Zoological Society Of London
Zoos in London
Veterinary Department
The Zoological Society Of London
Regent's Park
London
NW1 4RY
Contact Numbers
Reviews
London Zoo
I visited the London zoo recently and unfortunately I wasn't impressed. it seems a lot of effort has been put into making the zoo a very nice and entertaining place for people to visit but not as much effort has been put into making the animals lives better. In general I think keep animals that should be wild, in captivity is cruel but it is even worse when the animals are living in enclosures that (in my opinion) are far too small when they could be living in larger and more entertaining and interesting enclosures if less space was used for people's entertainments and more was used for enlarging the animals enclosures. besides that, an OK place to visit if you don't mind that but definitely would be more worthwhile spending your money to support a wildlife sanctuary etc.
A User - 11/09/2008 | report this review
London Zoo
There is plenty to see at London Zoo so it offers a good day trip and it is nice to also get a chance to see Regents Park alongside it if possible.One of the best bits at London Zoo is the penguin feeding time. Still a great attraction to Mr Heron who lives in the tree above the penguin area ready to swoop down on their dinner.The penguins were watched with great interest by our niece and nephew who also patiently waited to see the tiger walk past. Generally there was plenty to keep them entertained all day but it is good to have a buggy as the walking can get tiring for little legs.London Zoo is shabby in some areas but still has many favourite animals including giraffes, zebra, camels and so on. It is a shame that the elephants have not been there for some time.There are food outlets but we took a packed lunch with us like many visitors.
A User - 10/09/2008 | report this review
a day at the zoo
My first comment is buy your ticket in advance! Luckily we had as it was a 20 minute (at least) wait to reach the entrance. The children really enjoyed the day despite being caught in the rain! Well it was the summer holidays! Our favourites were the penguins, the giraffes and the monkeys.Inside the food and drinks were expensive so worth bringing some of your own refreshments in although we found it difficult to find somewhere to sit down to eat.
A User - 06/09/2008 | report this review
Great Day Out
London zoo is a great day out for a family - I remember going when I was very young and I remember that I had a really great time. Since it is in central London – the zoo is located in regent's park – the prices are quite expensive but there is nothing else like it in London. The penguins are great, as are the elephants. It is really a fun day expedition to go to the zoo. The restaurant and cafe at the zoo are not very good however, and are over priced, I would not recommend going to either of them.
A User - 01/09/2008 | report this review
London Zoo
Who doesn't love the zoo?! A great day out, for families, couples and friends alike. Located in the north east corner of regents park, it's easy to find. For children too the place is perfect. At certain times the zoo keepers will bring certain animals out, or let the kids help with the cleaning e.g. penguins. Entrance you could argue is quite expensive, but it's a great day out and you will not come away disappointed! Get there early as it closes at 5.30 and you'll be able to make the most of it. There's also a shop and restaurant, but I'd stay away due to general priceyness of them both.
A User - 12/08/2008 | report this review
a great day out for all
This is a great family day out,you cant beat the zoo for a family day out,the zoo is set in regents park and you can even get the canal boats down from camden lock.Everyone should visit the zoo regularly even if you dont belive in animals in captivity because these places just teach you so much.there is so much to see and do ,from elephants to monkeys and insects to penguins.what ever your fav you will find it here,they also do pony rides in the main square for an extra charge.i would recommend taking a picnic as it is overly expensivee for tiny portions once inside.i would also recommend buying tickets online or looking around for a bogof offer as it can be quite costly for a ticket(you can also get an offer with an oyster card )
A User - 09/08/2008 | report this review
Amazooing
London zoo is a fantastic place to visit. It is so so big that you will need all day to look around, but it is one of the best days you will have. There are a wide variety of different animals, fro typical zoo animals, to butterflies, creepy crawlies and a huge aquarium. The aquarium was amazing and felt like an attraction in itself! The pricing is fairly reasonable and there are often two for one deals from your train station. You can also provide a donation to the zoo. The food at the zoo is very expensive and I would certainly recommend bringing your own as there are picnic tables available. A very good day out – recommended.
