Back from the Brink: Saving Species, Inspiring Hope

Back from the Brink: Saving Species, Inspiring Hope is at London Zoo on Tuesday 17 November, from 6:00 to 7:30pm with doors opening at 5:30pm. It's the finale of Wild Talks, a free six-part lecture series marking the 200th anniversary of the Zoological Society of London. The Society was founded on 29 April 1826, making it the oldest zoo in the world; it opened to the public in 1847 and now looks after more than 800 animal species, including London's largest colony of Humboldt penguins and a colony of western lowland gorillas.

Throughout the series, ZSL has brought together scientists, conservationists and guest speakers to trace how our understanding of nature has evolved over two centuries, from Darwin and the early trailblazers to the work being done today to protect species. This final session draws on ZSL's own conservation success stories — the scimitar-horned oryx and the partula snails among them — to argue that there is real hope for the world's most threatened species. The evening runs as a talk followed by a Q&A discussion panel, and a recording will be published afterwards on the ZSL Science and Conservation YouTube channel.

The talk takes place in the Huxley Lecture Theatre, part of the ZSL Meeting Rooms at the Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY. It's free to attend, though you'll need to register in advance. Seats are allocated first-come, first-served, so if you're keen to get a good spot, it's worth arriving early.