Blog: Skins, tissues, feathers and furs – biobank volunteering at ZSL

ZSL Biobank volunteer, Emma Cornwell, tell us all about her work getting up close to artifacts and the challenges of identifying frozen, dry and wet specimens in the name of science.

For the past year I have been getting up close and personal with ZSL’s invaluable, if a little weird and wonderful, specimen collection. Built up over the last 40 years, the ZSL collection includes tissue biopsies from animals with unusual diseases, zoological objects seized by regulatory authorities and specimens from threatened species from various parts of the world. Aware of the value that the impressive collection has for education, research, and ultimately biodiversity conservation, the staff at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, helped by a group of enthusiastic volunteers, created the first ZSL biobank in 2022.

Why did I become a biobank volunteer?

Passionate about wildlife, conservation and the heritage sectors, how I had ended up studying microbiology and working in research labs followed by clinical trials had always puzzled me. However, lockdown followed by a period of extended maternity leave created the drive and the perfect opportunity for me to become involved in a project that totally aligned with my interests and would let my inner zoologist come to the surface!

Joining as a volunteer meant there would be flexibility to fit in other commitments and also that I would be part of a wonderful, dedicated and diverse team of people. A year in and I am so glad I joined the ZSL biobank project; I have found it to be a unique blend of natural history curatorial work, wildlife conservation and lab work, all set against the backdrop of ZSL London Zoo so you can visit the penguins on your lunch break - who wouldn’t want to volunteer?!

Day-to-day as a volunteer

The ultimate aim of the ZSL biobank is to identify, catalogue, process and store zoological specimens and samples to make them available to the wider research community, but what do volunteers do on a day-to-day basis? Since the project is in its early stages, the first step is to perform an audit of all the samples in ZSL’s three main collections (dry, wet and frozen). We work in pairs (one handler and one scribe) and examine each specimen/ sample, identifying any care needs (e.g., leaking sample tubes, tears in animal skins) or storage needs (transfer to smaller tubes or to airtight containers), compare the item and its unique identifier to the database entry (or create a new record entry) and photograph it.

Auditing frozen collections presents more of a challenge as they are not always adequately labelled, may come with little or no associated data, and may belong to researchers who have now left ZSL. In these cases, we try to obtain as much information as possible from the samples and then perform some detective work to match them to a project and/or researcher. Once a collection has been properly catalogued and the correct permissions are in place, the samples and associated data can be entered into the biobank and their immense value unlocked for future research.

My favourite collection

ZSL’s dry specimen collection, something akin to a miniature Natural History Museum, is a spectacular array of bones, feathers, taxidermy, shells, furs, skins, eggs and much more. The collection is so unique as it comprises many illegal items seized from the Metropolitan Police and Border Force, such as whole lion or tiger skin rugs, bags and shoes made from the skin of endangered species of snakes, and traditional Chinese medicine components like dried seahorses. Equally, ZSL is sent items from members of the public, such as fur coats they have inherited and 1970s bird egg collections they have stumbled upon in their attic. Whilst it is sad to consider the unjust fate of these creatures and that these illegal practices are still happening today, we like to think that the biobank gives them a new lease of life; specimens can be used for education programmes run by ZSL’s Community and Learning Team, public engagement with science events and talks, and even art projects, such as the recent collaboration with the therapeutic art programme Refugia.

A bird egg collection donated to the ZSL Biobank dry collection. Photo: ZSL

I have enjoyed every minute of volunteering for the ZSL biobank project! Not only have I got to handle some rare and beautiful zoological specimens, I have learnt so much from ZSL about wildlife conservation and curation and made some wonderful volunteer friends! There is no better time to volunteer and to get involved in biobanking for biodiversity! Or, just take a walk through monkey valley and get to know the Colobus monkeys!

By Emma Cornwell, ZSL biobank volunteer

Discover more about volunteering at ZSL by clicking here

All blogs reflect the views of their author and are not a reflection of BIAZA's positions.