ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2025

[DesertRhino150]

The treeshrew is meant to be leaving and potentially already has, not that anyone ever saw her when she was there anyway. Interesting about the sloth, it's usually the saki girls shaking the tree around Marilyn so it's strange to hear the opposite. Did you see whether it was her or Leander in the tree?

Although it is not a good thing when a species leaves, in the case of the treeshrew I think it is definitely for the best. Hopefully it will give the opportunity to replace it with something that will be more visible and actually use the space.

I don't know which sloth it was, but it was definitely the sloth doing the shaking (in response to the sakis approaching it) - it would rock backward and then lurch forward very strongly. It also lunged a couple of times with one of its arms when one of the sakis got too close.

He was removed a few months ago, currently offshow. Over the winter, one of the armadillos is being added to Rainforest Life as the shows stop (and hopefully to deal with the mouse problem) but I think it's one of the big hairy

Good to hear there is some plan to deal with the mice - at one point, I was able to see about a dozen in one corner of the rainforest.

Really interesting about the sloth behaviour. Also do you have any pictures of the new sengi and/or their enclosure?

I got a couple of record shots of the sengis (too blurry to post here) and didn't get any enclosure shots. The middle enclosure has a large log placed right across the floor that obscures the view of the back, while the right-side smaller enclosure has a mound of woodchip that likewise provides a place where the sengi can get off-show. I don't know if the leftmost of those three enclosures is also for the sengis, as the stand-off barrier was much further away. All three enclosures have had plants added, as far as I can remember.

 

[cerperal]

I don't know if the leftmost of those three enclosures is also for the sengis, as the stand-off barrier was much further away. All three enclosures have had plants added, as far as I can remember.

Unless they've already been mixed, the leftmost enclosure is where the male lives with the female having access to the other two. There's a layer of mesh that separates them meaning they can still communicate and smell each other without directly interacting.

Although it is not a good thing when a species leaves, in the case of the treeshrew I think it is definitely for the best. Hopefully it will give the opportunity to replace it with something that will be more visible and actually use the space.

I was told they will definitely have a new species in there eventually, but I wasn't given a timeframe nor a species name - it felt to me like they had something in mind but didn't want to give it away, perhaps because it's still just an idea. I do agree though, although it was a flawed idea from the start to put a decidedly diurnal species in a nocturnal setting. As for the sloth, I've seen Leander especially give the monkeys a whack before (although usually it's the ever-annoying titis). I would guess maybe the sloths just had enough of the saki's antics but that's really interesting behaviour - I suppose with the new baby the girls are feeling a little left out and a tad crowded

 

[Monkeyboy]

Oh, I thought London Zoo was the last place to practise total Free Contact? It’s what might have led to the death of James “Jim” Robson, since he and the other keeper were literally trying to integrate themselves as part of the herd (and walked about freely in their enclosure).

It’s also possible the fact elephants are Matriarchal by nature causes issues when it’s men attempting to lead them, and really I’m surprised they haven’t tried employing more women to be elephant keepers :/

There have been plenty of female elephant keepers. Some good, some bad. Just like men. Why would it make a difference to the elephants? They know they aren't people and that people aren't elephants. Same as a dog or horse

 

[Al]

Has anyone seen the rufous and black sengi yet?

 

[DesertRhino150]

Has anyone seen the rufous and black sengi yet?

I saw the female earlier today - she was very active and easy to see when I was there.

 

[cerperal]

Has anyone seen the rufous and black sengi yet?

I apologise for the dreadful photo...this is the male, taken the Friday of the week they arrived through the whitewash. They aren't shy at all so once the barriers are removed they should be a guaranteed spot, especially as they have no true off-show area (just hiding spots)

 

[Mugcake]

Looking over the Gorilla Kingdom enclosure, the former Diana monkey enclosure has been completely demolished now.

I actually happened to go a couple days before you (takes ages to get media off the SD card so hadn’t posted about it yet), and happen to have some photos of it under construction for those interested

You have to enter the area from what would normally be the exit, as everything beyond the main Sobell walkway is blocked by this barrier:

I was just about able to get a photo around it (by peeking round of course, again I’m not one to go where I’m not permitted), and it’s possible to glimpse a pile of rubble from there:

The Sobell enclosure at that end is likewise entirely bordered up on the Gorilla Kingdom side:

From the plaza end, there’s a set of similar barriers that act as a gate into the area. There’s a gap there though which offers perfect visibility, was pretty easy to take a photo from the public side:

Also seems they haven’t removed any of the exhibit signs there, although of course the animals have been moved from that area (construction noise was noticeable from Gorilla Kingdom, but the inhabitants didn’t seem to mind).

