# ZSL announces a record £20 million donation to mark its 200th anniversary

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/05/13/zsl-announces-a-record-20-million-donation-to-mark-its-200th-anniversary/
- Published: 2026-05-13T13:13:44+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**As it marked its 200th anniversary on 29 April the Zoological Society of London
announced that it had received its largest ever donation, a £20 million gift made
anonymously.**

The charity which runs London and Whipsnade zoos will use the donation to build 
a wildlife health centre at its London Zoo headquarters in Regent’s Park in north
London.

“Ambitious plans” for the new centre include the UK’s first viewing gallery in a
vet hospital. Visitors will be able to watch live procedures from behind a glass
window, as animals receive treatment or medical care, “from penguin health checks
to porpoise post-mortems”.

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**Kathryn England**, ZSL chief executive, said:

> “For 200 years, ZSL has been committed to growing our understanding of wildlife
> and taking people on that journey with us; from opening the world’s first scientific
> zoo, to launching the Institute of Zoology, and establishing global conservation
> projects…
> “We established the foundations of modern zoo veterinary care, have advanced conservation
> science on a global scale and been at the vanguard of public engagement with wildlife;
> our history has shaped how wildlife is studied, treated and protected. Now, that
> legacy becomes a platform for action.”

**Dr. Amanda Guthrie**, Head of Wildlife Health Services, commented on the major
donation:

> “This is a truly momentous way to mark ZSL’s 200th anniversary, and as an organisation
> founded with a mission to better understand wildlife, this is an extraordinary
> recognition of that work”.

## WATCH: ZSL’s 200 years of bringing people and wildlife together

## Other recent record donations

 * **[Royal Academy of Music receives record £30 million donation](https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/12/11/royal-academy-of-music-receives-30-million-donation/)(
   11 December 2025)
 * **[Royal Osteoporosis Society receives £1 million donation](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/02/25/royal-osteoporosis-society-receives-1-million-donation/)(
   25 February 2026)
 * **[National Trust receives biggest cash donation in its history](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/01/14/national-trust-receives-biggest-cash-donation-in-its-history/)(
   14 January 2026)**