ZSL opens a new £20m wildlife health centre at London Zoo funded by the biggest donation in its 200-year history. The anonymous donation enables public viewing of animal health procedures including penguin check-ups, frog X-rays and marine mammal autopsies. The facility will monitor wild animal diseases and support conservation work.
London Zoo has received a £20 million anonymous donation to build a new Wildlife Health Centre featuring a public viewing gallery where visitors can watch live veterinary procedures. The facility, the zoo's largest ever gift, opens as the Zoological Society of London celebrates its 200th anniversary. The centre will study disease transmission between species and serve as a global training hub, though critics including the Born Free Foundation question whether it addresses fundamental ethical concerns about keeping animals in captivity.
London Zoo's new Wildlife Health Centre, funded by a record £20m anonymous donation, will allow visitors to watch live veterinary procedures including penguin health checks, ultrasounds on pregnant aardvarks, and porpoise post-mortems. The facility, opening during ZSL's 200th anniversary, aims to demonstrate conservation value while training wildlife vets and studying disease transmission between species.
