ZSL (Zoological Society of London),聽the international conservation charity behind London and Whipsnade Zoos, is today unveiling the trial of a new digital fundraising technology that will allow visitors to make effortless contactless donations to support the Zoo鈥檚 30,000 resident animals and their global conservation projects.
The partnership between聽ZSL聽and UK-based payments provider聽SumUp is a three-month trial which will see specially designed donation points installed at four locations across ZSL London Zoo, and three points soon to be available at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, will allow visitors to donate via contactless payment, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, in order to 鈥榝eed鈥� their favourite species.
Guests visiting the world-famous Zoo can find donation points at popular exhibits including Penguin Beach, Gorilla Kingdom, Land of the Lions at London. The donation options will allow visitors to select from a 鈥榙inner option鈥�, either 拢5 to feed five of ZSL鈥檚 Humboldt penguins their 鈥榝ish supper鈥� for a day, 拢5 to feed the Zoo鈥檚 gorilla troop a delicious 鈥榲eggie banquet鈥�, or 拢10 to help ZSL鈥檚 conservation efforts, including work safeguarding lions around the world.
This new technology solution is part of ZSL鈥檚 efforts to address the funding shortfall following the聽Coronavirus-enforced lockdown, which saw the two Zoos close for a total of 29 weeks, the longest duration since World War Two, meaning ZSL has lost millions of pounds worth of revenue.
More from News
- Meta Promised Unmatched Privacy For Muse 鈥� So How Did Researchers Crack It So Quickly?
- Digital Avatars Are Bringing Deceased Artists Back To The Stage 鈥� Where Do We Draw The Line?
- Can Europe Solve Its Critical Minerals Problem Fast Enough To Support Its Tech Ambitions?
- Google Has Agreed To A 拢260 Million Settlement: Who’s Eligible For Compensation?
- China Wants To Build A Third Global AI Bloc 鈥� What Does That Mean For Everyone?
- Advanced AI Society Joins the Linux Foundation And Launches Open Verification Ecosystem
- What Could Snap鈥檚 Partnerships With Big Tech Mean For The AR Industry?
- Why Did A Four-Year Bomb Threat Campaign Involving 500,000 Gmail Accounts Go Unchecked?
SumUp鈥檚 Executive Vice President for Europe, Alexander von Schirmeister聽comments: 鈥淭here is a lot that can be accomplished with the tap of a card, so naturally we鈥檙e delighted that we can turn our technology to helping ZSL and its visitors look after the incredible species in the Zoos and across the world. In these challenging times, it鈥檚 never been more important to support institutions helping to make a difference in the world, and that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e passionate about supporting聽ZSL with payment devices.鈥�
ZSL鈥檚 Director of Fundraising and Engagement, James Wren聽said: 鈥淶SL is focussed on protecting threatened species around the world, and our two Zoos are the perfect showcase and hub for our global work. Home to incredible species, many of which are Critically Endangered, or even Extinct-in-theWild, we know that seeing these animals up close inspires our visitors and members to do more for the natural world 鈥� be that changing their behaviour to be more environmentally friendly, or raising money to support our vital conservation work.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our hope that installing these simple-to-use donation points at our two Zoos will make it even easier for our visitors to take immediate action for wildlife 鈥� a quick tap will make a huge difference for wildlife.鈥�
Donation Points
The donation points, which comprise of a SumUp Air card reader enclosed within a CollecTin More device, include a touchscreen with two donation amounts for visitors to choose from – which can then be paid via tapping a card or smartphone on the device lid. SumUp鈥檚 expertise as a payment technology provider has been enlisted following their previous work with international charitable organisations such as The Church of England, Greenpeace, and Oxfam.