A User - 09/08/2008 | report this review
London Zoo
We have just arrived home after spending time at London Zoo. We arrived early, about 10.30 am, and there were only small queues to get in. The cost for a family of 4 was £61. The zoo had good pathways that are suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. The Zoo was clean and tidy with plenty of places to sit and lots of lovely picnicing areas. We were however, very disappointed at the number of animals. Most of the animals could have been seen at Chessington World of Adventure which offers a lot more than the Zoo and,with the use of 2 for 1 vouchers, is a lot cheaper.The day out was fine but we certainly won't be returning.
A User - 04/08/2008 | report this review
Ace Ventura eat your heart out
London Zoo - another big attraction in our Capital City. Animals abound the zoo, a variety of species and numerous breeding programmes going on all the time.My favourites are the penguins and feeding times happen every day at hourly or two hourly intervals.The gift shop stocks a whole range of animal merchandise but is a little on the expensive side, same can be sid for the cafe - bring a packed lunch.
A User - 01/08/2008 | report this review
at what cost?
When i was a child i loved visiting london zoo and seeing my favourite animals - mainly the baboons but as i have grown older i have realised that this conflicts with my ethics. On my most recent visit i noticed that some of the enclosures seem very small for the animals they are housing, and the large carnivores like the lions were very dosile. This concerned me, and after a visit to a wildlife sanctuary in africa and having the chance to see the animals as they would naturally behave i realised how different they were compared to those seen in the london zoo. I would suggest visiting a safari park such as Longleet instead if you have the oppertunity.
A User - 01/08/2008 | report this review
A cold day at the zoo
I have conflicting thoughts about zoos. I think it's great that the population of a city can visit a zoo and see animals that they may never otherwise see in their lifetime. I also think a zoo is a great way to educate people about different species of animals, their habitats, threats to their survival and ways to prevent this.On the other hand, I feel that the animal's recreated environments should closely reflect that of their individual needs and be as concrete free as possible. I don't see the need to build enclosures in concrete and with minimal features. It surely is not beneficial for the animal and certainly is not appealing to look at.With that in mind, I feel that the London Zoo has a little way to come to make its enclosures more appealing to both man and beast. The zoo has clearly grasped this idea as there are several new enclosures, namely the Gorilla's, a walk in bird enclosure, the Penguin's (I walked past the old penguin enclosure and was shocked to see that it was all concrete) and the tropical.I wasn't sure how new the butterfly enclosure or the bug house was, but these are also along the lines of what I expect from a zoo (the fact that the butterfly enclosure is inside a giant bouncy-castle style caterpillar is brilliant). Seeing butterflies with transparent wings is something of a novelty. Even more so when they land on you and you can see your hand through their wings. Inside the bug house I was suitable impressed with the display of ants near the doors. They do ant things like taking bits of leaves from one area to another via several ropes. It was only after I got close enough to them that I realised that it wasn't an enclosure as such, you could reach out and touch them if you so desired. I had no desire to do this having seen what happened to my sister when she sat on an ants nest in Australia or my partner when she stood on an ants nest in Costa Rica.Whether its butterflies or bugs you're into, both are worth looking at.If you're at the zoo on a cold day, make sure you swing past the Tropical Rain Forest enclosure (maybe more than once depending on how cold it is). The highlights for me were the two, two or three toed sloths (I'd seen them in the wild in Costa Rica also much to my excitement). And by the time we got down to ground level, the “tropical rain storm†had come and they were both sopping wet. What a funny sight!The drawback of being at the zoo on a cold day is that while you walk around thinking how good it is to be in a warm place, either your coat or the tropical enclosure, a lot of the animals are having similar thoughts and are either inside keeping warm or being very brave and venturing out briefly. I would suspect that visiting the zoo during warmer months is more a productive animal seeing experience and better if you have young ones in tow.An inside enclosure where the animals can't hide (apart from the camouflaged ones) is the snake house. They have their very own heated rooms! I always enjoy a good look at snakes, venomous, non-venomous, big and small. Probably due to coming from a country which is snake free. I'm a big kid at heart really. Also, that scene from the first Harry Potter is filmed there, if you're into visiting movie sights.My advice, try going in the warmer months.
