ZSL London Zoo Children at London Zoo

[Joker22Hero]

Moderator note: topic slit from this thread: ZSL London Zoo News 2025 [ZSL London Zoo]


Nice the visitor numbers and income are continuing to grow.
Quite interesting stat, as much as we might not like it:
Families of primary-school-age children make up
74% of all London Zoo visitors.


Bit sad there is no new development for the bicentennial but I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything.

 

[Mugcake]

Quite interesting stat, as much as we might not like it:
Families of primary-school-age children make up
74% of all London Zoo visitors.

I really don’t understand people who are unhappy with a majority of visitors being kids/families with kids, as it’s a bit of a hypocritical view.

Almost everyone here got their formative memories at London Zoo (and other zoos) from visits with school, or with their parents. Even back in the Victorian period, when a good chunk of guests were promenading gentlemen and ladies, children were still very frequent visitors to the gardens.

Zoos will always be especially popular with children, even moreso than museums (although dinosaurs will always ensure they retain 2nd place). That statistic is really nothing but good news for ZSL, and it’s why they focus so much on activities for kids/families.

 

[Daubentoniidae]

Never fun to try and navigate school groups and young kids which ZSL is quite prone to, but it's good that more children are being engaged with nature and conservation definitely.

 

[Joker22Hero]

I really don’t understand people who are unhappy with a majority of visitors being kids/families with kids, as it’s a bit of a hypocritical view.

Almost everyone here got their formative memories at London Zoo (and other zoos) from visits with school, or with their parents. Even back in the Victorian period, when a good chunk of guests were promenading gentlemen and ladies, children were still very frequent visitors to the gardens.

Zoos will always be especially popular with children, even moreso than museums (although dinosaurs will always ensure they retain 2nd place). That statistic is really nothing but good news for ZSL, and it’s why they focus so much on activities for kids/families.

I think both can be true. On a wider scale, I agree going to the zoo as a kid is a really formative experience and it’s great they can attract this market! Still personally, Zoo Nights was one of my favourite zoo experiences, so wonderfully quiet and relaxing.

 

[JoB198]

I think both can be true. On a wider scale, I agree going to the zoo as a kid is a really formative experience and it’s great they can attract this market! Still personally, Zoo Nights was one of my favourite zoo experiences, so wonderfully quiet and relaxing.

I went to Zoo Nights once, years ago, and it wasn't as nice an experience as when I went in the day. Lots of semi-tipsy adults shouting and it was RAMMED. Maybe they've limited tickets a bit more now.

 

[sidcup]

Behaviour at zoos like the rest of society is getting worse. While i agree on a weekday school kids may get an education out of being there . at weekends its totally different. Kids run riot cause all they want do do is go to the playground bit. ,parents rather talk to their friends rather than control the kids who constantly bang on windows and run pass encloseures disturbing animals. Its time for all zoos to ban under 16.s from zoos for 1 day a week during term time with dates listed. It shouldnt be hard to implement as the little darlings should be at school anyway. As for zoo nights at london zoo. The one i went too was just full of pissed up hooray henrys and. Posh totty who wanted to get drunk. I pity the staff who manage this. I wont b going again.

 

[Burribro]

Behaviour at zoos like the rest of society is getting worse. While i agree on a weekday school kids may get an education out of being there . at weekends its totally different. Kids run riot cause all they want do do is go to the playground bit. ,parents rather talk to their friends rather than control the kids who constantly bang on windows and run pass encloseures disturbing animals. Its time for all zoos to ban under 16.s from zoos for 1 day a week during term time with dates listed. It shouldnt be hard to implement as the little darlings should be at school anyway. As for zoo nights at london zoo. The one i went too was just full of pissed up hooray henrys and. Posh totty who wanted to get drunk. I pity the staff who manage this. I wont b going again.

Sorry is this satire or?

By all means, I think Zoos should kick out those who are causing disruption but the broadness of all kids are terrible because they want to just go in the playarea is rude and insulting, frankly.

 

[Mugcake]

Sorry is this satire or?

By all means, I think Zoos should kick out those who are causing disruption but the broadness of all kids are terrible because they want to just go in the playarea is rude and insulting, frankly.

Yeah I didn’t want to say anything (I’m an introvert), but that guy’s comment was like Alan Partridge levels of snobbish

To suggest that the zoo should just flat out ban under-16s, for any regular opening day, is baffling. Kids can literally be the driving force for a family to visit the zoo, they’re increasingly likely to request food or toys from the gift shop than adults (which is fair given their concept of money isn’t fully rounded, or at least mine wasn’t when I was a kid), and overall they are one of the key things keeping zoos across the world afloat.