One had half of the actual metal fencing on it, while another was completely open with a large succulent growing in it (both have the blue-green mosaic tiles in them).

Oh and flashing back to this, I managed to take a photo from the public end of the bridge showing the succulents on the North Bank. A little blurry, but gives a good idea of how it looks, and it’s completely visible to visitors anyway:

In Tiny Giants, the former apple snail tank has been changed over into a marine display, with lots of rocks and a live mangrove sapling. The enclosure is now home to a group of red starfish, which are not signed and so I cannot identify exactly what species they are.

Got a photo of these too! Assumed maybe there had been a fish in it prior that had been moved out, didn’t realise the starfish were the main inhabitants as they’re usually an accompanying species:

Actually have another example from that section as I’d noticed some of the newest signs are quite temporary (presumably they’re only just starting to convert this end into a dedicated aquarium section), here’s one of the jellyfish displays:

Additionally, got a photo of the long since disused monkey enclosure. Apparently the building’s focus is almost totally on invertebrates now (aside from fish), so it’s unlikely this will be occupied again:

Speaking of that end of the zoo, the squirrel monkey walkthrough was shut that day for maintenance. @DesertRhino150 was it also shut today?

Had an excellent time in the Clore rainforest, Night Life and Madagascar sections - I saw every single species there apart from the treeshrew. I definitely saw at least one of the new black-and-rufous sengis, which was very active and approaching the front of its display. Also, the sloth in the main walkthrough was threat displaying towards the saki monkeys - at times, it was shaking the entire tree that it was in.

They actually had the sloth separated when I visited, apparently because the monkeys kept stealing his food? You can see him in this photo below where the bats were perching, in the cage across from the elephant shrews:

Speaking of the elephant shrews, visited them and took plenty of videos, but no photos as it moved too fast. Not sure if it’s possible to upload videos here, I can’t even upload photos yet so it’s all an enigma to me :/

Here’s the last one I have, it’s of the backstage area as can be seen through one of the snake enclosures in the new Reptile House. I noticed a tiny lizard climbing up the glass in the enclosure on the back, does anybody happen to know what this is?

Have more photos from the day, but they’re not really anything new. One thing I didn’t photograph were these black red-tailed cockatoos near the llama paddock. I think they weren’t there before as I hadn’t heard them on prior visits, and they were pretty noticeable/vocal.

They also had a cpr training booth set up on the main lawn near the Cassons, which I didn’t take the time to check out as I already knew how to perform it. I was mainly around that area to try and see the Vietnam Pheasant, which has somehow always eluded me (as have the ferrets)

 

[Mugcake]

There have been plenty of female elephant keepers. Some good, some bad. Just like men. Why would it make a difference to the elephants? They know they aren't people and that people aren't elephants. Same as a dog or horse

Well, elephants and humans have some morphological similarities when it comes to sexual dimorphism (which aren’t usually found outside primates), but there’s also hormonal cues which animals can (and do) pick up on.

I believe (based on what I’ve heard) that similar circumstances may have played a factor in the incident where a mentally ill man climbed into the lion enclosure at Taipei Zoo in Taiwan, where the male lion was particularly antagonistic towards him (as opposed to the female, which mostly kept a distance).

Elephants in particular though are very socially intelligent creatures, and so even without physical or hormonal cues, they’d probably be able to tell the sexual dimorphism of humans from observation (and how it correlates to elephants).

The main way it factors into all of this, of course, is that the London Zoo approach had the keepers trying to be elephants in a social sense. They had the “be a part of the herd” approach, based on articles I’ve read from that time. Given they were leading the elephants around, it also put them into a leadership role socially, which possibly disrupts the herd’s order (although I will admit that is speculation on my part).

I’m not saying the sex of the keepers (who were both male) was what led to the incident in question, but it could have been one of the factors that built up to it (alongside the fact it was only a 3-elephant herd). It’s why I agree that reduced contact is probably for the best, so the elephants can assign a proper matriarch and disassociate the keepers from the social hierarchy.

Additionally, I would really like to see a statistical chart on the gender of elephant keepers across the world (or at least the UK), to see if there are correlating links to elephant behaviour (although it would have to be studied properly to draw any real conclusions).

