The centre at London Zoo in Regent's Park, central London, is being funded by an anonymous donation that is the biggest in conservation charity ZSL's 200-year history. It will bring veterinary science to the public with the UK's first vet hospital viewing gallery for visitors.
The poem opens as the world sleeps, and the moon slides in under the turnstile after dark, moves in a silent arc at an ancient pace, dabs its ointment on the gibbon's paw, nitpicks its way through the troop of gorillas, smooths the silverback's fur.
To celebrate its bicentenary, London Zoo is launching a programme of monthly history tours that delve into two centuries of animals, architecture and scientific discovery. The guided walks are included as a free extra with a paid Zoo visit and run on a rotating theme throughout the year, allowing visitors to choose tours that match their particular interests in the Zoo's long and varied past.
They'll take on the role of a ZSL conservationist - horticulturalist, scientist or zookeeper - at the zoo within a zoo as they spend their session working their 'jobs' and playing with over 1,000 toys (a lot of which are admittedly zebra poo balls) including 63 cuddly animals - from parrots to komodo dragons - that have had microchips specially fitted by the zoo vets.