2024: A Year in Review at the Zoo

As each year draws to a close, it's important to reflect on our journey over the past 12 months and recognise the milestones our small but mighty zoo has reached.

2024 was another year of growth and development at the zoo - we saw births, new arrivals, new builds and work that paved the way for some exciting projects in the new year that we cannot wait to share with you all. 

Let’s take a look back at just a few of our incredible achievements of the past year:

🌟 Two critically endangered Bali Starlings hatched at Battersea Park Children's Zoo, continuing our success within the European breeding programme for this precious species. With fewer than 50 individuals in the wild, modern zoos are at the forefront of saving this species from extinction. 

🌟 Our dedicated keeper team hatched a critically endangered pancake tortoise in the summer, the second to hatch at the zoo within 12 months! This fragile species has suffered devastating population declines in the wild due to habitat destruction, poaching and increased droughts due to climate change. 

🌟We reintroduced more Eurasian harvest mice back to the wild from our breeding programme in collaboration with our project partners, Ealing Wildlife Group. This amazing project has now seen over 2000 individuals of this threatened species released into restored habitats in West London. 

🌟Our rare breed Bagot goats, registered with the Bagot Goat Society, gave birth to six kids in the Spring. In collaboration with our friends at Mudchute Farm, five kids will soon join a conservation grazing project. 

🌟This year, our honeybee apiary in partnership with the London Beekeepers’ Association surpassed an incredible milestone; welcoming over 500 London school children, free of charge, to engage in the School Food Matters honeybee programme here at the zoo!

🌟 2024 was a hugely successful year for our education team as they welcomed over 5,500 school children to the zoo as part of our zoo education programme!

🌟Education Manager, Gemma Cathie launched our brand-new education workshop, “Hands On”. This sensory-based workshop was created specifically for SEN learners and saw its first attendees in 2024!

🌟Battersea Park Children's Zoo proudly won TWO more BIAZA awards for conservation and education excellence! We took first place within the education category with our honeybee school programme, before securing the runner-up award in the field conservation category for our harvest mouse reintroduction collaboration with Ealing Wildlife Group. 

🌟Senior Keeper, Lizzy Humphries, launched our #ShareSavvy campaign, aimed at highlighting the devastating consequences of irresponsible social media content of vulnerable wild animals on their conservation and welfare. Presenting at the IOSF World Otter Day conference, BIAZA communications conference, ABWAK otter workshop and working with the IUCN otter specialist group - the first year of this campaign was a huge success, with over 17 organisations joining the campaign and the zoo holding its first ever #ShareSavvy Saturday! 

🌟At the start of 2024, Zoo Manager Jamie was invited to the Houses of Parliament to represent the zoo following our nomination for the Great British Wildlife Restoration Award. 

🌟2024 saw more incredible species of conservation concern join the zoo, including prehensile-tailed porcupine, axolotl, large hairy armadillo and Mount Omei Liocichla as part of the European breeding programme for the species. 

🌟We regularly hosted RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) fundraisers at the zoo, helping them to secure over 50 new members! These new members help protect habitats within our part of the country, such as RSPB Rainham Marshes and beyond. 

🌟 In September we proudly hosted the first-ever BIAZA harvest mouse workshop! Welcoming delegates from organisations across the country, we heard from a packed schedule of speakers working to save our threatened harvest mice from extinction. 

🌟We saw many exciting births across the zoo this year, including rare breed Oxford Sandy and black piglets, blue spiny lizards, meerkats, and many many Eurasian harvest mouse babies! 

🌟 This December, for the very first time, we opened our gates after dark for 'Winter Nights at the Zoo'! Across three festive evenings, guests enjoyed exclusive animal talks by lantern light, amazing performances and seasonal food and drinks! 

Reflecting on this year's successes, Jamie Baker, Zoo Manager, had this to say: "As we reflect on a year of growth and achievements, we look forward to 2025 with renewed commitment, building on our conservation efforts to protect wildlife and inspire future generations to care for our planet. Our zoo would like to end this year by saying a huge, heartfelt thank you for all your ongoing support. we wish you all a happy and healthy New Year."