Nothing to Declare at ZSL London Zoo

Have your boarding passes ready, and place your bags on the conveyor belt; it’s time to make sure you’ve got Nothing to Declare as ZSL London Zoo highlights the fight against illegal wildlife trade this February half term. 

As a result of the illegal poaching of endangered animals, smuggling of threatened creatures for the pet trade, and taking rare corals and animal trinkets for tourist souvenirs, hundreds of species around the world are under threat; and visitors to ZSL London Zoo are being invited to join in the worldwide battle against wildlife crime. 

Handed a passport at the arrivals gate, the first stamp-stop for zoo visitors is the Holiday Hub. There they’ll meet the beach shopkeeper advertising her wares, and it’s up to the kids to decide what they should and shouldn’t purchase as a holiday memento. 

Next up is a visit to Customs Control, where kids will pop on their high-vis vests and help carry out security searches on some dodgy-looking suitcases. Leaving ‘good’ items in the case, and placing ‘bad’ items in evidence bags ready for examination, experts will be on hand to explain more. 

Final stop for a passport-stamp is Keeper HQ, where kids will take on the role of ZSL London Zoo’s keepers. They’ll help to examine evidence bags of illegal items and identify smuggled species from picture ID cards prepared by zookeepers to help HM Customs and the Metropolitan Police. 

An exhibition of illegal wildlife trade artefacts will be on display throughout the week, featuring some surprising and shocking items seized by the Metropolitan Police, including medicines and trinkets made from animals. 

The Zoological Society of London, which runs ZSL London Zoo, is one of seven global conservation organisations collaborating for United for Wildlife, a unique effort dedicated to tackling worldwide conservation issues, and currently focussing on halting the unprecedented rise in wildlife crime. 

Beat the queues at the gate and book tickets online now for Nothing to Declare at ZSL London Zoo, visit www.zsl.org for opening times and ticket prices.