 

[DesertRhino150]

Speaking of that end of the zoo, the squirrel monkey walkthrough was shut that day for maintenance. @DesertRhino150 was it also shut today?

The squirrel monkey walkthrough was open when I went yesterday - in fact, I got to see quite an interesting bit of management with them. One of the monkeys had got hold of something it shouldn't have (it looked like a seedhead of some kind to me) and one of the keepers came out ringing a bell to bring all the monkeys in. They were then thrown treats so that they had to make a two-handed catch and the one monkey dropped whatever it was holding.

Here’s the last one I have, it’s of the backstage area as can be seen through one of the snake enclosures in the new Reptile House. I noticed a tiny lizard climbing up the glass in the enclosure on the back, does anybody happen to know what this is?

It looks like another turquoise dwarf gecko to me - it seems to have the orangey belly of that species.

Have more photos from the day, but they’re not really anything new. One thing I didn’t photograph were these black red-tailed cockatoos near the llama paddock. I think they weren’t there before as I hadn’t heard them on prior visits, and they were pretty noticeable/vocal.

I think they've always been there, at least since I started regularly visiting again a few years ago. They are not that easy to see, especially when the aviary is cast in deep shade.

 

[FBBird]

Those succulents on the North Bank are in the old British Owls aviaries.
I was there last weekend, and was able to take rather poor (mobile phone) photos of a Sengi, which seemed to be happily pottering around

 

[Typhlonectes]

I actually happened to go a couple days before you (takes ages to get media off the SD card so hadn’t posted about it yet), and happen to have some photos of it under construction for those interested

You have to enter the area from what would normally be the exit, as everything beyond the main Sobell walkway is blocked by this barrier:

I was just about able to get a photo around it (by peeking round of course, again I’m not one to go where I’m not permitted), and it’s possible to glimpse a pile of rubble from there:

The Sobell enclosure at that end is likewise entirely bordered up on the Gorilla Kingdom side:

From the plaza end, there’s a set of similar barriers that act as a gate into the area. There’s a gap there though which offers perfect visibility, was pretty easy to take a photo from the public side:

Also seems they haven’t removed any of the exhibit signs there, although of course the animals have been moved from that area (construction noise was noticeable from Gorilla Kingdom, but the inhabitants didn’t seem to mind).



Oh and flashing back to this, I managed to take a photo from the public end of the bridge showing the succulents on the North Bank. A little blurry, but gives a good idea of how it looks, and it’s completely visible to visitors anyway:

Got a photo of these too! Assumed maybe there had been a fish in it prior that had been moved out, didn’t realise the starfish were the main inhabitants as they’re usually an accompanying species:

Actually have another example from that section as I’d noticed some of the newest signs are quite temporary (presumably they’re only just starting to convert this end into a dedicated aquarium section), here’s one of the jellyfish displays:

Additionally, got a photo of the long since disused monkey enclosure. Apparently the building’s focus is almost totally on invertebrates now (aside from fish), so it’s unlikely this will be occupied again:

Speaking of that end of the zoo, the squirrel monkey walkthrough was shut that day for maintenance. @DesertRhino150 was it also shut today?

They actually had the sloth separated when I visited, apparently because the monkeys kept stealing his food? You can see him in this photo below where the bats were perching, in the cage across from the elephant shrews:

Speaking of the elephant shrews, visited them and took plenty of videos, but no photos as it moved too fast. Not sure if it’s possible to upload videos here, I can’t even upload photos yet so it’s all an enigma to me :/

Here’s the last one I have, it’s of the backstage area as can be seen through one of the snake enclosures in the new Reptile House. I noticed a tiny lizard climbing up the glass in the enclosure on the back, does anybody happen to know what this is?

Have more photos from the day, but they’re not really anything new. One thing I didn’t photograph were these black red-tailed cockatoos near the llama paddock. I think they weren’t there before as I hadn’t heard them on prior visits, and they were pretty noticeable/vocal.

