With a figurative trophy cabinet that’s bursting at the seams; our big, bright, brilliant capital city is certainly no stranger to an accolade. A particularly shiny one, however, is that London is home to the oldest scientific zoo in the world. London Zoo opened its doors in 1928, courtesy of the Zoological Society of London (more on them in a moment). And now, almost two centuries later, the zoo is still going strong, having just completed its 2026 annual stocktake.
At the start of each year, the animal-aficionados at ZSL London Zoo complete a stocktake as part of its licensing agreement. Each and every resident of the zoo is tallied up in the yearly headcount, and the information is shared with other zoos across the globe via a database called ZIMS Species360 to help inform conservation breeding programmes.
The 2026 stocktake was a particularly special one because it coincides with the start of ZSL’s 200th anniversary year. The Zoological Society of London set up shop in 1926 as a science-led conservation charity. The charity works to protect endangered species, restore ecosystems, and significantly contributes to the scientific understanding of wildlife.
London Zoo’s Annual Stocktake
Among the 8,000 animals that were counted as part of the 2026 census, there was Asiatic lions, Seychelles millipedes, corals, capybaras, and Humboldt penguins. Recent arrivals at London Zoo played a part in boosting the numbers of some of the endangered species residing at the zoo.
16 Humboldt penguins hatched in 2025, taking the zoo’s total number up to 75. Humboldt penguins are classified as a ‘vulnerable’ species, so this was a rather hefty win in the conservation world. Last year also saw the arrival of eight Socorro doves (a species on the brink of extinction). There are apparently just 180 Socorro doves left in the world, so the hatching of the eight dove chicks was a significant boost to the species.
Other notable additions to the 2026 stocktake were eight young Darwin’s frogs (an Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered species) and a brand new pair of capybaras, Kiwi and Gizmo, who were apparently seen cuddling in their shelter as the headcount was taking place. I’m not crying, you are…