with new activities for schools.Over 2,500 children participated.

New activities introduced to theprogramme at London include one witha literacy focus and two aimed at theCitizenship curriculum for primary children.New A-level talks use the wealth of casestudies provided by ZSL’s field work toprovide current examples of conservation.

The Greater London Authority (GLA)continues to fund free school visits forLondon children and an additional sixstaff at Regent’s Park. The provision of apermanent lunchroom (in the old ParrotHouse) and staff to welcome andorientate groups on arrival is greatlyappreciated by schools; this is apparentfrom the feedback we receive fromteachers who also comment very

favourably on the quality and delivery ofour educational programme.

In November, we held our annualCareers with Animals Day for children inYear 10 and an A-level symposium atwhich ZSL staff gave presentations on avariety of aspects of conservation.Education Officers also played key rolesin the Christmas promotion, playingcharacters from the Nativity; over 4,700children attended this event which isvery popular with schools.

Visitor education &interpretation

The major interpretative projects thisyear revolved around the developmentof new exhibits. New enclosures forotters, meerkats and marmosets atLondon Zoo presented an excellentopportunity to develop interpretationaround the theme of family life and howthese very social animals hunt for foodin three very differing habitats – river,desert and rainforest. Interactive devicesenable visitors to feel for prey like anOriental short-clawed otter, understandthe physical adaptations of an otter towater and match the enlarged incisors ofpygmy marmosets to their favouritefood – gums and resins.

A second major project at London wasthe development of the canal banks fornative species. This corridor of treesalong the Regent’s Canal provides idealhabitat for local species of bat (commonand soprano pipistrelles andDaubenton’s bat), all three part of theCamden Biodiversity Action Plan ofwhich ZSL is a partner. Native bluebells,foxgloves, primroses and honeysucklewere planted and bramble and nettlebeds encouraged as habitats and foodplants for a variety of invertebrates. AWoodland Walk was created along thesouth bank, providing a pleasant path for

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education &informationEducation is central to ZSL’s mission and covers every area of our activity.Through the two zoos we reach around 1.3 million visitors each year, providingthem with information on wildlife, habitats and conservation.Through ourprogramme for schools and through a variety of public presentations, touchtables, and interactive interpretation we stimulate interest in the natural world.ZSL’s work is also brought to an international audience through our scientificlectures, talks, courses and publications.

visitors and the location for a series ofinformation panels on native species.

Other interpretation included a display ofrecent stories illustrating the work ofZSL’s scientists, projects in the field andbreeding successes. This board isdesigned to be updated regularly asprojects unfold. During the summer, anartist re-created some bowerbird neststhat were displayed naturally amongstplants around the Zoo.

At both London and Whipsnade, theeducation team ran activities for visitorsthroughout the summer to raiseawareness of ZSL’s field work under thebanner 21st Century Tiger. Interpretationpanels and an activity in which visitorsspun a wheel to discover the varyingfates of tigers in Sumatra were part ofthe activities at Regent’s Park, whileWhipsnade provided crafts and face-painting and a tiger talk. Over £7,000 wasraised in total.

Both the Whipsnade and Londonguidebooks were updated; moreemphasis was given to highlighting ZSL’swide-ranging conservation work.

Visitor Information

At Regent’s Park, all directional signswere refurbished and the new mapswere re-orientated north-south andsimplified, making them easier for visitorsto find their way round the site. We tookthis opportunity to re-brand all signagearound the Zoo with the ZSL logo.

Volunteers

Much work was done to bring into lineall the procedures and policies relatingto the many volunteers who give theirtime so freely to ZSL. The majority of our250 volunteers help extend the

educational role of the zoos by runningtouch tables, presenting live animalssuch as cockroaches, snails, ferrets andllamas and providing commentaries andtours for visitors. Some 30 volunteersalso assist the keeping staff at London inthe preparation of food and cleaningenclosures while an additional nine helpin the Library and in offices. Whipsnadevolunteers continued their fundraisingefforts on behalf of ZSL and this yearstarted raising funds for a new tiger denat the Park.

Representing ZSL

Both Whipsnade and London Zoocontinue to be represented on theEducation Committee of the Federationof Zoos, with the Head of Educationholding the position of vice-chair of theCommittee. The Education team attendedthe British and Irish Zoo EducatorsConference in November and presentedpapers on the successful management of volunteers and health and safety.

Qualifications & training

This year saw the launch of a new,nation-wide course for training zookeepers, the Advanced NationalCertificate in the Management of ZooAnimals. It was developed by theFederation of Zoos Education Committeein conjunction with Sparsholt College,Hampshire, which actually runs thecourse. It covers the most up-to-dateaspects of animal husbandry and ismore demanding than the previouscourse. ZSL was appointed the RegionalCo-ordinator for East Anglia and theSouth East and provides tutoring for allthe zoos in this region. A new feature is a week-long residential programme at Sparsholt at which keepers receivetraining in health and safety, anintroduction to software used in

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top: Interpretation board at the newOtter enclosure.

middle: The canal banks weredeveloped and a Woodland Walkcreated which leads visitors past a seriesof information panels on native species.Claire Robinson ZSL

bottom: Display of recent ZSL storiesdesigned for regular updates asprojects unfold.Claire Robinson ZSL

breeding programmes and otherpractical skills. Seventeen keepers fromZSL are currently enrolled.