A User - 10/02/2008 | report this review
Zoo Zoo Zooo
London zoo is an amazing day out!! Lots of animals to see especially the new gorrila enclosure. Food realativly expensive so best taking a picnic, but plenty of place to sit out side and eat. Great family day out.
A User - 06/10/2007 | report this review
You make my heart sing
London Zoo is terrific. There are some wonderful, amazing creatures there and so close you could touch them (in the farm animal section you can touch the animals but other places you can't touch, for their safety and yours).In the special Gorillas exhibition me and some friends had an amazing experience! We sat down next to a glass fronted caged part of the gorilla enclosure (most of it is open air with no bars though). Inside was the older female gorilla. She gets jealous of the younger female being with the male, so they get to take turns hanging out with him. Anyway, we sat down to draw her and she came over to investigate! We were sitting on little fold up chairs and she sat down right next to us on the other side of the glass. It was amazing! Being face-to-face with this biiig personality. We could see her breath on the glass. It was quite crowded with visitors and everyone saying "look at the gorilla posing"! Very hard to describe the impact of being near this animal in real life.Another knockout was the Butterfly tent in the shape of a giant catapillar. A clever system of 'doors' which were curtains of plastic chains hanging down let humans enter and prevented the butterfies from flying out. Inside was a tropical environment with exotic plants (pink bananas and peculiar pouch shaped plants) and butterflies flying free around you. Despite it being rather crowded in there at 3 o'clock it was another amazing experience. You could see a special incubator with pupae lined up inside and butterflies hatching out. The most beautiful butterflies just flitting past. One was transparent like pretty lace (called a Glass Butterfly) and there were the biggest moths in the world displaying their wings proudly on the trunk of a palm tree.Wow.We didn't get a chance to see everything, maybe a third, even though we spent the whole day there. The Zoo is beautifully kept, the staff are very friendly and even though it was a hot lovely day in August, there were no queues in the Oasis cafe.It's a bit sad to see the big game animals in relatively small spaces but the enclosures are excellent quality and with the state of the world today, at least some animals are safe at the zoo.Full entry price is about £13 for one adult, but everything (except food and gifts) is free once you're in and lots of '2 for 1' and other discounts are easily found on the web.Heartily recommended.http://zsl.org/zsl-london-zootel: 020 7722 3333
A User - 10/08/2007 | report this review
Animals, glorious animals
You just have to love the London Zoo. Animals everywhere. Which is just as well, because that's what i've come to expect from a zoo. i was there a couple of years ago, when the new bear cubs were born, and they were really quite cute. Not sure how quickly bears grow, but i presume they will be less cute and more on the ferocious beast side by now. Also the reptile house is quite a treat. My girlfriend is scared of snakes, so when i dragged her through the terrarium with its displays of snakes big and small and bright and lively on both sides of the narrow path she got a little claustrophobic and we had to skedaddle asap. Where's Samuel L. Jackson when you need him, eh? Get these mo-foing snakes out of my mo-foing zoo, cool daddy-o. One downside - expensive.
A User - 07/09/2006 | report this review
No value for money at all
Having lived and travelled to many countries I would rate the london zoo amongst the worst in terms of value for money. Yet not only do you have to pay horrendous entry fees (blimey if you want to bring your whole family there) but also is there little on offer. Compared to other zoo's, I found it very small, containing few animals only, and most importantly, I didn't think that the animals were kept in the best possible way (little space, hardly any natural settings etc.). All in all you better spend your money on other London "attractions"....
A User - 05/09/2006 | report this review
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