ZSL at 200: SHNH Summer Meeting with the Zoological Society of London

This three-day international meeting, held in SHNH’s 90th year, will mark the bicentenary of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and delve into its history and impact on our knowledge of the natural world. Founded in the age of empire and Enlightenment science, ZSL has shaped – and been shaped by – transformations in zoological knowledge, conservation practice, and human-animal relations. The bicentenary offers a timely opportunity to explore ZSL’s history and to reflect on its legacy in Britain and beyond.

Founded in 1826 by Sir Stamford Raffles, the ZSL became a cornerstone of British scientific life. Within just a few years it had opened the London Zoo (1828), received a Royal Charter (1829), and absorbed the collections of the royal menagerie, once housed at the Tower of London (1831). Throughout the nineteenth century, ZSL pioneered public zoological attractions, including the world’s first Reptile House (1849) and Aquarium (1850). Iconic animals such as Obaysch the hippopotamus and Jumbo the elephant became cultural phenomena, while figures like Charles Darwin and Evelyn Cheesman shaped its scientific reputation. The founding of Whipsnade Zoo in 1931 marked a shift toward open zoological parks, and the establishment of the Institute of Zoology in the 1960s positioned ZSL as a leader in conservation research.

Registration will close 6pm(BST) on 12th June 2026.

Full abstracts will soon be available here: https://shnh.org.uk/the-zoological-society-of-london-zsl-at-200-2026/

09:30 Arrival and Registration

10:15 Welcome, introductions and housekeepingJack Ashby, President of the Society for the History of Natural History and
Johan du Toit, Director of Science, Zoological Society of London.

10:30 Panel 1

The tumultuous years of the Zoological Club of the Linnean Society of London
Isabelle Charmantier, The Linnean Society of London

An abject reptile or how Timothy the Tortoise nearly ended up at ZSL
Stephanie Holt, University of Oxford

11:30 Break

12:00 Panel 2

Institutional identity, research, and record: the founding of the Proceedings and the Transactions of the Zoological Society of London
Beth Gaskell, The British Library

Broadcasting beasts: radio, early television and the Zoo c.1923-1939
Max Long, Lincoln College, University of Oxford

13:00 Lunch
14:00 Keynote Lecture

‘Down pythons’ throats we thrust live goats’: snakes, zoos and animal welfare in nineteenth-century Britain
Professor Helen Cowie, University of York

15:00 Break

15:30 Panel 3

Obaysch and Tanja: zoological stardom and animal identities in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries
Wessel Broekhuis, ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo (NL)

Life in death: a living perspective of animals through London Zoo’s death books 1870–1900
Daniel Phillips, Independent scholar

16:30 Break

17:00 Panel 4

From specimen to encounter: butterflies, affect, and immersive insect exhibition at the Zoological Society of London.
Marlowe McCaffrey, University of Oxford

Deep time encounters at the Zoo, 1880 to the present
Chris Manias, King’s College London

18:00 All attendees to have left the lecture theatre

19:00 Conference Dinner
Cote, 26-27 Devonshire St, London W1G 6PL

09:15 Arrival

09:40 Introductions and housekeeping

09:45 Panel 5

Carl Hagenbeck in London: animals and architecture, trade and inspiration, 1864–1913.
Herman Reichenbach, Tierpark Hagenbeck

The London Zoo and the transnational circulation of zoological culture in the Spanish press (19th-early 20th Centuries)
Nuria Benítez Prián, Independent Scholar

Learning from other zoos. The ZSL and its zoo travellers (1863–1938)
Oliver Hochadel, IMF-CSIC (Barcelona)

11:00 Break

11:30 Panel 6

Women in zoology and ZSL: moving on through the 20th century
Ann Sylph, Independent scholar

Public gardens, private ambitions: Walter Rothschild and the use of ‘depositing’ within the gardens of the Zoological Society of London.
Elle Larsson, University of Westminster

12:30 SHNH AGM and Prize Giving

13:15 Lunch

14:15 Travel time to tours

15:00 Collections Tours

Delegates are responsible for getting themselves to the tour meeting points.

· ZSL Library and Archives (x2)

· Grant Museum of Zoology

· British Library

· Angela Marmont Centre for UK Nature, Natural History Museum

· NHM Library and Special Collections Tour, Natural History Museum (x2)

· Library, Archives and Collections Tour, Royal College of Surgeons.

· Self-guided tour of ZSL heritage sites

18:00 Informal Dinner/Drinks

The Star of Kings, 126 York Wy, London N1 0AX.

09:30 Arrival

09:55 Introductions and housekeeping

10:00 Panel 7

The Zoological Society of London: its 200 year history in artworks and artefacts in the Society’s Library.
Ann Datta, Independent Scholar

Captive subjects: art and photography at the London Zoo, 1828–1914
Daniel Kennedy, Independent Scholar

11:00 Break

11:30 Panel 8

Julian Huxley at the Zoo, 1935–1942
Joe Cain, UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies

The last Prosector at the Zoological Society of London: William Charles Osman Hill
Carina Phillips, Royal College of Surgeons of England / University College London / Natural History Museum, London

An ‘enviable record of “basic research”’: institutionalising science at the Zoological Society
Miles Kempton, Christ’s College, University of Cambridge

12:45 Lunch
13:45 Panel 9

Stars and stripes: What ZSL’s long history with giraffids reveals about the many dimensions of its scientific and conservation endeavours
Simon Pooley, Birkbeck University of London

Whipsnade Zoo, a ZSL story. How has the UK’s first open zoo influenced conservation breeding and veterinary care.
Buffy Beck and Maddie Humfryes, Whipsnade Zoo

The role of ZSL in originating and growing the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Mike Hoffmann, Zoological Society of London, Hilton-Taylor, C., Stuart, S.N., Akcakaya, H.R., Amin. R., Baillie, J., Bohm, M. & Ledger, S.

15:00 Closing remarks

15:15 Conference close

For more information on the Society please see www.shnh.org.uk.

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