We built on the enormous success of ourMasters Course in Wild Animal Health(jointly run with the Royal VeterinaryCollege) by commencing a non-veterinarystream (MSc in Wild Animal Biology),prompted by the increasing number ofenquiries from non-veterinarians fortuition in this field. The distinctive featureof this new course is that the veterinaryskills element has been replaced withtraining in research methodologiesrelevant to the study of wildlife.

In place of the clinical sessions on theoriginal course, Wild Animal Biologystudents are attending courses designedto develop generic research skills andcarry out a literature-based project inaddition to their final research projectover the summer months. Wild AnimalBiology students are, nevertheless,benefiting from the high quality teachingprovided by sharing many of theirclasses with their Wild Animal HealthMSc colleagues. This includes principlesof biological science, veterinaryinterventions in wildlife (including social,welfare, ethical and legal aspects),management of captive and free-livingwild animals, epidemiology, diagnosis,treatment and control of wildlife disease,as well as wildlife research methodology.

The course will be relevant to thosewishing to follow careers in wildlifemanagement, wildlife rehabilitationcentres, wildlife-related research and zoomanagement, as well as thoseproceeding to study for a PhD. We hopethat this course will fulfil a need for wildanimal training for non-veterinarianswith a strong interest in wild animal-related research.

To meet the requirements of a largernumber of students from two Masters

Courses, we have re-developed theWellcome Building of the Institute ofZoology, creating a new computer roomwith ten computer workstations and anew reference library facility. Lecturesnow take place in London Zoo'sEducation Building.

The Master of Science Course in WildAnimal Health continues to attractinterest and to be well attended as itenters its tenth year. The participantsspend a great deal of time and energyon the research project, in many casesproducing results of real value to wildlifeconservation and welfare. However, thebusy careers of graduates frequentlyhinder progress in publication fromthesis to preparing a journal paper. In aneffort to improve on this situation, thestudents on the 2002/03 course wererequired to submit their research projectin a form suitable for publication. Thischange has produced instant dividends,and two projects have already beensubmitted: Rea Tschopp's importantstudy on the epidemiology of infectiouskeratoconjunctivitis in chamois,Rupicapra rupicapra, and ibex, Capraibex, in Switzerland, and Kaori FloresMiyamoto's interesting work on thedigestive strategy of lowland anoa,Bubalus depressicornis, which hassignificant implications for the way inwhich this species is fed in captivity.Three other projects will soon besubmitted, increasing the output of thispopular course.

PhD awards

Three PhD students were awarded theirdegrees in 2003: Dr Paul Jepson for hiswork on the Pathology and toxicology ofstranded harbour porpoises (Phocoenaphocoena) in UK waters; Dr AngusCarpenter for his thesis entitled Thepopulation dynamics and economics ofharvesting in Malagasy chameleons; andDr Tom Maddox for research on Theecology of cheetahs and other largecarnivores in a pastoralist-dominatedbuffer zone.

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Education & Information

Meetings & Publications

An important part of ZSL’s work isfacilitating the communication ofinformation between researchers,professional zoologists and the generalpublic. We achieve this through ourvaried programme of meetings and thepublication of scientific books and journals.

Our 2003 Stamford Raffles Lecture,The contemporary experience of wildnature and its implications forconservation, was given by ProfessorSteven Sanderson, President and ChiefExecutive Officer of the WildlifeConservation Society, New York. Thisevent was generously sponsored by theSingapore Tourism Board and SingaporeAirlines, and we are most grateful fortheir continuing support.

Scientific Meetings are held monthlythrough the academic year and in 2003we were delighted to announcesponsorship by the MitsubishiCorporation Fund for Europe and Africa.The partnership was launched withProfessor David Macdonald’s lecture The lion king: is his throne secure? Othermeetings held covered a diverse rangeof subjects, such as Marine predatorsand the wow factor: new technology,new insights; Conservation and biologyof bumble bees and National Parks in the sea.

In February ZSL hosted a two-dayinternational symposium Phylogeny andconservation, organised by Andy Purvis,John Gittleman and Thomas Brooks.With speakers from five continents andcase studies from a wide range of taxaand regions, this was the first meeting to bring together the differentconservation uses of phylogenies.

The Journal of Zoology, ZSL’s pre-eminent international journaldedicated to academic zoology,

continues to receive increasing numbersof high-quality papers from topresearchers. The Journal promoteshypothesis-driven studies that are ofinterest to all readers of zoology, andprovides comprehensive coverage of thelatest research and developments.

ZSL’s quarterly journal, AnimalConservation, provides a forum for rapidpublication of rigorous empirical ortheoretical studies relating to speciesand population biology. The journalbrings together innovative research andideas from evolutionary biology andecology that contribute to the scientificbasis of conservation biology.

The Conservation Biology book series,published in association with CambridgeUniversity Press, includes titles whichreflect our research interests and providean important contribution to a particularfield. We published the eighth book in the series, Reproductive Science andIntegrated Conservation, edited byWilliam Holt, Amanda Pickard, JohnRodger and David Wildt.

Volume 38 of the International ZooYearbook was published. The specialsection, Zoo Challenges: Past, Presentand Future, includes 15 articles thataddress the historical trends and futureaims of zoos in relation to animalmanagement and conservation. Articlesin Section 2, The Developing Zoo World,range from the artificial insemination ofkoalas to food consumption, growth andfood passage times in Pacific walrus. Thereference section contains a list of Zoosand Aquariums of the World, a list ofnational and regional zoo associationsand a register of international studbooks.

