Charities United Kingdom Animal Welfare The Zoological Society of London
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The Zoological Society of London

London Charity No 208728 · Charity Commission Sign up to see website
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86
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
86/100 · methodology

About The Zoological Society of London

To achieve and promote the conservation of animals and their habitats.

Founded
Headquarters
London
Size
large

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Animal Welfare

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 5 similar animal welfare in United Kingdom
Program spending This charity: 77%
Peer average: 74%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 86
Peer average: 84

Red flags

· All clear
Charity Commission removal
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Where every £1 goes

£0.77
Program expenses£0.77 (£69.9 million)
77% to programs beats the peer average (74%) and beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

The Zoological Society of London is a registered animal welfare nonprofit based in London, United Kingdom. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. It was founded in 1963 and has been operating for 63 years. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. The organization reports £93M in annual revenue. 11 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected. The charity has 66 community reviews with an average rating of 2.2/5. On Trustpilot, it has a rating of 3.3/5 based on 66 reviews.

The Zoological Society of London has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 86 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 77% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for animal welfare charities in United Kingdom is 84/100.

The Zoological Society of London is located in London, United Kingdom. The organization was established in 1963 and has been active for 63 years.

Based on official tax filings, The Zoological Society of London has £93M in annual revenue. It allocates 77% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 74% for animal welfare charities in United Kingdom. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of £407K. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

The Zoological Society of London is classified as a Animal Welfare organization, registered in United Kingdom. By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has £93M in annual revenue. The organization has 11 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for The Zoological Society of London. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

The Zoological Society of London has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86/100 (Strong transparency) and no red flags have been detected, which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the Charity Commission. 77% of expenses go to programs. The peer average is 74%. The organization has a moderate Trustpilot rating of 3.3/5. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

To achieve and promote the conservation of animals and their habitats. The Zoological Society of London is classified as a animal welfare organization registered in United Kingdom. The organization was founded in 1963.

Among animal welfare charities registered in United Kingdom: The Zoological Society of London's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86/100 is in line with the peer average of 84/100. It allocates 77% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 74%. Its annual revenue of £93M is well above the peer average of £407K.

The Zoological Society of London is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. If you are a UK taxpayer, your donation may qualify for Gift Aid, which allows the charity to claim an extra 25p for every 1 pound you donate at no cost to you. Higher-rate and additional-rate taxpayers can also claim additional relief on their Self Assessment tax return.

Verified against 6 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
£10M-£100M
77% to programs
Source: Charity Commission (UK) (FY2025) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from Charity Commission (UK) (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2025, FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

UK donations qualify for Gift Aid. THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON is registered with the Charity Commission. Eligible UK taxpayers can boost their gift by 25% at no extra cost.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership

AL
Alexander Richard Brooks Large
Trustee

Officers & trustees (11)

Source: Public filings

AL
Alexander R•••••• B••••• L••••
Trustee
DA
David S• J••• J••••
Trustee
DR
Dr K•••• L•••••••
Trustee
DR
Dr M•• C••••
Trustee
JO
Jonathan C••••••••
Trustee
LO
Loraine W••••••••
Trustee
NI
Nikhil J•• E•••••••
Trustee
PR
Professor J•••• C••••••• S•••• F••
Trustee
RI
Richard J•••• S••••
Trustee
RI
Richard T••••• K•••••• K•
Trustee
SH
Shruti A••••••••
Trustee
Full names, contact details & compensation

Free with an account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

1 article found

From global news sources

Sentiment

Neutral

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
£92.7M revenue
FY2025
CCEW
Form filed
£83.3M revenue
FY2024
CCEW
Form filed
£79.4M revenue
FY2023
CCEW
Form filed
£79.5M revenue
FY2022
CCEW
Form filed
£58.8M revenue
FY2021
CCEW
Alumni profile - Dan Harrold - Queen Mary University of London
May 2021
www.qmul.ac.uk

Donor reviews (66)

2.2 / 5 average · includes imported Trustpilot

2.2
66 reviews
5
13
4
4
3
2
2
10
1
37
★★★★★ london zoo

My Son and I have been going for the last couple of years, we have a season ticket that makes it very cheep, like £6 per trip. we've made friends with some of the keepers and follow the animals. fantastic fun if you have small children

nathan Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Totally Incompetent

This review is about the ZSL shop.I ordered 2 items to be sent directly to the recipient as a Christmas present. After receiving an email stating my order had been dispatched, I received a message from PayPal indicating the main item had been refunded. So I contacted ZSL who blamed their computer for the error and said an email communication was due to be on the way to me. The postage I paid cost more than the item in my order that has been sent. Dreadful customer service.