I’m not blaming him for feeling overwhelmed by kids, but if you visit off-season (or on weekdays like he suggested), it’s not going to be rammed with children. Plus, modern Zoo Nights are better regulated than they were in the 2010s, so his comments on those are quite a bit out of date :/

I think the line “like the rest of society” is telling that Sid is the kind of person who’s cynical of anything that isn’t “the good old days”, and I don’t think any level of change would fully satisfy him :T

Also @evilmonkey239 and @JonWild I’d be curious to hear your takes on it. You both liked the comment, but obviously it’d be wrong for us to assume you 100% agree with him.

 

[Kalaw]

Kids run riot cause all they want do do is go to the playground bit

Surely this is a good thing as it means you can just avoid playgrounds and you'd avoid the kids which you seem to find so infuriating?

I have to say my experience is very different to yours and I don't feel that behaviour at zoos is getting any worse. Though I'm too young to have witnessed it with my own eyes, looking back at videos of guests throwing cigarettes and coins at animals to try and spur some activity makes me reflect on how positive the trend in guest behaviour at zoos has largely been. It seems to me that the zoos have done very good jobs at staffing and monitoring exhibits where animals may be at risk of being pestered, such as walkthroughs, and copiously signposting the fact that animals should not be fed or pestered. There will of course be people who disobey this, and that is exasperating, but I don't believe it is any more or less common among children than it is adults. The solution is to continue the good work which has already been done by volunteers, staff and signage to discourage this, not to kick out children once a week!

Not to state the obvious, but children are enormously diverse. I think I speak for 75% of ZooChat in saying that childhood visits to the zoo are the reason we have such an admiration for the animal kingdom and the institutions which present it to us today. Indeed, the minimum age to join this forum is 13, so we can see first-hand that many under-16s have an enormous interest and passion for zoos. For every child who bangs on the glass, screams at their parents and uses flash photography in the aquarium there will also be one who is very respectful of animal's privacy and gets excited by seeing new animals. I often visit the zoo with extended family which includes my three younger (under-10) cousins, and watching them find fascination and joy in the animals which I found the same emotions in at their age is so heartwarming.

I could go on all day about why children are important to zoos, and more broadly why generalising kids is ridiculous, but I'll leave it at that.

 

[JonWild]

Yeah I didn’t want to say anything (I’m an introvert), but that guy’s comment was like Alan Partridge levels of snobbish

To suggest that the zoo should just flat out ban under-16s, for any regular opening day, is baffling. Kids can literally be the driving force for a family to visit the zoo, they’re increasingly likely to request food or toys from the gift shop than adults (which is fair given their concept of money isn’t fully rounded, or at least mine wasn’t when I was a kid), and overall they are one of the key things keeping zoos across the world afloat.

I’m not blaming him for feeling overwhelmed by kids, but if you visit off-season (or on weekdays like he suggested), it’s not going to be rammed with children. Plus, modern Zoo Nights are better regulated than they were in the 2010s, so his comments on those are quite a bit out of date :/

I think the line “like the rest of society” is telling that Sid is the kind of person who’s cynical of anything that isn’t “the good old days”, and I don’t think any level of change would fully satisfy him :T

Also @evilmonkey239 and @JonWild I’d be curious to hear your takes on it. You both liked the comment, but obviously it’d be wrong for us to assume you 100% agree with him.

I did agree to it with it to some extent, as Burribro said about kicking people out of the zoo that are a terrible nuisance, but I believe that children will be children as they should be and allowed to play on the play areas that are specifically made for them! I understand the thought process behind it as sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. If possible it would be alright for some zoos, such as Chester and London, to have quieter days throughout summer holidays and not allow as many visitors in as they would usually do as I do sometimes visit with a friend of mine who’s relative has special needs and therefore gets overwhelmed with so many people around the zoo, so possibly something like that could work for Individuals with special needs but the user completely lost me when he started talking about how children go running straight to the play areas which, as I said before, and specifically made towards young children.

 

[DCzootripper]

I did agree to it with it to some extent, as Burribro said about kicking people out of the zoo that are a terrible nuisance, but I believe that children will be children as they should be and allowed to play on the play areas that are specifically made for them! I understand the thought process behind it as sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. If possible it would be alright for some zoos, such as Chester and London, to have quieter days throughout summer holidays and not allow as many visitors in as they would usually do as I do sometimes visit with a friend of mine who’s relative has special needs and therefore gets overwhelmed with so many people around the zoo, so possibly something like that could work for Individuals with special needs but the user completely lost me when he started talking about how children go running straight to the play areas which, as I said before, and specifically made towards young children.