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top: The 2003 Stamford Raffles Lecture wasgiven by Professor Steven Sanderson.Brian Aldrich

bottom: A range of ZSL publications.

dfsd

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this page: Otters in their new pool at London Zoo.Tony Blurton

opposite page top: The Malayan tapirpregnancy was confirmed by ultra sound.ZSL

opposite page middle top: Southerntamandua bred successfully for the first time at London Zoo.Frank Wheeler ZSL

opposite page middle bottom: The first Francois’ langur monkey born atLondon Zoo.Brian Aldrich

opposite page bottom: Reptile staffidentified a new species of cobra, Najanubiae, within the London Zoo collection.ZSL

Animals

The year produced extraordinarybreeding results throughout thecollection, many of these being theculmination of several years of planningand careful husbandry. The Malayan tapirpregnancy was diagnosed from an ultra-sound examination but, as no matingshad been observed, predicting the birthwas not easy. Despite this being her firstcalf the female proved to be anexemplary mother. Two of the threebearded pig females reared a total offive offspring as a first breeding in theUK of this species. The acquisition of apair of southern tamandua led toanother ZSL first breeding and saw anunusual anteater double with the birth ofthe fourth giant anteater. Other mammal‘firsts’ included the Lake Alaotran lemur,red-bellied lemur and Francois’ langur.ZSL’s contribution to an increasinglyimportant group of animals, theantelope, was provided with births forokapi, Nile lechwe, bongo and gemsbok.Other significant births included sixspecies of callitrichids, red pandas,pottos, tree shrews, common hippo andGrevy’s zebra.

Male gorillas were exchanged withBristol Zoo and female black rhinos weretransferred to produce a new pairing atWhipsnade, both moves being part ofthe respective European EndangeredSpecies Programmes (EEPs).

Following on from the successful hand-rearing of black-necked aracari last year,two chicks were parent-reared this year.This is believed to be a first in the UKand a fine example of evolvinghusbandry practices within thecollection. Also in the Bird House, asingle clutch of three toco toucans wereall parent-reared. Successful rearing oftwo Abdim’s storks and scarlet ibis werethe first for some years and areencouraging signs for the viability of

the colonies of these important species.Another first time breeding for ZSL camewith the rearing of a Madagascan teal.

The bird focus at Whipsnade this yearwas obviously the corncrakes (seepicture on p15). However, there were anumber of other successes, particularlywith waterfowl, the superb starlings andManchurian cranes. At London Zoo,encouraging signs for the future in theBird Department were seen in a numberof new species to breed.

The ‘expert eye’ of the Reptile staffreceived due recognition with theidentification of a new species of cobra,Naja nubiae. This event receivedconsiderable interest, enhanced by thesuccessful breeding of this species.Another species of reptile onlymaintained at London Zoo is theEgyptian gecko and these also bredsuccessfully this year.

Breeding of the Fregate Island beetlecontinued with the population reachingthe fifth generation. Other significantbreeding of invertebrates was seen inthe field cricket and Barberry carpetmoth colonies.

New species for the collection includedthree pairs of Panay cloud rats as part ofour support for the Philippinesprogramme, a trio of grey kangaroos inthe Children’s Zoo, white-winged ducksand Madagascan rainbow frogs,elongate tortoises and gila monsters inthe Reptile House.

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This was an extremely productive year for the zoos in all facets of our work,including breeding successes, the acquisition of new species, staffing issues andphysical developments at both London and Whipsnade as well as thedevelopment of improved business practice.

the zoos atwork

Organisation & awards

New Curators of Herpetology andMammals were appointed to thecuratorial team during the year. Incollaboration with other departments, anumber of species groups have eitherdeveloped or been initiated to enhancethe management of the animalcollection. A greater focus has been puton the role of research projects thatmight assist the husbandry of species.Considerable overlap will be seen withthis and groups such as the NutritionalGroup, the Environmental EnrichmentGroup and the Training Group.

The management of the AnimalDepartment in London Zoo underwent asignificant restructure when the two birdsections were amalgamated into one andthe five mammal sections into two.

ZSL received two awards from theFederation of Zoos: a meritorious awardin recognition of Significant Advances inSustained Breeding, for the breeding of Przewalski’s wild horse; and acommendation in SuccessfulConservation Projects for assisting theconservation of black rhino in Kenya,with special reference to the NguliaRhino Sanctuary Site Support Link Project.

Staff have been extremely active throughthe year with a wide range of activitiesincluding presenting papers at a numberof zoo conferences, providing supportand expertise in Kabul Zoo, theproduction of studbooks and husbandryguidelines, for example Nile lechwe andowls respectively, co-ordinatingEuropean Breeding Programmes,chairing Taxon Advisory Groups andworking for and supporting ZSL’sConservation Programmes projects.

Buildings & exhibits

The two major developments undertakenat Whipsnade and London were bothwell received by animals and visitorsalike. The extension and modification tothe sealion pool at Whipsnade greatlyimproves the visitor experience duringthe demonstrations, as well as enablingthe sealions to have access to theoutside pool at times when these are nottaking place. It also addressed somehealth and safety issues.

At London Zoo, the new otter enclosurewas celebrated by a second litter withinthe year bringing the group to a total of 12. The new areas for the meerkats,marmosets and tamarins weresignificant improvements to theirexisting facilities. The overalldevelopment completely transformedthis tired area of the zoo.

The ongoing challenge of finding anappropriate use for a few of the ageinganimal facilities on both sites continued.Significant improvements to the lifesupport systems in the Aquarium andchanges to the management of anumber of the off-show areas in theReptile House were initiated. AtWhipsnade, the removal of the last ofthe Congo buffalo herd allowed theirarea, originally built for Indian rhinos, to be demolished and the site cleared. It will now be left ‘fallow’.

