Some fantastic photos here of Regent's Park's colony of Zoo-originated wild Aesculapian Snakes. Aesculapian Snakes in London
ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2020
- Thread starter aquilla1
- Start date
Have you any evidence for this statement?
I don't think making unsubstantiated claims like this is helpful in the current circumstances.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
I not defending how the money from the government was spent but accusing the ZSL of squandering it on flash cars for the management is, I'm sure, inaccurate and unfair.
Gigit
Well-Known Member
An article describing how the keepers and animals are coping with the zoo's closure:
Oh, how we miss our human zoo! Spare a thought for the animals who are missing their visitors | Daily Mail Online
Oh, how we miss our human zoo! Spare a thought for the animals who are missing their visitors | Daily Mail Online
Not sure if I’m over-thinking too much into this but, having just received the latest Fellows news, the ZSL fundraising director is now asking for “critical support” to aid the Society and the collections.
I guess it makes better copy to overstate things, but its common knowledge that finances before this wasn't great and like all Zoos they are missing a key period of trade and at risk of a reduced summer peak. London Zoo may struggle with enabling social distancing plus restricted travel where most people rely on tube/bus to get there, much limited car parking space already due to HS2, and if indoor areas are closed as they trialled prior to close, it creates a limited visitor experience. Whipsnade on the other hand will fare better.
The furlough scheme is helping them keep down staff costs for those not in keeper or animal related roles. But maybe long term it will help them look at what they spend, I mean they spend almost £1m a year on just 7 directors/heads of departments (source: annual report on website).
I just wonder how they can spend this much money on just 7 people? any details please?
Its in the annual report on the website, they break down the pay bands and number of people in each band for anyone over £60k a year (to which there are 41 people above that) and provide the following about management level.
But given in previous year 2017/18 the max pay band was £120k but in 2018/2019 3 people earned above that, in a year where ZSL had a deficit of £5m.
Now I like ZSL and especially London Zoo and it will be the first Zoo I will visit once we are allowed out, but they could be so much better. Right now when all they have to promote there message is social media, they could be doing so much more than odd short 2-3 minute videos, often with the same cheesy presentation of there in-Zoo talks. Chester Zoo is putting them to shame with what they are doing online during this period.
Thanks for your input, I use to like the zoo many years ago and had visited many times but they way things are now I would never visit its fallen way behind other zoos not just world wide but even within the UK I just wonder how much this is due to the culture there?
Whilst these amounts of money may seem absurd to most of us it's important to remember that ZSL may find themselves having to pay the market rate for these positions to fill the posts (it's human nature to earn as much as you can, to some extent, from your skill set -especially in London where living costs are expensive). Also remember that the government will receive over half of any amounts paid exceeding £50,000 in tax (I don't necessarily have a problem with this but it helps put matters in perspective).
That said, whilst it might be reasonable to pay these amounts ZSL should expect a reasonable job to be done in return, that is a completely different argument I'd be happy to join in throwing rocks at.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Yikes....That is a lot of money , do you know why so much was spent ?ZSL certainly hasn’t helped itself in the last few years, but one could argue that Chester’s been doing this generally for over 30 years now!
I recognise the issues with London weighting, but as an individual I cannot condone the current management structure at ZSL nor the renumerations handed down (and that was even before we ended up in Corona-bedland Badlands).
Admittedly, ZSL is more than a zoo ... it is a globally operating conservation agency. Even there and then, knowing what field staff or the auxiliaries and local conservation staff are paid, I come back to renumeration and basic pay for staff. It has to change and the management at ZSL would do well to look at their own pay-packets first when asking for donations from the general public.
And I am not even beginning to talk of staff furloughed or laid off to keep ZSL drifting afloat financially.
BTW: Mind you this is all coming from an erstwhile Fellow of ZSL. I love)d) London Zoo - Regent's Park and Whipsnade and the conservation work they did and do, but something really has to change at the core.
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Well said I do agree!
I agree you need to pay the market rates to get people with set skill levels and anyone who has visited either London or Whipsnade in the last couple of years will have an opinion if they do have the right people in director roles which deal with Zoo management and engagement. That said to see the max pay band from £120k (which is a good wage!) increase to having 3 people over that and the highest paid in the £210k pay band (in lieu of pension or not, its still a cost) in a year with such deficit is unfortunate.
The current situation is a real test to see if they have the best people for the job based on the way they manage it. But this does highlight that smaller or leaner and more "agile" originations and Zoos may get through period of closure and reduced visitors numbers easier (although still a testing time for any Zoo and not to suggest smaller Zoos will find it easy)
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
When comparisons are made between last year and this year they will be able to show a massive difference, so if this is used as a criteria for 'severe financial stress' it will be interesting to see if they receive a disproportionate share of the announced 'zoo fund' when or if it is distributed.
Dear Andrew, I do feel that cost-cutting wise management needs to take a pay "dip" - they can and will be able to afford it - (it is not nearly like your own renumeration at present) as a gesture to staff and the general public. Having saved substantially on that, they might have a point in asking for donations or "severe financial stress" and not before this has come to pass.
On the current evidence, I think the "severe financial stress" packages are best donned out to zoos with less leverage like your own. Amazonia in Scotland is a case in point where already the Government and authorities have lacked leadership and decisive action on behalf of civil society.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
It will be a very difficult balance for them (the Government and its bureaucrats) to make, and their problem will be to deal with such a huge range of organisations and situations fairly and without obvious or other discrimination. Every 'zoo' is so different from ALL others.