A TEAM OF GLOBAL PARTNERS
We're working with amazing organisations around the globe to protect wild populations and habitats.
Our Conservation Projects
As a conservation charity and zoo, our overarching aim is to save the species with which we share our planet.
Since 2006 our conservation fund has supported over 65 projects internationally and in the last 10 years, Twycross Zoo has contributed more than £450,000 towards the work of global conservation organisations.
By working together, we can be effective with the use of conservation resource and have the biggest impact on protecting species from extinction.
As we head towards 2030, collaboration will be key to our success and we're proud to be working with several conservation partners to monitor and protect wild populations, inspire changes that reduce species threats and empower people to live sustainable livelihoods in coexistence with wildlife...
BORNEO NATURE FOUNDATION
Protecting biodiversity in Borneo with conservation education...
Based on the Indonesian island of Borneo, BNF works with local stakeholders to support indigenous culture, safeguard wildlife, and protect important areas of tropical rainforest which are home to Bornean orangutans, white-bearded gibbon, red langurs, Sunda clouded leopards and many more threatened species.
Twycross Zoo has supported BNF for a number of years and is currently focusing our support towards their conservation education programme. The programme aims to provide children with an appreciation for nature, as well as the knowledge and tools to facilitate them to become enablers of future change. This includes in-class activities, rainforest field trips and funding for a new teacher training programme in Borneo.
FRIENDS OF BONOBOS
Protecting bonobos & their rainforest home...
Established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1994, Friends of Bonobos includes the world's only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos (Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary) and the world's only bonobo release site (Ekolo ya Bonobo Community Reserve), where over 30 endangered bonobos live under the protection of local communities.
Twycross Zoo contributes to the daily running costs of the sanctuary, rewilding programme in the reserve, and the funding of conservation education programmes. Currently our support focuses on enabling the delivery of anti-poaching education and an awareness campaign, which is vital to reducing the greatest threat to bonobos in the wild.
AMAZONA LILACINA
Protecting critically endangered birds in Ecuador...
The Amazona Lilacina Foundation was set up to safeguard the future of the Ecuadorian Amazon parrot, a critically endangered species. A small declining population of just 1000 birds can only be found, in the wild, in the mangroves and dry forests of coastal Ecuador. The foundation works in three core areas: community led conservation, scientific research and conservation education.
As the species is frequently trapped and kept as pets, Twycross Zoo will be supporting a campaign in Ecuador to celebrate and raise awareness of the species through community art and parades, forming part of a long term aim to reduce the demand for these birds as pets and protect their vulnerable nesting and roosting sites.
APE ACTION AFRICA
Saving great apes in Africa...
One of Africa's largest wildlife rescue operations, based in Cameroon. Ape Action Africa not only protect and care for rescued and orphaned primates, they also rehabilitate and release animals back into the wild.
Twycross Zoo supports Ape Action Africa through financial aid, by donating medical supplies, and by sharing the expertise of our veterinary and zoo keeper team. In 2023, we are supporting a brand new project, investigating and protecting the habitat of a reported population of wild chimpanzees in close proximity to Mefou Park.
FAUNA & FLORA
Protecting critically endangered gibbons...
Fauna & Flora is the world's oldest international conservation organisation. In 2002, their work in Vietnam led to a team of researchers rediscovering a small but important population of the Cao Vit gibbon, which was thought to be extinct.
Twycross Zoo supports funding for the research and conservation activities to protect this Critically Endangered species, previously supporting the costs of a community-based patrol team which monitors and protects the gibbons' habitat. In 2023, we are supporting programmes which engage members of local communities to raise awareness of the importance of the species and conserving the high biodiversity found within Vietnamese forests.
BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION
Butterfly Conservation is the UK charity dedicated to saving butterflies, moths and our natural environment, founded in 1968.
Each year over 20,000 volunteers give their time to saving butterflies and moths, and citizen science is now also an important channel through which they are able to collect information about the state of butterflies and moths in the UK.
Butterfly Conservation also has a nationwide network of formal transects with the aim to assess the status and trends of butterfly populations in the UK, which Twycross Zoo is part of.
By setting up a recognised transect within Twycross Zoo Nature Reserve, we help improve scientific understanding of the abundance, distribution and movement of butterfly species in the UK. This, in return, ties in with Twycross Zoo’s commitment to the conservation of endangered species, including that of native British fauna.
WILDTRACKS
Rehabilitating primates in Belize...
Established in Belize in 1990, Wildtracks rehabilitates and releases rescued primates back into the wild.
Twycross Zoo supports Wildtracks' primate programme through funding and expertise to establish future release opportunities and to increase knowledge across the region to improve conservation outcomes throughout Central America.
WILDLIFE VETS INTERNATIONAL
Training vets to save species in the wild...
Wildlife Vets International (WVI) works to provide veterinary support to international wildlife and conservation projects. Working with in-country partners to develop capacity, provide mentorship and training to in-situ veterinary professionals and advance education about the health and management of endangered populations.
Twycross Zoo supports a range of projects at WVI, with a focus on supporting the training of veterinary staff and biologists in range countries, by providing specialist advice from the Zoo's own expert team, as well as funding for additional resources.
Keep up with our conservation projects...
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![Borneo Nature Foundation - Teaching in village classroom]()
LATEST CONSERVATION NEWS
Read the latest news and updates from our international conservation work
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![Conservation Strategy Goal Three Image - Education Ranger at Twycross Zoo]()
JOIN OUR EVENTS
Engage with our work on another level by joining one of our conservation events
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![Conservation Strategy Goal One Image - Eastern black rhino at Twycross Zoo]()
OUR PLAN TO FIGHT EXTINCTION
Discover our 2030 Conservation Strategy to fight the extinction crisis
Support our mission
Thank you... We wouldn't have got this far without you. Every visit, membership, donation and purchase helps to fund us as a registered conservation charity.