1 May 2026
A senior charity vet has urged bosses to rethink their approach as the body which runs the zoo celebrates a major landmark.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Artist impression of proposed vet gallery at London Zoo.
A multi-million-pound plan to allow visitors to watch live veterinary procedures in a new London Zoo facility has been criticised as an attempt to “monetise public curiosity”.
A prominent conservation group has also questioned whether the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) vision remains fit for purpose as it celebrates its bicentenary.
But ZSL bosses described the scheme, which is being funded by a record £20 million donation, as “momentous” and claimed it would expand its existing training programmes.
The gallery proposal, which officials say would be the first of its kind at a UK veterinary hospital, was outlined as the ZSL marked its 200th anniversary on 29 April.
The facility is intended to be part of a new centre that would integrate teaching, clinical care and wildlife disease research.
But Born Free head of policy Mark Jones said the anniversary should be the basis of broader reflection on whether the society’s mission remained fit for purpose.
He argued the growth of knowledge around animal sentience meant there was a need to “seriously question” the value and ethics of keeping animals in captivity, suggesting that zoo-based veterinary training typically focused on maintaining animals in those settings.
He added: “The £20 million that ZSL has been bequeathed could do so much to help protect and conserve wildlife in the wild, where it belongs, rather than on a facility dedicated to maintaining wild animals in captivity.
“As for the idea of opening up such a facility to the public, this feels more like an effort to monetise public curiosity than to benefit wildlife.
“We urge ZSL to rethink its practice of maintaining animals in captive environments often far from their native habitats and in conditions to which most are wholly unsuited.”
But ZSL chief executive Kathryn England claimed the group’s history meant it was “uniquely positioned” to deliver the new vision.
She said: “We established the foundations of modern zoo veterinary care, have advanced conservation science on a global scale and been at the vanguard of public engagement with wildlife.
“Our history has shaped how wildlife is studied, treated and protected. Now, that legacy becomes a platform for action.”
Head of wildlife health services Amanda Guthrie added: “This is a truly momentous way to mark ZSL’s 200th anniversary, and as an organisation founded with a mission to better understand wildlife, this is an extraordinary recognition of that work.
“I’m personally so excited that visitors will be able to see this work happening, building on the enormous efforts we already make to inspire the next generation of conservationists.”
But Dr Jones, who himself trained at the society’s Institute of Zoology, claimed the society’s conservation research and field work was “sadly undermined” by the number of animals being kept in its zoos.