They also had a cpr training booth set up on the main lawn near the Cassons, which I didn’t take the time to check out as I already knew how to perform it. I was mainly around that area to try and see the Vietnam Pheasant, which has somehow always eluded me (as have the ferrets)

The BTS reptile enclosures are for Electric Blue Day Geckos

 

[Jambi]

Got a photo of these too! Assumed maybe there had been a fish in it prior that had been moved out, didn’t realise the starfish were the main inhabitants as they’re usually an accompanying species:

Actually have another example from that section as I’d noticed some of the newest signs are quite temporary (presumably they’re only just starting to convert this end into a dedicated aquarium section), here’s one of the jellyfish displays:

Seeing as London Zoo doesn't have a main aquarium any more, I'd love to see a dedicated aquarium section in Tiny Giants, it would be a nice companion piece to the coral reef tank. It's also good to see a starfish species have their own dedicated exhibit, because many aquariums I've visited tend to have starfish and other echinoderms as basically decoration in a fish tank rather than giving them any real focus. Can anyone identify what species of starfish these are?

 

[Mugcake]

Went on another recent trip, and have some updates based on what I saw

First things first, news on the capybara’s new enclosure. Spoke to one of the keepers and they said that it won’t be opening for at least another 3 months. They had been planning to get it finished for the half term, but they’re taking extra time to separate the fencing from the tigers, as the presence of that species could make the capybara uncomfortable

The vacant turtle enclosure in the new Reptile House is still without an occupant, but as they have it stripped down you can actually get a good view of the inner facility:

There have also been an influx of Halloween decorations within the enclosures in the Bug House. This is in the vampire crab tank, but there are a couple more throughout the building:

Got a photo of these too! Assumed maybe there had been a fish in it prior that had been moved out, didn’t realise the starfish were the main inhabitants as they’re usually an accompanying species:

There’s a small update on this! Didn’t take a photo at the time, but there are now purple sea urchins sharing the tank with the starfish. It seems like they’re slowly building a small ecosystem in there, interested to see what the final display looks like

Speaking of that end of the zoo, the squirrel monkey walkthrough was shut that day for maintenance. @DesertRhino150 was it also shut today?

Also found out the likely culprit for this closure: one of the trees had to be removed. There’s one missing in there, although the person I spoke to wasn’t there at the time, so didn’t know exactly why the tree needed to be taken away.

Aside from this stuff, the biggest thing I have to update on is a New Species!!!

There’s now a display for African Pygmy Dormouse in the Nocturnal House, opposite the Malagasy Jumping Rat. According to a staff member they’ve been at the zoo for a few weeks (only recently going on display), and they’re active both in the day and night. Their enclosure is slightly more lit to help accommodate that, and it’s hoped they’ll show themselves more often than the tree shrew:

Unfortunately never saw them while I was there, but as they’re settling in I expect they’ll start exploring around soon. Will be great to see them once they’re active

Other than all that, I don’t have much more to add. Didn’t manage to see the ferrets, but I got to see the ostriches in their indoor space, which is a relatively uncommon occurrence. Zebra and giraffe were also both completely indoors for some reason, but I finally got to see the hippo out and about

 

[polarbear]

Confirmation of Lion move to Chester:


A new home for Shanti
Shanti, one of three Asiatic lion cubs born at London Zoo in March 2024, will be moving to a new home at Chester Zoo in the next few weeks, as part of the conservation breeding programme. We can’t wait to see how Shanti settles at Chester Zoo.

 

[Typhlonectes]

Went on another recent trip, and have some updates based on what I saw

First things first, news on the capybara’s new enclosure. Spoke to one of the keepers and they said that it won’t be opening for at least another 3 months. They had been planning to get it finished for the half term, but they’re taking extra time to separate the fencing from the tigers, as the presence of that species could make the capybara uncomfortable

The vacant turtle enclosure in the new Reptile House is still without an occupant, but as they have it stripped down you can actually get a good view of the inner facility:

Went on another recent trip, and have some updates based on what I saw

First things first, news on the capybara’s new enclosure. Spoke to one of the keepers and they said that it won’t be opening for at least another 3 months. They had been planning to get it finished for the half term, but they’re taking extra time to separate the fencing from the tigers, as the presence of that species could make the capybara uncomfortable

The vacant turtle enclosure in the new Reptile House is still without an occupant, but as they have it stripped down you can actually get a good view of the inner facility:

There have also been an influx of Halloween decorations within the enclosures in the Bug House. This is in the vampire crab tank, but there are a couple more throughout the building:

There’s a small update on this! Didn’t take a photo at the time, but there are now purple sea urchins sharing the tank with the starfish. It seems like they’re slowly building a small ecosystem in there, interested to see what the final display looks like



Also found out the likely culprit for this closure: one of the trees had to be removed. There’s one missing in there, although the person I spoke to wasn’t there at the time, so didn’t know exactly why the tree needed to be taken away.

Aside from this stuff, the biggest thing I have to update on is a New Species!!!

