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London Zoo’s closure was postponed at a meeting of the Zoological Society
Council earlier this week, following the gift of £1 million from
the Emir of Kuwait. The zoo’s management decided to suspend the issue of
redundancy notices for at least 90 days. On the original closure timetable
the zoo staff should have received the notices last week.

The zoo’s management is now looking at the feasibility of three rescue
plans: the London Zoo Survival Group wants a more conservation-centred approach,
New Zoo Developments is offering a £61-million plan and the management
is looking again at ways to make the zoo break even.

The society’s president Sir John Chapple said that the zoo had received
an outline proposal from New Zoo Developments. He said that planning for
closure would continue. The Kuwait gift ‘does not solve the underlying (financial)
problem. What it does is to keep in play the other people who have shown
an interest.’ He said that he expected the zoo to ake the final decision
in September.

New Zoo Developments said it was prepared to finance a £500 000
study of the commercial viability of its plans in return for a ‘binding
agreement’. A spokesman declined to elaborate: ‘We won’t be saying any more
until everything is signed and sealed.