About ZSL. ZSL Early Beginnings. What does ZSL do? Let s help to ensure their survival! Where does ZSL Work?

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1 Fundraising pack

2 About ZSL What does ZSL do? The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) undertakes a wide range of work beyond its two fantastic zoos in London and Whipsnade. It is important to us that the full extent of our work is understood so the public can recognise our vision and mission to protect the natural world. From our amazing conservation projects worldwide, to our world class scientific research, ZSL ensures the protection and future of endangered species. Unfortunately animals of all different species are losing their homes every day, and more and more are becoming extinct; however we hope within the next few years to decrease the number of endangered species and protect their environment. ZSL Early Beginnings ZSL opened in Throughout this time ZSL has been dedicated to worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL London Zoo houses have grown over the years to have a wonderful range of reptiles, fish, invertebrates, birds and mammals. With over 650 species at ZSL London Zoo, 112 are listed as threatened. ZSL London Zoo also participates in breeding programmes for 130 species. Please visit our website for lots more information: zsl.org Let s help to ensure their survival! Where does ZSL Work? From the national parks in Kenya to the forests of Bangladesh, ZSL really does work everywhere! Many people don t know it, but we have conservation projects running in 50 different countries across all seven continents! Along with focusing on our international projects, we have the much-loved ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo right here in the UK where already high standards of care are improved and research into breeding is pushed forward. We continue to lead the way in animal care.

3 Thank you for choosing to fundraise for the Lions400 campaign. Lions400 is the Zoological Society of London s (ZSL) campaign to secure the future of the majestic Asiatic lion, which clings to survival in only one isolated Indian forest. These lions are on the brink, and we can t let them disappear. The Asiatic lion is at crisis point. With only 400 left, they survive in one isolated forest in India where they are easy prey for poachers. Just one forest fire or disease epidemic could wipe this ancient species of lion out for ever. Asiatic lions are on the brink of extinction due to the risk of disease, disaster and vulnerability to poaching. They have outgrown their tiny pocket of forest and are increasingly having to wander into neighbouring areas where they risk being killed by trains, vehicles or frightened villagers. But we believe that there is still time to turn things around for the Asiatic lion, and that this incredible animal can be protected and thrive again. It s now or never for lions, and for us it has it to be now.

4 What will ZSL do: To help secure the future of the majestic Asian lion, ZSL conservationists will work in the field in India, collaborating with Indian and international conservation agencies: Preparing Indian communities around forest expansion: Some of the lions living in the Gir Forest will be encouraged to expand their range into a new area of forest being prepared in the same region of India, to increase numbers and dispersal to minimise the risk of disease or natural disaster wiping out the population. The Gir Forest is at capacity for the 400 lions living there and in recent years more and more lions have started wandering outside the forest into unsafe territory in search of food. ZSL will play a key role in ensuring that a new forest being given protected status is a safe place for the lions to move, by working with local communities who have not previously come into contact with lions. This community engagement will focus on work with schools and womens groups. Providing technology: ZSL has developed leading conservation technology that is currently either in use, or being tested in Africa and Asia. We plan to extend this technology, which allows realtime data to be available directly to forest rangers, to the custodians of the Gir Forest. With this technology, combined with a unique lion hotline set up by ZSL, the forest ranger rapid response team will be able to act immediately on problems and maintain the harmony of the forest with the community that lives in and around it. Providing veterinary training: We will begin a vet exchange programme to train forest rangers and the Gir lion rescue team in the latest and best disease surveillance techniques and veterinary procedures. This will allow them access to cutting edge techniques learned from our zoo breeding populations that can be applied to ensure wild lions can be treated successfully. We will also send our expert vets to India to run accessible veterinary training courses for trainee rangers. In the long term there is potential to assist with a vaccination programme to protect a proportion of the lion population from disease threat. Land of the Lions: Building a breeding facility with combined visitor experience at ZSL London Zoo that will engage and inspire visitors to support us in our bid to save the Asian lion. Using inventive and original ways to bring the story of the Asian lion and the communities who live in and around the Gir Forest to life, we aim to provide visitors with an exceptional experience that will stay with them long after their visit ends.

