Posted: 2 Jun 2021

It’s ‘Love Your Zoo Week’, the annual week for showing appreciation for our zoos and the amazing work they do! This year, the celebrations run from Saturday 29th May to Sunday 6th June. 

Love Your Zoo Week is held by BIAZA (The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums), the professional body representing the best zoos and aquariums in the UK and Ireland. BIAZA support member organisations with conservation, education and research.

We approached BIAZA to learn more about Love Your Zoo Week, and ask how the public can get involved.

What was the inspiration for setting up Love Your Zoo Week?

Love Your Zoo week is an annual nationwide event which coincides with May half-term, where our members hold a range of activities to promote the important work they do. So much conservation, education and research goes on behind the scenes so Love Your Zoo Week is all about celebrating this. This year we also want to say ‘Thank You!’ to all the people that have helped and supported our members to get through the unprecedented challenges of the last year.

According to BIAZA, zoos and aquariums deliver formal education sessions for more than 1.2 million children and students. The Living Rainforest contributes directly to this number, hosting 25,000 children on school trips annually, and passing on important lessons about Earth’s rainforests and conservation. 

Conservation and education are at the heart of The Living Rainforest and our parent charity, the Trust for Sustainable Living. As a global educational charity, we aim to help the next generation in achieving a sustainable future. From holding worldwide events – such as our Partner Power Summit this July, and encouraging involvement of schools across the globe, to providing learning resources and tours for school trips – we are passionate about education and empowerment.

Why is the awareness raised by Love Your Zoo Week important?

It is more important than ever to support zoos so they can recover from the impacts of Covid-19 and keep saving species from extinction.

The world slowed down in 2020. Humans took refuge from Covid-19, and organisations like The Living Rainforest suffered a significant drop in income, but extinctions in the animal world didn’t fare the same fate. In 2020, species continued to be declared extinct, this includes the Splendid Poison Frog, the Jalpa False Brook Salamander, and the Spined Dwarf Mantis. Contributing to the effort to conserve species before it is too late to prevent further losses is incredibly important.

How can the public get involved in Love Your Zoo Week?

People can get involved by sharing photos of your zoo using #LoveYourZoo or #LoveYourAquarium

With the importance behind conservation gaining traction with every passing year, it’s crucial to support the efforts of conservationists. If you’re visiting The Living Rainforest this half-term, show the love on our social media using the #LoveYourZoo hashtag!  

Visit us at The Living Rainforest, Hampstead Norreys, Berkshire, RG18 0TN, and find us online via our website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.