There’s now a display for African Pygmy Dormouse in the Nocturnal House, opposite the Malagasy Jumping Rat. According to a staff member they’ve been at the zoo for a few weeks (only recently going on display), and they’re active both in the day and night. Their enclosure is slightly more lit to help accommodate that, and it’s hoped they’ll show themselves more often than the tree shrew:

Unfortunately never saw them while I was there, but as they’re settling in I expect they’ll start exploring around soon. Will be great to see them once they’re active

Other than all that, I don’t have much more to add. Didn’t manage to see the ferrets, but I got to see the ostriches in their indoor space, which is a relatively uncommon occurrence. Zebra and giraffe were also both completely indoors for some reason, but I finally got to see the hippo out and about

There have also been an influx of Halloween decorations within the enclosures in the Bug House. This is in the vampire crab tank, but there are a couple more throughout the building:

There’s a small update on this! Didn’t take a photo at the time, but there are now purple sea urchins sharing the tank with the starfish. It seems like they’re slowly building a small ecosystem in there, interested to see what the final display looks like



Also found out the likely culprit for this closure: one of the trees had to be removed. There’s one missing in there, although the person I spoke to wasn’t there at the time, so didn’t know exactly why the tree needed to be taken away.

Aside from this stuff, the biggest thing I have to update on is a New Species!!!

There’s now a display for African Pygmy Dormouse in the Nocturnal House, opposite the Malagasy Jumping Rat. According to a staff member they’ve been at the zoo for a few weeks (only recently going on display), and they’re active both in the day and night. Their enclosure is slightly more lit to help accommodate that, and it’s hoped they’ll show themselves more often than the tree shrew:

Unfortunately never saw them while I was there, but as they’re settling in I expect they’ll start exploring around soon. Will be great to see them once they’re active

Other than all that, I don’t have much more to add. Didn’t manage to see the ferrets, but I got to see the ostriches in their indoor space, which is a relatively uncommon occurrence. Zebra and giraffe were also both completely indoors for some reason, but I finally got to see the hippo out and about

cool they have a new species. What turtle enclosure is empty?

 

[Mugcake]

cool they have a new species. What turtle enclosure is empty?

It’s the last turtle enclosure, directly beside the terrapin one. I think it’s in the direction closest to the entrance/exit?

Either way, it’s been vacant since early-mid September. Turtle was there one week and gone the next, presumably they’re gonna add something in there eventually.

I also saw them weighing a tiny snake in the room behind the rhinoceros snake’s tank, but other than it being small and grey I couldn’t ID the species.

 

[Typhlonectes]

It’s the last turtle enclosure, directly beside the terrapin one. I think it’s in the direction closest to the entrance/exit?

Either way, it’s been vacant since early-mid September. Turtle was there one week and gone the next, presumably they’re gonna add something in there eventually.

I also saw them weighing a tiny snake in the room behind the rhinoceros snake’s tank, but other than it being small and grey I couldn’t ID the species.

Interesting, if they weren’t using venomous snake handling gear, and it isn’t a juvenile Rhinoceros Rat Snake, could be a new species

 

[Mugcake]

Interesting, if they weren’t using venomous snake handling gear, and it isn’t a juvenile Rhinoceros Rat Snake, could be a new species

I don’t believe they had any special gear, although it was probably a juvenile of something as it was quite small. I don’t think it had any connection to the Rhinoceros Rat Snake though as that room behind the display is full of different tanks, so it could have been anything.

 

[Typhlonectes]

Just looking through ZTL. Have noticed some very interesting developments!

. The zoo now supposedly holds Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard and two new species of frog, 0.0.3 Helmeted Water Toad (Calyptocephalella gayi) from Tierpark Schonbrunn (5 holdings worldwide) and 0.0.10 Atewa Slippery Frog (Conraua sagyimase) where London is the only holding worldwide!

 

[Paul.Haerle]

Just looking through ZTL. Have noticed some very interesting developments!

. Firstly the zoo seems to no longer hold Variable Sunbird

. The zoo now supposedly holds Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard and two new species of frog, 0.0.3 Helmeted Water Toad (Calyptocephalella gayi) from Tierpark Schonbrunn (5 holdings worldwide) and 0.0.10 Atewa Slippery Frog (Conraua sagyimase) where London is the only holding worldwide!

The last Variable Sunbirds were kept around 1963 in London (according to ZTL), so You maybe mixed up some species…