Sylvia Hawkes Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
★★★★★ London Zoo

Excellent day out!

Amber31 Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Just plainly incompetent

Just plainly incompetent. Still waiting on my refund from TWO MONTHS AGO!

Edward Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
★★★★★ Great day out for the whole family.

Great day out for the whole family.Lovely surroundings, lots of space to run around.

Val Curtis Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Their Computer System is Useless...

The zoos themselves are great. My main gripe is with their online website. Basically it is unusable. Several times I have signed up under a different account, changing my email and password: and each time I have tried to log back in, their system refuses to recognise my new details.Basically means I cant use them. I cannot purchase from them, book tickets or do anything else.So I just had to give up in the end. They need to get their computer system sorted. It is totally haphazard and unreliable. It's a shame because I could have been a customer of theirs.

SusieSusie Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Unfair member policy

They have separate pools for member tickets. During lockdown it was like you can't get free tickets for next 1-2 weeks, but you can pay for a full ticket.So you already paid for a maximal membership, but you can't use it. Very disappointing. In my case I spent more money for membership than I could have spent for tickets, and I wasn't able to use it - so it was better to pay full price than buy membership.

Anton Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Shameful and a rip off

Shameful and a rip off, how they’ve been allowed to get away with this all under the umbrella excuse of Covid, needs investigating. £60 to see a cow a deer and a pig, apparently the supporter contact coordinator? emailed me when I complained told me that it was all on the website, I’m still looking. I understand certain thing could be restricted, but ‘everything’ come on? It was empty, everything closed but yet they still felt that the £60 was worth it. Support more honourable Zoos as these clowns believe it’s lawful and acceptable to display nothing and not provide a refund or a complimentary visit, when they’re actually fully up and running. I know of no other place where this would be accepted.

Evesham Customer Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Million times NO NO NO

Been there today and very disappointed. Our favorite playground is closed for everyone apart from GOLD MEMBERS. absolutely ridiculous, seems like gold members can't have covid and are fine with playing next to each other. Many places are still closed and zoo is not ready to be open yet,so don't waste your time and money.

Ellie Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Family day out at London Zoo on 23rd…

Family day out at London Zoo on 23rd May 2021. We were there for five hours and didn’t see a Tiger, Lion or Gorilla!!! Two tiny fish in a massive aquarium!!! Travelled from Harrogate to take the grandchildren as we had not seen them due to Covid 19.Entry cost £121.12 plus £14.5O car park free.Terrible time…🐯🦁🙈🐠

David James Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot

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Peer charities

Other animal welfare in United Kingdom, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
The Zoological Society of London This page 86 £92.7 million 77%
Honeycomb Charitable Services Limited 87 £10.7 million 100%
Chartered Management Institute 87 £32.3 million 99%
Compassion in World Farming International 84 £19.2 million 67%
St Peter'S Hospice 82 £20.0 million 55%
Woodgreen Pets Charity 82 £21.1 million 49%

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities
Financial filings
Charity Commission annual returns - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities - 11 disclosed in the public registry.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Donor reviews (external)
Trustpilot consumer reviews
Community reviews (verified email)
GiveRadar Community Reviews - 66 verified review(s) on file.

Data freshness

Last updated
Apr 21, 2026
Profile completeness
85%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Executive compensation
Top-officer pay not disclosed
Mission statement
No self-published statement of purpose
Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Operating reach
Countries where programs run not specified
Programmatic detail
Specific cause areas not yet tagged

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about The Zoological Society of London

What is The Zoological Society of London?
The Zoological Society of London is a animal welfare nonprofit organization based in London, United Kingdom. To achieve and promote the conservation of animals and their habitats.
When was The Zoological Society of London founded?
The Zoological Society of London was founded in 1963.
Where is The Zoological Society of London located?
Headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
What is The Zoological Society of London's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately £10M-£100M. 77% of expenses go to program services.
Is The Zoological Society of London trustworthy?
The Zoological Society of London has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is The Zoological Society of London's website?
https://www.zsl.org
Are donations to The Zoological Society of London tax-deductible?
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United Kingdom under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.