By the end of the year work on the newchimpanzee enclosure at Whipsnade waswell underway and preparations hadstarted for the Komodo dragon facility atLondon Zoo. To make way for this, theSouthern Aviary was emptied anddemolished, thus eliminating a majormaintenance issue. Both newdevelopments will open in 2004.

Considerable improvements have beenmade to the London Zoo site in order to

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Zoos at work top: Whipsnade continued its success inbreeding a further three Grevy’s zebra foals a short time apart.ZSL

middle: Barclay enjoying the refurbishedSplash Zone at Whipsnade.ZSL

bottom: Preparations in hand for the newKomodo dragon exhibit at London Zoo.

meet the requirements of the DisabilityDiscrimination Act (DDA). These includeinduction loops in public display areasand meeting rooms, automatic doors toanimal houses, additional ramps andwide turnstiles at the exits. The needs ofvisitors with disabilities are, of course,included in the planning and design ofall new developments.

Staff worked hard throughout the year to continue the programme ofimprovements to the animal facilities,the transformation of one row of insideaviaries of the Bird House being anexcellent example of what can beachieved with these small projects.

Veterinary work

The Veterinary Department continued tobe very busy. Changes to a variety of coreactivities are gradually being implementedand operating procedures for all facetsof our work are being developed.

Quarantine procedures were reviewed;all new arrivals now undergo a morethorough health review before joiningthe collection. By doing this we gainimportant information, minimise thepossibility of disease being introducedand ensure the animals are healthy.

Pathology and clinical records are nowbeing computerised using a databasedeveloped in New Zealand andMedARKS, which links into ARKS, thezoo-wide record keeping database. Boththese databases will lead to increasedefficiency in managing data andcomplement the new more efficient filing system. Veterinary staff were alsoinvolved in developing a ZSL dietmanual and initiating a new welfareassessment process for all animals in the collection. Both of these will takesome time to finalise.

Specific conservation projects continueto benefit from veterinary departmentassistance and include work with EnglishNature, RSPB and the UK MarineMammals Strandings Project. Pre-releasechecks were performed on field crickets,dormice and corncrakes.

Internationally, staff were involved inorganising and convening a primatehealth care workshop in Entebbe,Uganda, for the Pan African SanctuariesAlliance, investigating disease andanaesthetic development in black-backedjackal Canis mesomelas (in combinationwith Institute of Zoology staff) and – incollaboration with Marwell Zoo –translocating and assessing the healthstatus of introduced scimitar-horned oryxin Tunisia.

Clinically, an outbreak of avian malaria in black-footed penguins presentedmany problems; treatment andprophylactic measures were, however,

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this page: ZSL veterinary staff co-ordinated aprimate healthcare workshop in Uganda.Wayne Boardman ZSL

generally successful. Malaria had beenseen in other collections in the UK.Raika, the female Sumatran tiger,underwent reproductive assessmentsand treatments to induce oestrousthanks to the Institute of Zoo and WildlifeResearch in Berlin.

Business

Significant investment was made inbusiness systems at both zoos. Aticketing system was installed, going‘live’ in the spring. This allows forimproved customer service at the gatesand an increase in the level of Gift Aidwe can process and claim. It has also ledto greater efficiency with educationaland other group bookings. A retailsystem was also installed which has ledto improved profitability throughreduced stock levels, the elimination ofweaker selling lines and a reduction inthe number of suppliers.

Major changes were made to day visitorcatering. At Whipsnade, a small café wasopened by the admission gates, avending facility was installed by thepenguin pool and improvements madeto the Lookout Café. These changes ledto significantly improved income.

At London Zoo, the day visitor cateringcontract was put out to competitivetender and awarded to Compass plc whocurrently manage banqueting on the site.The new arrangements took effect at theend of the year and a majorrefurbishment of the main Oasis Caféwas planned for opening in early 2004.The restoration of the derelict MappinCafé was completed, and thismagnificent venue is now available forprivate functions.

Membership schemes were reviewed,which led to the merging of the separateFriends schemes on each site. The newlystyled Friends of ZSL will be moreefficient to administer and offer a greater

range of benefits including theopportunity for unlimited admission toboth Whipsnade and London Zoo.

Additional income streams are alsobeing sought. The external hire of ZSLmeeting rooms has been expanded andsales revenue has greatly increased.More aggressive marketing of both sitesas commercial filming venues has alsobeen successful in generating higherlevels of income.

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Zoos at work this page left: Detail of the restored Mappin Café.

this page right: New membership cards were introduced.

opposite page top: The 2003-4 series ofScientific Meetings was launched by alecture with a reception afterwards inB.U.G.S! (formerly Web of Life).

opposite page bottom: A reception was held by The British Land Company plc tomark the completion of restoration works on the Mappin Café.Brian Aldrich

The Mitsubishi Corporation Fund forEurope and Africa, which generouslysupported B.U.G.S! (formerly Web ofLife), has continued its support for ZSLwith sponsorship of the 2003-4 series ofScientific Meetings. These cover a rangeof conservation and environmentalissues and, as key vehicles for publiceducation, are at the heart of ZSL’slearned activities. These events are highlyregarded and are attended by academics,students and conservation professionalsfrom around the world, as well as thegeneral public and ZSL members.