In my opinion, they shouldn't do it, but if they decided to it should be that children under the age of say 11 are not allowed in the Zoo at this time period, say pre 12 o-clock, or 2 hours before the zoo fully shuts, other than in events like Christmas or Halloween.

 

[JonWild]

In my opinion, they shouldn't do it, but if they decided to it should be that children under the age of say 11 are not allowed in the Zoo at this time period, say pre 12 o-clock, or 2 hours before the zoo fully shuts, other than in events like Christmas or Halloween.

The 2 hours before zoo closing sounds like a decent idea or even possibly visitor number are reduced from when the zoos open till around 11:30 or something like that so people who have mental health issues such as social anxiety or individuals with special needs can enjoy a decent visit at the zoo without getting stressed or overwhelmed with the large number zoo’s attract during summer holidays.

 

[Mugcake]

I do sometimes visit with a friend of mine who’s relative has special needs and therefore gets overwhelmed with so many people around the zoo, so possibly something like that could work for Individuals with special needs

The 2 hours before zoo closing sounds like a decent idea or even possibly visitor number are reduced from when the zoos open till around 11:30 or something like that so people who have mental health issues such as social anxiety or individuals with special needs can enjoy a decent visit at the zoo without getting stressed or overwhelmed with the large number zoo’s attract during summer holidays.

Actually, London Zoo currently has a scheme like this running already. It’s called Relaxed Tours and runs for about two hours (with 75 minute tours each) prior to the zoo opening (or after it’s shut).

It’s for exactly those people that you mentioned, and is done when the zoo is otherwise entirely empty. It doesn’t say whether you can then stay for the day once the zoo opens, but if that’s the case then it would be the perfect solution for your friend

Even if it isn’t, it is showing some consideration towards it. And if the visit is on an off-peak day, coming at 10 in the morning or thereabouts would also have a low footfall, so it is possible to have a similar experience outside of these tours if you plan ahead.

 

[Kalaw]

In my opinion, they shouldn't do it, but if they decided to it should be that children under the age of say 11 are not allowed in the Zoo at this time period, say pre 12 o-clock, or 2 hours before the zoo fully shuts, other than in events like Christmas or Halloween.

Pre 12 o-clock could work (though still doesn't quite sit right with me, as I know full well that when I was younger I'd pester my family to get to the zoo as early as we could ), but not 2 hours before closing. It can be difficult getting out of the house with children so many large family groups won't exactly have much time to see the zoo if they're being kicked out at 15:00. I imagine we can all agree that for most UK zoos opening hours are short enough as it is, so shortening them further for certain groups seems harsh. Not to mention it would be ridiculous to send staff parading around the zoo in mid-afternoon checking the age of every kid they pass and evicting their families if they're under 11.

In general, I think anything anti-children in zoos would be a bit upsetting, as zoos are supposed to come across as welcoming for the whole family. Zoo nights, with late hours and alcohol involved, are a different affair, but anything during the zoo's normal opening hours that antagonises and excludes children seems to me very much against the wholesome, family-friendly feel of zoos. This isn't a very scientific remark, more a sentimental one influenced by my young age, not too long ago being in this under-16 bracket myself, and the fact that I have younger cousins and siblings who I still visit with to this day. But I just feel it's 'against the spirit of the game' to do anything too anti-child.

 

[JVM]

It's always worth pointing out on ZooChat that sometimes there is just an unfortunately rowdy crowd on a given day and this isn't always indicative of an overall negative trend.

 

[Lafone]

Pre 12 o-clock could work (though still doesn't quite sit right with me, as I know full well that when I was younger I'd pester my family to get to the zoo as early as we could ), but not 2 hours before closing. It can be difficult getting out of the house with children so many large family groups won't exactly have much time to see the zoo if they're being kicked out at 15:00. I imagine we can all agree that for most UK zoos opening hours are short enough as it is, so shortening them further for certain groups seems harsh. Not to mention it would be ridiculous to send staff parading around the zoo in mid-afternoon checking the age of every kid they pass and evicting their families if they're under 11.

