London Zoo is facing a battle for survival as a result of the multi-million-pound Covid-shaped hole in its finances.
Usually February's half-term holiday would see it reverberating to a cacophony of human and animal sounds alike – but with England locked down, the world's oldest scientific zoo is eerily empty.
This gallery shows just how desolate it is.
"Lockdown here has been really surreal ... with no visitors here, it's been a really sad time," Kate Sanders, big cats team leader at the Regent's Park zoo, told Reuters.
“We are losing so much money I’m concerned the zoo might not survive.”
Opened in 1828 by the Zoological Society of London, London Zoo was visited by naturalist Charles Darwin while he was writing his Origin of Species.
The zoo is also the beneficiary of royal patronage with Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales patron and vice patron respectively.
But it requires more than an illustrious past and regal connections to avoid extinction – it needs cold hard cash.
Together with ZSL-owned Whipsnade Zoo to the north of the capital, London Zoo has 22,949 animals which cost around £1 million ($1.4m) a month to feed.
Given such a prohibitive cost base, it can ill afford the £1.8m dent in its budget precipitated by England's latest lockdown.
“It just remains so sad that we are closed,” London Zoo's chief operating officer Kathryn England said.
“We can’t furlough animals and you can’t furlough all of the staff who look after the animals.”
Lockdowns meant the zoo was closed for 18 weeks in 2020, wiping out ticket sales and a hefty £15m from annual revenue.
Adult tickets, including a voluntary contribution, at peak times cost £35.00 and entrance for children costs £22.75.
“More importantly, we are here to inspire people about wildlife and as long as we are closed, we have to find very ingenious ways of doing that,” Ms England said.
“But nothing really beats having people in the zoo and having a great day out. It’s hard – it’s really hard.”
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Bio
Age: 25
Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah
Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering
Favourite colour: White
Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai
Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.
First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