The series was launched in October witha lecture by Professor David Macdonald,a member of ZSL’s Council and Directorof the Wildlife Conservation ResearchUnit (WildCRU) at the University ofOxford. His talk on the work of theHwange Lion research (also supportedby the MCFEA) was extremely wellattended. We were delighted that His Excellency The Ambassador of Japan,Mr Masaki Orita, joined us for the lectureand said a few words at the receptionwhich followed in B.U.G.S! to mark the close collaboration between the UK and Japan in the fields of science and education.

Singapore Tourism Board and SingaporeAirlines have for some years jointlyprovided support for a key annual eventin the ZSL calendar, the Stamford Raffleslecture, through their sponsorship of thepost-lecture reception. This year theygenerously agreed to continue thissupport, which emphasises ZSL’shistorical connection with Singaporethrough its founder Sir Stamford Raffles.

The restoration work on the MappinCafé, generously supported in 2002 byThe British Land Company plc with anadditional grant from English Heritage,was completed in the early summer. TheGrade II listed building once again looksbeautiful and has been a spectacular

venue for numerous functions includingthe opening party kindly hosted byBritish Land.

A generous grant from the Bridge HouseTrust has enabled ZSL to embark on aprogramme of access improvements atLondon Zoo to bring the site further inline with the requirements of theDisability Discrimination Act. Theprogramme of work, which will last untilthe end of 2004, includes ramps andautomatic doors to many of the animalhouses, induction loops to assist thehard of hearing, pedestrian access to thecar park and a new wider turnstile on the north bank exit. These improvementswill make access easier for all ourvisitors including those with wheelchairsor buggies.

At Whipsnade, the completion of thenew terrapin enclosure sponsored byFinnforest was a great development inthe care of these rare freshwater turtles.Finnforest, an international woodproducts company which supplies timberfrom well-managed forests around theworld, is an excellent partner for ZSL,with its commitment to conservation andto helping to protect the world’s forests.As well as supporting the new terrapinfacility, Finnforest also providedsponsorship in-kind by providing woodfor the refurbishment of the deckingaround the sealion pool. We look forwardto continuing this successful partnershipin future years.

Animals in Good Company, a pilotinitiative with the support of TheLearning Trust, has designed aprogramme of mentoring and self-development which offers East Londonsecondary school pupils the opportunityto improve their skills in businessmanagement. The aim is to provide themwith the motivation and support toencourage them to continue theireducation beyond 16, as well as to raise

25

fundraising &grantsAs ZSL embarks on plans for site redevelopment, we have implementedstrategies to provide the infrastructure for major capital campaigns and on-goingsustainable and integrated support across all of the Society’s mission areas:living collections, conservation programmes and research.

their awareness of conservation issuesand to support the work of ZSL.

The project has provided an opportunityfor a new type of corporate involvementin the Society’s work which fulfilscorporate social responsibilityobjectives, as well as initiating a neweducation programme to meet ourmission of promoting worldwide animaland habitat conservation. NewsInternational have sponsored the project,providing funds, staff and in-kindresources for the mentoring programmeand for the pupils’ Zoo project, a newtermite mound for the sloth bears atLondon Zoo. Veredus have providedmentors for the nine pupils fromHackney’s Haggerston Girls’ School. Thementoring will continue in to early 2004and on its completion the sloth bearswill be able to enjoy their new termitemound on the Mappin Terraces.

In addition to grants and corporatesponsorship, ZSL depends on thedonations of individuals to help achievevital animal conservation work. This yearan appeal to Members and Adopters todonate to the newly established FieldConservation Fund received manygenerous donations. The Fund has beenset up to channel money to where it isneeded most, in our field projects inBritain and in over 30 countries. Theseprojects receive no core-funding, and theFund therefore plays an essential role inproviding ongoing support for this work.If you would like to find out more aboutthe Field Conservation Fund, pleasecontact the Development Department on020 7449 6582 or fundraising@zsl.org.

Major Grants

The Institute of Zoology’s researchcontinues to be supported by the annualcore grant from HEFCE. In 2003, thisgrant of £1.85 million, paid to theInstitute via Cambridge University,contributed to the ongoing researchprogrammes and enabled developmentof new ones. It also provided support forresearch staff to apply for competitiveexternal research grants andstudentships.

Successful applications awarded during2003 included:

The Natural Environment ResearchCouncil (NERC) funded two new researchprojects. £51,207 was awarded to Dr JonBridle for a two-year period to fund hisproject entitled Genetic tests foradaptation at the expanding rangemargin of the British butterfly Ariciaagestis. An award of £193,192 was alsomade to Dr Andrew Cunningham and Dr Matthew Fisher for their work withImperial College on Ecological andgenetic determinants of Batrachochytriumdendrobatidis emergence in Europeanamphibian populations.

Darwin Initiative grants were awarded toDr Simon Goodman and Dr AndrewCunningham (£75,469) for Buildingcapacity and determining disease threatsto endemic Galápagos fauna, and Dr Richard Pettifor and Dr Raj Amin(£170,322) for Building capacity forconservation of a critically endangeredflagship species.

DEFRA contributed £72,000 to Dr AndrewBourke and Dr Bill Jordan for a five-yearproject entitled Genetic censuses ofbumble bee numbers at experimentallysown plots of wildflowers. DEFRA alsoawarded a three-year BBSRC LINK grant(£572,584) to Dr Bill Holt, for work onIncreasing the efficiency of artificial

26

Fundraising & Grants top: NERC funded a research project toinvestigate adaptation in response to climatechange in the brown argus butterfly (Aricia agestis).Rob Wilson

bottom: The Island of Santa Fé in theGalápagos Archipelago.ZSL

insemination: Improving sperm survivalby oviduct components, with twocommercial sponsors, Sheffield Universityand the Royal Veterinary College.