5 Key facts There are only 400 Asian lions in the wild, and they only live in the Gir Forest, India, in an area that is smaller than Greater London. Asian lions are slightly smaller than African lions. Unlike African lions, the males do not tend to live with the females of their pride unless they re mating or have a large kill. Asian lions used to range from Turkey, across Asia, to eastern India, but the rise of firearms across the world meant that they were hunted to near-extinction The male Asiatic lion has a relatively short, sparse and darker mane compared to the fuller mane of the African lion. As a result, the male Asiatic lion s ears tend to remain visible at all times. The most distinguishing characteristic of the Asiatic lion is the longitudinal fold of skin that runs along its belly. This is absent in African lions. Today, the remaining wild lions are vulnerable to disease, disaster and potential poaching, and have to live alongside a growing human population that also needs the land for cattle and crops. Conservation status The Asian lion population has recovered from the brink of extinction to 411 individuals (2010 census). They occupy remnant forest habitats in the two hill systems of Gir and Girnar that comprise Gujarat s largest tracts of dry deciduous forest, thorny forest and savanna. Five protected areas currently exist to protect the Asian lion: Gir Sanctuary, Gir National Park and Pania Sanctuary to form the Gir Conservation Area (GCA) covering an area of 20,000 km2 of forest representing the core habitat for the Asiatic lion. The other two wildlife sanctuaries, Mitiyala and Girnar, protect satellite areas within dispersal distance of the Gir Conservation Area. An additional sanctuary is being established in the nearby Barda forest to serve as an alternative home for Gir lions. Factors which are threats to the Gir PA and lion conservation identified as encroachment, forest fire, natural calamities, grazing, collection of fuelwood, Non-timber forest produce (NTFP), poaching, tourism, religious pilgrimage and accidental lion deaths due to human causes. Currently the Gir landscape is witnessing an unprecedented change of traditional land-use patterns owing to agroindustrial developments and urban sprawl. Lions in the human dominated landscape are long ranging, even venturing inside villages at night for food. But they need specific day time habitat patches (refuge sites) so as to avoid conflicts. Such patches are characterized by mostly grasslands, Acacia patches, Prosopis juliflora patches and orchards. Since the land ownership of these crucial habitat patches are complex and largely private owned, they are likely to succumb fast to such development induced habitat alterations thereby threatening the metapopulation dynamics of the lions in future.

6 Fundraising dos and don ts Charities are governed by lots of different rules and regulations and below you will find some basic guidelines that you need to bear in mind when organising your fundraising activity. If you have any queries, please contact ZSL s Community Events team at fundraisingevents@zsl.org Further information can also be found at the following websites: In aid of ZSL Thank you for raising funds for ZSL. Recently published guidelines mean that we need to ensure that our supporters understand that they are raising funds in aid of ZSL, but don t represent ZSL. Please do not talk about ZSL policies or stance on specific issues (for example in press releases, in publicity or other materials for your event). Any enquiries should be referred to ZSL s Community Events team. ZSL Logo Please contact the Community Events team if you wish to use the ZSL logo. Our team can send you the correct logo. Please do not use the ZSL logo on any materials you create yourself without approval from ZSL. Insurance Please remember that you are responsible for the activity and for making sure that it is run safely and legally. ZSL cannot accept any liability or responsibility for anything that might happen to people or property as a result of your fundraising activity. If you are planning an event that involves the general public in any way you ll need to budget for public liability insurance, which can be obtained from any insurer. If you are holding the event in a place which has liability insurance (such as a school or community centre etc), you should check with them what cover, if any, is available under their insurance and whether or not you need to arrange extra cover. Collecting money If you want to collect donations at your event, please be aware that public collections do need specific permission and licences, depending on the venue. We don t advise that you ever collect money door-todoor or as part of a street collection, as it s illegal to do so without a licence. For your own protection, if at all possible, make sure that you count collected monies with another person present and have them verify the total amount raised. Ask people who want to make a donation by cheque to make it payable to the Zoological Society of London rather than to you personally. Make sure any coins and notes donated are kept in a secure place and is banked as soon as possible, then write a cheque to the Zoological Society of London for this amount to avoid sending cash in the post. Any expenses to be received from your event should only be deducted with the prior agreement of ZSL. Ensure all funds that you have raised are returned to ZSL within 30 days of your event. Take care ZSL cannot accept responsibility for accidents, so please follow these simple principles to make sure that everyone s safe while they are raising money. Contact the British Red Cross or St John s Ambulance if you feel that first aiders are necessary. Always ensure that children are safe and that you do not allow them to ask for or collect money without an adult. Nobody should carry out fundraising in an unsafe environment, so assess any risks involved and make sure that those risks are eliminated or minimised, both for yourself and your helpers and for participants. If you are going to carry money around, take care with your personal security. Always use a safe route, take someone else with you and carry a personal alarm. If you hire anybody to help organise your event, or use facilities provided by a third party, make sure that they have suitable experience and their own insurance. Finally, remember that your activity if carried out within the work-place must comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, as well as all relevant legislation since. See gov.uk Food If you want to offer or sell food to the public, you should check with the environmental health department of your local council to see which food safety laws apply. Lotteries and raffles Legally, lotteries and raffles are defined in the same way and the same rules apply to both. There are three types of lottery: Private lotteries If you hold a raffle at your workplace or club, there s no need to obtain a licence. This is the type of lottery we recommend, since it is easy to run and isn t legally complex. Just make sure that the raffle is only offered on the premises. You must make it clear who is running the raffle. Small lotteries If you hold a raffle as part of an event, but not the main focus of your event, you can also run it without a licence. With this type of lottery, there can t be any cash prizes and both the ticket sales and the announcement of the results must take place during the event. No more than 250 can be spent on buying prizes, but no limits apply to the value of donated goods. Public lotteries If you hold a larger raffle that is open to members of the public, it must be registered with the local council. Due to the legal issues and extra complexity, we suggest that you avoid organising this type of raffle. Please note that ZSL cannot supply prizes for lotteries and raffles.

