6 zoos that are dedicated to conservation

While the earliest zoos around the 19th century were typically grim affairs, many of them have become entirely different animals. The best ones have clear conservation and research focuses, as well as proper accreditation from WAZA (the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and its American, European and British equivalents — AZA, EAZA and BIAZA. Here are six of the best ethical zoos to visit around the world, from the Washington DC stalwart to the troglodyte zoo sculpted into a former limestone quarry.

1. Zoo Leipzig, Germany

Germany has some of the most advanced zoos on the planet and this spacious, sustainability-minded Saxony institution is right up there. Mimicking creatures’ natural habitats to the nth degree is the ethos; Gondwanaland, for example, sprawls across an area larger than two football pitches with a rainforest canopy and some 170 animal and 500 plant species. The zoo participates in international breeding programmes to preserve endangered species, and reintroduction projects for the likes of the European wildcat and scimitar-horned oryx. It’s both EAZA and WAZA accredited.

(Can a zoo be ethical? These institutions are trying to prove it.)

2. Doue-La-Fontaine, France

The welfare rather than the visibility of animals is the focus in this venerable ‘Bioparc’ in France’s Pays de la Loire region. Now in its seventh decade, it bills itself as the only troglodyte zoo in the world, with a naturally sculpted landscape built into a former limestone quarry. Many of its 2,000 animals from 130 species are part of EAZA-coordinated European Endangered Species Programmes (EEPs), which track bloodlines and manage breeding of threatened species across multiple zoos to maintain genetic diversity. Conservation projects it supports – to the tune of £540,000 in 2025 alone – include the red panda in Nepal and Sumatran tiger in Indonesia.

3. Smithsonian's National Zoo, United States

Inspiring a lifelong commitment to conservation is the lofty aim of this Washington DC stalwart, dating from 1889. Entry is free (it’s part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex), with animal welfare and research the central pillars of its two sites: the zoo itself and its nearby Conservation Biology Institute, which studies everything from nutrition optimisation to the combating of emerging diseases. It deploys innovative enrichment measures for its 2,200 animals, including varying flora, sounds and even smells in enclosures, while technology such as webcams helps ensure in-demand residents such as giant pandas and cheetah cubs aren’t overwhelmed. It’s both WAZA and AZA-certified.

4. Mandai Singapore Zoo, Singapore

Creating an environment in which its 4,200 animals can express natural behaviours is the central ethos at this, the jewel in the wider Mandai Wildlife Reserve. Daily talks hosted by keepers offer specialised insight into creatures such as African painted dogs, Asiatic lions and Linne’s two-toed sloths. The zoo participates in dozens of managed breeding programs for endangered species, including orangutans and lemurs, and hosts ‘assurance colonies’ for severely threatened animals such as the Burmese roofed turtle. The high standards of its staff training, enclosures and conservation initiatives is recognised by both WAZA and EAZA.

5. Shaldon Zoo, United Kingdom

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to zoos; some of the most progressive and ethically robust are also the most diminutive. Shaldon, in south Devon, is a case in point. Set in an acre of woodland (it’s officially the smallest member of the EAZA community) just off the South West Coast Path, it houses endangered and often overlooked species: the margay, or tree ocelot; Owston’s palm civet; the binturong, or bear-cat, a nocturnal Asian mammal. None of its animals were taken from the wild – they were born here or came from other programmes – and it directly supports a host of conservation projects, from lemurs in Madagascar to pangolins in Vietnam.

6. Bern Animal Park, Switzerland

Pack some patience for a visit to the Swiss capital’s premier zoo, which is both WAZA and EAZA-certified. Allowing space for creatures to retreat from prying eyes is something it prides itself on, whether that’s the naturalised setting of the leopard enclosure or the dense undergrowth in which the lynx can conceal itself. The zoo’s Dählhölzli forest setting is ideally suited to its herd of bison, which roams through a tailored 12-acre facility, observed by visitors from an elevated footbridge. Wiped out in the wild in 1919, the bison only exists through collaborative breeding and reintroduction efforts of zoos such as Bern’s.