Scottish Natural Heritage awarded£107,306 to Dr Marcus Rowcliffe and Dr Richard Pettifor for their two-yearproject Review of the Scottish NationalGoose Policy Framework: modellingchanges in the Artic breeding goosepopulations that winter in Scotland.

English Nature extended its contributionto the funding for the Species RecoveryProgramme (£89,518) led by TonySainsbury.

The Rufford Foundation supported theIUCN Red List Programme andassociated scientific work (£50,000).

Grants awarded and donations to ZSL’sconservation programmes included:

The Community Fund contributed£116,461 to Project Seahorse (Dr HeatherHall) to support socio-economic researchand fisheries modelling in the Philippines.

The US Fish and Wildlife Serviceawarded $29,810 to support gorillamonitoring and habituation at theMikongo Conservation Centre, Gabon.

The Foreign and Commonweath Officecontributed £34,200 for tiger and leopardconservation work in conjunction with AMUR in the Russian Far East(Sarah Christie).

DEFRA awarded £30,000 to ZSL via theIUCN Cat Specialist Group, to supportthe work of 21st Century Tiger and otherZSL big cat projects (Sarah Christie).

UNESCO provided grants of Û 30,000 andÛ 10,000 to support the management ofGaramba and Virunga National Parks in

the Democratic Republic of Congo(Emmanuel de Merode).

DEFRA awarded two Darwin Initiativegrants, contributing £40,459 as a firstinstalment of a grant over three yearsworth £187,921 to support conservationtraining in Mongolia (Dr Kate Oddie).

The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trustdonated £10,000 to the Cabo DelgadoBiodiversity and Tourism Project,Mozambique (Dr Julie Garnier).

The Direction de l'Environnement,French Polynesia, contributed £17,581 asa first instalment of a grant worth c. £50,000 over 3 years, to conservationof endemic tree snails in the SocietyIslands (Dr Trevor Coote).

The European Union contributed £58,781to the Pan-African project for the Controlof Epizootics (PACE, Dr Richard Kock).

The National Commission for WildlifeConservation and Development, SaudiArabia, contributed £123,726 for themanagement of the King Khalid WildlifeResearch Centre (Dr Iyad Nader).

Grants were also received from:

Mrs Ann and Mr Bill ElfersBosack and KrugerThe Tufton Charitable TrustAnglo American plcThe Marshgate Charitable TrustThe Kadoorie Charitable FoundationUSAID.

27

dfsd

28

this page: Edward Lear’s vitoe.ZSL

opposite page top: Mark Catesby’sCarolina Parrakeet.ZSL

opposite page bottom: Testaceautriusque Siciliae, eorumque historia et anatome by Poli.ZSL

Over 700 books and 4,400 serial issueshave been added to our collections;many of these were received through thegenerosity of members. Each monthLibrary staff compile a list of approxi-mately 50 newly acquired books–this ise-mailed to staff and Fellows who requesta copy. The lists for 2003 have now beenmade available on the ZSL website.

New lighting has been installed on theLibrary Gallery. This has resulted inmuch-needed improvement to lightlevels in winter. New and emergencylighting has been installed in the Librarybasement and ground floor makingthese locations much safer. Increasedfire detection has also been installed.

The subject of the May Tuesday Talk wasBrian Houghton Hodgson, and some ofhis drawings and notes were displayedin the Library over a three-week period.Over 70 people visited the exhibition onthe day of the talk.

Some of the books illustrated by Edward Lear were displayed in the Foyerof the Meeting Rooms before the AGMso that Fellows had an opportunity tosee them and collect a leaflet aboutLibrary services.

An article in the Spring issue ofLifewatch magazine featured MarkCatesby’s The natural history of Carolina,Florida and Bahama Islands publishedbetween 1731 and 1743. We displayedthese volumes in the Reading Room fora three-week period; similarly theSummer issue featured the two volumesof Gleanings from the menagerie andaviary at Knowsley Hall, illustrated byEdward Lear and Benjamin WaterhouseHawkins. The Autumn/Winter issuefeatured Testacea utriusque Siciliae,eorumque historia et anatome by Poli,1797-1827. These displays provedpopular and attracted some members to the Library for the first time.

Interest in our archives has continued toincrease with a variety of researchersvisiting the Library, mainly to consult theDaily Occurrence books, the 19th centuryCouncil minutes, Minutes of Scientificmeetings, Minutes of the GardensCommittee, Zoo guides and the letterscollection. Again, there has been a steadystream of historical and genealogicalenquiries throughout the year.

The Deputy Librarian/Archivist, MichaelPalmer, received the Michael BrambellTravel Award. This enabled him to spendpart of September in New York at theLibrary of the Wildlife ConservationSociety at Bronx Zoo and visit otherlibraries in New York. He was also able to attend the meeting of zoo librarians at the American Zoos Associationconference in Columbus, Ohio.

To celebrate 150 years of the world’s firstaquarium, the Fish House at LondonZoo, there was a small display ofmaterial in the Library entrance lobbythroughout much of the year.

In celebration of Archives AwarenessMonth, we displayed a selection ofpostcards from European zoos. The cardswere collected by Stanley S Flower,probably between 1890 and 1910.

An article in the Autumn/Winter issue of Lifewatch magazine featured items inthe archives concerning Winnie, the bearused as a basis for A A Milne’s Winniethe Pooh.The items mentioned in thearticle were displayed in the Libraryduring November and December.