7 Fundraising for Lions 400 Your name Date and type of event Your full address (incuding postcode, address and phone number) Every 1 means 1.25 to us if you tick the box for Gift Aid. ZSL can claim tax on every sponsorship donation and get 25% more funds without costing you a penny extra. Please tick the box so we can claim your Gift Aid and fill in your full name, home address and postcode. Please note that you have to had paid an amount of income tax or capital gains tax equal to the tax that we claim on your sponsorship. Paid Full name Full Home Address Post code Amount Gift Aid Susan Sample 12 Sample Road, London (please ensure you give us the full address so that we can claim Gift Aid) AB12 CDE (please ensure you give us the post code so that we can claim Gift Aid) 15.00

8 Paid Full name Full Home Address Post code Amount Gift Aid If you fill this up, please feel free to photocopy.

9 Make your sponsorship go even further Giving under Gift Aid means that so much more money can be raised at no extra cost to our donors. All we need you to do on your sponsorship form is; Write your full name. Complete your home address. Write down how much you are giving to the Lions 400 campaign so we know how much Gift Aid to claim. Complete the date of your donation so that we can validate your Gift Aid. Only donate individually. For example we wouldn t be able to Gift Aid a donation from Mr and Mrs Smith as we need to know who the tax payer is. Once you have read the Gift Aid declaration, tick the box to say you are happy for us to claim back the tax on your donation.

10 What to do with your sponsorship By Post Complete our sponsorship form and return to: Community Events Team Development Department ZSL Regents Park London NW1 4RY Cheques Please make cheques payable to the Zoological Society of London and send to the address above, along with your sponsorship form. Donate online As well as using a paper sponsorship form, you can set up an online fundraising page at justgiving.com/zsl. This is a great way to get your friends to sponsor you straight away online so you don t need to collect any money after your event. Photos We love to see people fundraising for us, so if you are able to send us a photo that we can use on our website please to fundraisingevents@zsl.org. Acknowledgments and incentives As a thank you to everyone fundraising for our Lions 400 campaign, we will send you a thank you letter and an update on the progress of our campaign. If you re fundraising as a group or workplace, let us know and we can send you a team certificate which you can proudly display together. Gift Aid The Government allows charities to claim back tax on donations from UK tax payers. For every 1 sponsored, we can claim an extra 25p back. Please encourage family and friends to tick the Gift Aid box on the sponsorship form and remember to send in the sponsorship forms after the event.