In general, I think anything anti-children in zoos would be a bit upsetting, as zoos are supposed to come across as welcoming for the whole family. Zoo nights, with late hours and alcohol involved, are a different affair, but anything during the zoo's normal opening hours that antagonises and excludes children seems to me very much against the wholesome, family-friendly feel of zoos. This isn't a very scientific remark, more a sentimental one influenced by my young age, not too long ago being in this under-16 bracket myself, and the fact that I have younger cousins and siblings who I still visit with to this day. But I just feel it's 'against the spirit of the game' to do anything too anti-child.

I agree and I don't think you need to be 'young' to do so.

It's as important to inspire and educate and create a sense of wonder in the next generation as it is for any of us adults to have a great day out.

For every stupidly behaved child there is another who will think differently about the planet, or conservation or wildlife because the zoo made them welcome. Plus every badly behaved kid is actually a direct product of a terrible adult so to actually deal with the potential problem you'd have to ban everyone.

Most of the time if you want some quiet time at the zoo you can go midweek, or arrive at opening, leave at closing in my experience and if you come across anyone annoying most zoos are large enough to walk away.

I reflect on the harm we've done to the planet and the peril we have put it in. If zoos and their message help younger folk think differently about how we act moving forwards, I'd want more of them there, not less.

 

[evilmonkey239]

Yeah I didn’t want to say anything (I’m an introvert), but that guy’s comment was like Alan Partridge levels of snobbish

To suggest that the zoo should just flat out ban under-16s, for any regular opening day, is baffling. Kids can literally be the driving force for a family to visit the zoo, they’re increasingly likely to request food or toys from the gift shop than adults (which is fair given their concept of money isn’t fully rounded, or at least mine wasn’t when I was a kid), and overall they are one of the key things keeping zoos across the world afloat.

I’m not blaming him for feeling overwhelmed by kids, but if you visit off-season (or on weekdays like he suggested), it’s not going to be rammed with children. Plus, modern Zoo Nights are better regulated than they were in the 2010s, so his comments on those are quite a bit out of date :/

I think the line “like the rest of society” is telling that Sid is the kind of person who’s cynical of anything that isn’t “the good old days”, and I don’t think any level of change would fully satisfy him :T

Also @evilmonkey239 and @JonWild I’d be curious to hear your takes on it. You both liked the comment, but obviously it’d be wrong for us to assume you 100% agree with him.

I guess I don’t fully agree that zoos should ban everyone under 16 one day a week from visiting. I don’t necessarily agree with everything in the post word-for-word, but I liked it because I agree with the general sentiment that people are too often obnoxious in public spaces and especially in the modern age of social media, parents often don’t watch over their kids as carefully as they should. However, I will also acknowledge that families with kids are a very important source of revenue for zoos and so taking steps to greatly limit their ability to visit them would probably not be a very practical decision.

 

[JonWild]

The 2 hours before zoo closing sounds like a decent idea or even possibly visitor number are reduced from when the zoos open till around 11:30 or something like that so people who have mental health issues such as social anxiety or individuals with special needs can enjoy a decent visit at the zoo without getting stressed or overwhelmed with the large number zoo’s attract during summer holidays.

Actually, London Zoo currently has a scheme like this running already. It’s called Relaxed Tours and runs for about two hours (with 75 minute tours each) prior to the zoo opening (or after it’s shut).

It’s for exactly those people that you mentioned, and is done when the zoo is otherwise entirely empty. It doesn’t say whether you can then stay for the day once the zoo opens, but if that’s the case then it would be the perfect solution for your friend

Even if it isn’t, it is showing some consideration towards it. And if the visit is on an off-peak day, coming at 10 in the morning or thereabouts would also have a low footfall, so it is possible to have a similar experience outside of these tours if you plan ahead.

Thank you for the info, never knew London did anything like this! I’ll make sure to inform him and it’s nice to see a popular zoo like London do something like this.

 

[Mugcake]

This thread and the London Zoo and Whipsnade membership and attendances thread are responses to this post regarding the ZSL Annual Report, which contains all the additional context:

This year’s ZSL Annual Report just dropped, which can be found here: https://cms.zsl.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/ZSL Annual Report 2024-25 (1).pdf

In terms of the zoo’s future it doesn’t reveal much (except of course the ongoing Gorilla Kingdom expansion), but it does suggest they’re focusing specifically on making new zoo buildings more energy-efficient and sustainable

 

[SHAVINGTONZOO]

Behaviour at zoos like the rest of society is getting worse.

Having visited zoos for over 60 years my experience is that the behaviour of visitors is far, far better now than it was in the 60s and 70s.