A number of special Behind the Scenestours were held for specialist groupsincluding the EOSi User Group and the Fisheries Management andFreshwater Group.

As always, we are extremely grateful toour Library volunteers for all their hard

work throughout the year; and toFellows, organisations and members ofthe public who have made donations to the Library.

29

The Library’s catalogue was made publicly accessible online over the web,greatly enhancing our services. It can be accessed from the Library page on theZSL website www.zsl.org or directly by using the URL https://library.zsl.org.The catalogue gives details of all our serial (journal) holdings and almost 13,000books. Details can be found for all the books added since 1991 and most bookspublished before 1860.

library

dfsd

Treasurer’s statement

ZSL recorded a consolidated surplus onoperations of £1.4 million and an overallsurplus, after profits on valuation ofinvestments, of £1.7 million afterexcluding the recovery of Value AddedTax (VAT) as noted below. Thesecompare with figures of £1.2 millionoperating surplus and overall surplus of£0.7 million in 2002. In terms of the normalactivity of ZSL this has been a less thansatisfactory year as, although ZSL hasachieved its budgeted surplus, it hasbeen with the advantage of the successin our VAT case but offset by disappointingvisitor numbers at London Zoo whichhave depressed the overall result.

Following the success of our claimagainst HM Customs & Excise, theseresults include the net benefit of our claim(including interest) going back to 1990for retention of VAT on admission income,which has increased the surplus in theyear by £10 million (net of professionalfees of £0.5 million). It is our intentionthat these funds will be used to contributeto improvements to our animal exhibits,the infrastructure of both sites andimprovements to maintenance which hassuffered from being under-funded overthe past ten years whilst we suffered VATon our income.

ZSL remains dependent on the two zoosfor the bulk of its income. In 2003,Whipsnade's visitor numbers reached445,000, slightly lower than last year;however, in contrast the visitor numbersat London Zoo were 815,000, 75,000lower than the preceding year. Incomefigures benefited from a further increasein Gift Aid recoveries and the retentionof the full admission income with no VATbeing payable to HM Customs & Excise.Gift Aid on day membership in 2003amounted to £849,000; this source ofincome will be lost if the Chancellor

cancels this allowance and will reduce ourability to improve and maintain our sites. Both the Institute of Zoology andConservation Programmes increasedtheir revenues with new grants in 2003,but these are effectively ringfenced.

There was increased expenditure in theyear compared to 2002. This covers suchitems as spending on maintenance,expenditure on staff and facilities toimprove the effectiveness of ZSL, andgeneral wage and inflation rises.

The total cash outflow of £3.7 million oncapital was largely spent on upgradingand refurbishment on both sites, butincluded restoration of the Mappin Cafébuilding, improved exhibits for otters,meerkats and sealions and the start ofwork for a new chimpanzee facility atWhipsnade. In addition we have installeda new EPOS system for retail, which hashelped in reducing stock levels andmargin improvements, and a new ticketingsystem which has reduced costs andincreased efficiency in Gift Aid recovery.

The severe loss on the valuation ofinvestments in 2002 in ZSL’s PensionFund has been partially reversed and thefund is still in a satisfactory position.However, in discussion with its PensionFund trustees, ZSL has agreed to furtherincrease its contributions to the Fund as a precautionary measure.

Trustees’ statementaccompanying the groupsummarised financialstatements

The group summarised financialstatements are not the statutoryaccounts but a summary of informationrelating to the Group Statement ofFinancial Activities, Group Statement ofCash Flows and the Group Balance

Sheet. The full Trustees’ report andfinancial statements, from which thesummarised financial statements arederived, have been externally examinedby Ernst & Young LLP and their auditreport on them is unqualified. The fullTrustees’ report and financial statementsand Ernst & Young LLP’s audit report on them were approved by the Trusteeson 20 April 2004. Ernst & Young LLPapproved and signed their audit reporton 21 April 2004. These will be submittedto the Charity Commission; copies canbe obtained from the Finance Director atThe Zoological Society of London,Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees on 21 April 2004

Paul Rutteman CBE, BSc (Econ), FCATreasurer

30

financialinformation

Summary Group Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2003

Incoming resources

Incoming resources from operating activities of the charity:Activities in furtherance of objectives:

Admission, membership and similar incomeRecovery of Value Added TaxPublication sales and similar incomeContract and fee incomeGrants

Activities for generating funds:Merchandising income and cateringFacility fee and rental incomeOther sales and fees

Donations, legacies and other incomeInterest and investment income

Total incoming resources

Resources expended

Cost of generating funds:Fundraising costsMerchandising and catering costs

Charitable expenditure:Cost of activities in furtherance of objects:

Animal collection costsScience and researchConservation programmes

Management and administration

Total resources expended

Operating surplus for the year

Gains/(losses) on investments

Surplus for the year

Total funds balance brought forward

Total funds balance carried forward

Summary Group Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 December 2003

Operating surplus for the year

Less: Recovery of Value Added Tax and related interest, net of professional feesAdd: Depreciation

Less: Purchase of tangible fixed assets (net of disposals)(Less)/Add: Purchase of fixed asset investments (net of disposals)

Changes in other assets and liabilities

Net cash (outflow)/inflow

Yearto 31.12.03

£000

13,1787,524

437656

3,629

4,213344836 529

2,874

34,220

1102,986

14,1014,0551,249

307

22,808

11,412

312

11,724

23,797

35,521

Yearto 31.12.03

£000

11,412

(9,995)1,5182,935

(3,714)(128)(907)

