As a charity, we at ZSL rely on donations to help us to care for our animals and continue our vital conservation work, driven by science, in our two Zoos and around the world.
Your generous donations help us to restore wildlife by...
- Protecting critical species: From lab to field, hands on and behind the scenes, we deliver innovative science-driven conservation identifying species most at risk and creating practical routes to recovery.
- Restoring ecosystems: We deepen understanding and knowledge of the natural world through scientific research, acting now to reduce disease and decline while empowering a healthier future for wildlife, people and the planet.
- Helping people and wildlife live together: Collaborating with communities big and small, on the ground and around the world, to help people and wildlife live better together.
- Inspiring support for nature: Bringing people closer to nature, inspiring love and care for wildlife at all levels and growing a movement of conservationists
See how your donations make a difference
Exclusive videos and stories from our wildlife experts.
How we spend your money
Every pound makes a difference - we are very careful about how we spend money to ensure the best possible outcome for wildlife. A full breakdown of how we spent our income in 2021/22 is shown below.
This means that for every pound donated, ZSL spent:
- 54p on our Zoo animals collection and conservation
- 25p on conservation field programmes, science and research
- 19p on trading costs of goods sold and other costs
- 2p on the cost of generating voluntary income
Why you should add a donation when you book a ticket for London or Whipsnade Zoo
When you buy a ticket to visit our Zoos, you have the chance to add an optional donation to your ticket when you check out. These donations make a huge difference to our conservation efforts, to prevent the extinction of wildlife and care for the 30,000 animals in our Zoos, many of them endangered in the wild.
When you add a donation to your ticket, Gift Aid can be claimed on top of every pound that you spend with us. Gift Aid allows charities like us to reclaim tax from the government on donations. This means that ZSL can claim an additional 25p for every £1 you spend, at no extra cost to you.
Further information
You can find detailed information on what we do and how we spend our money in our annual report and accounts.