A competition between zoos is heating up to crown an animal champion

Who will win - a Paddington-looking bear or a humble harvest mouse? How about a Somali wild ass or a lumpsucker fish?  

This week [27 March 2024], several British and Irish zoos and aquariums have nominated a ‘champion animal’ to be part of a bracket competition, open to public vote.  

The prize? The honour of a World Animal Day – something many well-known animals have, like World Giraffe Day on June the 21st and Penguins Awareness Day on January the 20th. But there are numerous animals which are relatively unknown to the general public, and greatly deserving of recognition.  

That’s why BIAZA (the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums), who has organised the competition, promises to celebrate the winning animal every year from 2025, getting as many people and organisations involved as possible.  

The heated competition doesn’t just feature overlooked creatures, but ones in desperate need of help. For Knowsley Safari’s submission, the Somali wild ass, only 200 remain in the wild due to increased hunting and limited access to water and food. Urgent action is needed for them before it’s too late.  

Vote Harvest Mice! 

Amongst the categories, is the Harvest Mouse, a species nominated by Woburn Safari Park's Catherine Doherty, Head of Animal Encounters, who is the BIAZA Species monitor for Eurasian harvest mice. 

Cat says: "Harvest mice are a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species having undergone rapid decline nationwide. The 1st of November is a great day to celebrate these diminutive native species, as it's the perfect time to survey for wild harvest mouse nests."

Click here to vote!

All eight shortlisted species are housed in certain British and Irish zoos and aquariums, who work to conserve many of them and their wild habitats. The shortlist is as follows:   

• Andean bear – 25th June (Paddington’s birthday!) - Submitted by Northumberland Zoo, & supported by Chester Zoo, Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm and Knowsley Safari. A rare bear species from South America that zoos are working to conserve. 
• Somali Wild Ass – 18^th July - The 200th day of the year. Estimates suggest there are only 200 mature individuals left. Submitted by Knowsley Safari.  
• Scimitar horned oryx – 16th August- An antelope that until recently was Extinct in the Wild. Submitted by Marwell Zoo.  
• White Clawed Crayfish - The first Wednesday of August, traditionally ‘Kräftskiva’ (crayfish party) in Sweden – submitted by Wildheart Trust & Flamingoland. Zoos are working to restore this rare native crustacean.  
• Lumpsucker – 7th October, one day before National Resilience Day. Submitted by Galway Atlantaquaria. Numbers of this native fish have declined in recent decades due to a fishing, bycatch and habitat destruction. 
• Songbirds – 5th May – Submitted by Birdworld. A group which bring such joy across the world, yet so many species are Endangered or Critically Endangered. 
• Harvest Mouse – 1st November – Submitted by Woburn Safari Park. A native species to the UK, the only British mammal to have a prehensile tail and a Biodiversity Action Plan species. 1 November is the perfect time to survey for wild harvest mouse nests! 
• Lungfish – 4th October – Nominated by Lakeland Wildlife Oasis. The 4th of October represents the oldest known fossil dates for lungfish back 410 million years ago.  

Marwell Zoo’s submission, the scimitar-horned oryx, tells a story of hope. Without the intervention of zoos this species would have likely disappeared forever in the 1990’s. Therefore, this competition not only gives the spotlight to lesser-known animals, but also the nature’s unsung heroes in the zoo and aquarium world.  

Dr Jo Judge the CEO of BIAZA said: “Our fun competition has a serious message. We need to appreciate all aspects of nature from the very largest and memorable to the small and forgotten. Nature is in crisis and it needs our help.”  

The competition is held for BIAZA’s annual Love Your Zoo week (May 27 – 31), which celebrates all the hard work zoos and aquariums do for people and nature, with this year’s theme being ‘Animal Champions.’ 

Jo continues; “Visitors to zoo and aquarium will know about zebras and lions and sharks, but behind the scenes our member zoos and aquariums are equally dedicated to the little-known species that make up the majority of life on the planet.”  

This bracket competition is open to public vote, starting on Monday the 27^th of May with Rounds 1 and 2. This features Andean bears, Somali wild ass, scimitar-horned oryx and white-clawed crayfish.  

This is followed by Rounds 3 and 4 on Tuesday 28^th May, which will pit lumpsuckers, songbirds, harvest mice, and lungfish against one another.  

 You can learn about the nominees and cast your vote via the BIAZA website