750

(157)

Yearto 31.12.02

£000

11,306–

363820

2,983

4,433199478326400

21,308

792,988

12,3753,555

758327

20,082

1,226

(536)

690

23,107

23,797

Yearto 31.12.02

£000

1,226

–1,2852,511

(1,993)62

580

(22)

558

131

Group Summarised Financial Statements

Summary Group Balance Sheet at 31 December 2003

Fixed assetsTangible assetsInvestments

Current assetsStocksDebtorsCash at bank and in hand

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Net current assets

Total assets less current liabilities

Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year

Net assets

FundsUnrestricted – General

– DesignatedRestricted – Endowments

– Other

Total funds

31.12.03£000

15,3993,074

18,473

34612,245

7,87820,469

(3,421)

17,048

35,521

–

35,521

28,9602,900

8872,774

35,521

Independent Auditors’ Statement to the Trustees of the Zoological Society of London

We have examined the group’s summarised financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2003 which comprise the Summary Group Statement of Financial Activities, Summary Group Statement of Cash Flows and the Summary Group Balance Sheet.

This report is made solely to the Trustees. To the fullest extent required by the law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Trustees, for our work, for this report, or for theopinions we have formed.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and auditorsThe trustees are responsible as trustees for the preparation of the summarised financial statements. We have agreed to report to you our opinion on the summarised statements’ consistency with the full financial statements, which were approved by the trustees on 20 April 2004 and on which wesigned our audit report on 21 April 2004.

Basis of opinionWe have carried out the procedures we consider necessary to ascertain whether the summarisedfinancial statements are consistent with the full financial statements from which they have been prepared.

OpinionIn our opinion the summarised financial statements are consistent with the full financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2003.

Ernst & Young LLPRegistered AuditorLondon

28 April 2004

32

Group Summarised Financial Statements (continued)

31.12.02£000

13,3542,634

15,988

4312,0998,035

10,565

(2,583)

7,982

23,970

(173)

23,797

17,8032,705

7792,510

23,797

ZSL PURSUES THIS MISSION BY: 1 KEEPING AND PRESENTING ANIMALS AT LONDON ZOO AND

WHIPSNADE WILD ANIMAL PARK IN ACCORDANCE WITH BEST PRACTICE; 2 GIVING PRIORITY TO

SPECIES THAT ARE THREATENED IN THE WILD; 3 INCREASING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF

ANIMALS AND THEIR WELFARE AND OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED IN THEIR CONSERVATION;

4 MAINTAINING AN OUTSTANDING EDUCATION AND INFORMATION PROGRAMME, PARTICULARLY

FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN AND FAMILIES; 5 UNDERTAKING FIELD CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES,

BOTH IN BRITAIN AND ABROAD; 6 DEVELOPING ITS ROLE AS A LEADING CENTRE FOR RESEARCH

AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND ANIMAL WELFARE; 7 FULFILLING ITS ROLE AS A LEARNED

SOCIETY AND FORCE FOR ZOOLOGY AND ANIMAL CONSERVATION THROUGH PUBLICATIONS,

SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS, LECTURES, THE AWARD OF PRIZES FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AND

THE PROMOTION OF CONSERVATION POLICY.

ZSL MISSION: To achieve and promote theworldwide conservationof animals and theirhabitats

1 President’s foreword

2 Worldwide Network

3 the zoological society of london

4 Review of the Year

7 Awards & Honours

9 Conservation & Science

16 Education & Information

21 The Zoos at Work

25 Fundraising & Grants

29 Library

30 Financial Information

The Zoological Society ofLondon(Registered Charity no. 208728)

Regent’s Park

London NW1 4RY

and at

Whipsnade Wild Animal Park

Dunstable

Bedfordshire LU6 2LF

Copyright © 2004

Review Editor Ian MeyrickAssistant Editor Diane Bratby

We extend our thanks to staff, colleaguesand other organisations for the use ofphotographs in this Review.

Design newlevel.co.uk

Print Perivan London. Printed onChromomat Club which is chlorine free,acid-free, bio-degradable andmanufactured from sustainable sources.

All rights are reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system or transmitted, in anyform or by any means, electronic,photocopying, recording or otherwisewithout prior permission of the publisher.

Directors

Director General Dr Michael Dixon

(until 10 May 2004)

Commercial Director Brian Oldman

Conservation Programmes Director

Dr Glyn Davies

Finance Director Michael Bird

Human Resources Director Ian Meyrick

Director of Science, Institute of Zoology

Professor Georgina Mace

Zoological Director Chris West

further information

Director General’s Office 020 7449 6207

Membership Department 020 7449 6261

Conservation Programmes 020 7449 6304

Fundraising Office 020 7449 6582

Institute of Zoology 020 7449 6601

Library 020 7449 6293

London Zoo 020 7722 3333

Whipsnade Wild Animal Park 01582 872171

www.zsl.org

front cover: Plans were approved todevelop a major new Komodo dragonexhibit at London Zoo for opening in2004. This picture was taken at Regent’sPark in the 1920s.ZSL

this page: Plaque from the old LionHouse displayed on the Lion Terraces.

Th

e Zo

olo

gical S

ociety o

f Lon

do

n A

nn

ual R

eview 2003

Annual Review 2003

The Zoological Society of LondonRegent’s ParkLondon NW1 4RY

Whipsnade Wild Animal Park DunstableBedfordshire LU6 2LF

www.zsl.org