ZooLab Gives Back! - ZooLab's Charity Work

What if one lesson could inspire someone to protect a rhino, clean up their local park, or help save a rainforest?

At ZooLab, we believe that connecting people with animals should be about more than simply learning facts. That’s why, alongside our work inspiring the next generation of animal lovers, we’re committed to making a real difference to wildlife, habitats and the planet we all share.

This National Day of Charity, we're looking at some of the ways ZooLab, our team, and our customers have been helping animals and the environment, one mission at a time.

ZooLab's Charity Work

Mission: Poaching

Rhino conservation in South Africa

Sadly, since the beginning of the 20th Century, rhino population numbers have dropped dramatically. Mostly down to habitat loss and poaching, this has led to rhino species being put on the endangered species list or even classed as extinct.

We have been working with Mankwe Wildlife Reserve in South Africa to help protect this wonderful species. They patrol the reserve on the lookout for poachers and work to deter them by humanely dehorning the rhino. To date, we have raised over £5,000 for the reserve, helping upgrade their equipment and keep the rhinos safe!

Mission: Net Zero

Here come the off-setters!

It's clear that climate change is an important and pressing issue for the world. As well as teaching the next generation about human impacts on the environment, we are also striving to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Last year ZooLab offset 67.96 tonnes of CO2e in our efforts to become a more environmentally conscious business. We also track our carbon emissions and energy use across all areas of the business, as well as trying where we can to use sustainable and recyclable materials.

Mission: Clean Up

ZooLab cleans up!

We're passionate about all animals, including wild ones! Litter is a big issue in today's world, with rubbish clogging our waterways and affecting the habitats of countless animals and ecosystems.

That's why each year, we take part in World Clean Up Day, which joins together people from all over the world on one day to clean up their local environment. ZooLab staff have cleared over 150 bags of rubbish from our local communities across the UK for World Clean Up Day. 

Mission: Ukraine

Homeless and displaced animals

After the war on Ukraine started, thousands of animals were affected. Whether displaced, caught up in the crossfire, or abandoned after their owner's evacuated. We wanted to help in any way we could.

We raised £500 in support during this time. This money was used to provide food, shelter and medical assistance to animals affected by the ongoing conflict.

Mission: Operation Ocelot

Saving the rainforest for the ocelot

Operation Ocelot is an initiative run by the World Land Trust and their patron Steve Backshall to help raise funds for Rainforest habitats in Brazil! The project supports the expansion of the Atlantic Forest Reserve by encouraging children (and adults) to measure their garden, playgroups or local greenspace and fundraise to protect the same amount of area in the Atlantic Forest.

We donated £5 per customer who books a Rainforest workshop between January - March 2022 to Operation Ocelot. We raised over £500!

Mission: Citizen Science

Citizens unite for science!

Citizen Science encourages the public to participate voluntarily in gathering environmental data to be analysed by scientists. We've been taking part in these citizen science activities for many years, including counting the number and species of birds that come to our open spaces, doing woodlice counts to identify blue woodlice, and counting insects in quadrats of flowers! We're also encouraging our customers to take part too!

So there you go! Got some ideas of more ways we can support the world around us? Leave a comment or get in touch!