The Guardian, All Creatures Great and Small

As the zoo celebrates its 200th birthday, photographer David Levene captures the people keeping their (sometimes very dangerous) patients healthy and happy. From sleeping lions to spitting snakes: a year in the life of London zoo vets. Photography by David Levene
All creatures great and small

As the zoo celebrates its 200th birthday, photographer David Levene captures the people keeping their (sometimes very dangerous) patients healthy and happy. From sleeping lions to spitting snakes: a year in the life of London zoo vets. Photography by David Levene As the zoo celebrates its 200th birthday, photographer David Levene captures the people keeping their (sometimes very dangerous) patients healthy and happy. From sleeping lions to spitting snakes: a year in the life of London zoo vets. Photography by David Levene

As the zoo celebrates its 200th birthday, photographer David Levene captures the people keeping their (sometimes very dangerous) patients healthy and happy. From sleeping lions to spitting snakes: a year in the life of London zoo vets. Photography by David Levene

Two-and-a-half years after a tiny embryo of an idea for a photo-essay about the vets of London Zoo first started to form deep in my head, I’m proud, pleased and relieved to finally see it thrust into the world thanks to Guardian Weekend magazine last Saturday (before a slightly larger online version launched on Sunday at www.theguardian.com). I spent almost a year just schmoozing the idea into existence, shot it throughout 2025 (Jan – Dec), before nearly drowning in edits for the past 4-ish months. Please have a look-see/read here and I’ll share some outtakes v soon