Join our award-winning online short course to learn more about animal behaviour, animal welfare and enrichment and the role zoos can play in conservation, all from the comfort of your own home using our live webcams at Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park!

Please note: this programme is specifically for people aged 19+. If you’re aged 16-18 and still interested, click here for our 16-18 enrolment!

Discover amazing topics!

·         Ethology (animal behaviour research)

·         Conservation

·         Animal welfare

·         Zoo enclosure design

·         Interpretation design

This fully online programme involves around 25 hours of learning activities including interactive games, forums, videos, presentations and virtual assessments, with live research opportunities using our animal webcams from Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park.

What will you achieve?

There are five fun and informally assessed tasks throughout the programme for you to work on in your own time. If you submit all five pieces of work, you will receive our unique Zoo Environment Behavioural Research Award (ZEBRA) to enhance your CV.

Learn in your own time

Zoo Studies has been designed to fit into a single working week and involves about 25 hours of learning. Your voucher purchase gives you access to the programme materials for 4 months so you can go through at your own pace.

Enrolment onto the programme takes place at the first of every month. If you’re not ready to start yet or buying a ticket on behalf on someone else, let us know and we can help you plan the programme into your year to time with specific holidays, after your exams or as soon as possible!

Who is this programme for?

This programme is specifically designed for students aged 19+. If you’re aged 16-18 and still interested, check out our 16-18 enrolment here!

The programme takes place entirely online on our Zoo Digital Learning Environment ZOOdle. You will need access to an internet-enabled device and speakers or headphones to take part. Programme tutors will be available should you need any additional support.

No prior knowledge in any of the areas is needed but a keen interest in animals and conservation helps!

Terms and Conditions:

Vouchers are non-refundable but may be transferred if bought on behalf of someone else before enrolment onto the programme.

Each voucher allows for one person aged 19+ years to be enrolled onto the Zoo Studies programme on the first day of their chosen month.

The enrolled participant must be aged 19+ years for safeguarding and data protection reasons. To learn more about how we use your data at RZSS, please see our privacy policy.

Our team will reach out to the email address associated with your purchase to arrange access to our Zoo Digital Learning Environment, including allowing you to choose your preferred enrolment month and to transfer the voucher if required.

Access to the programme materials will last for four months from the time of enrolment.

Where the programme involves the use of online forums, the use of threatening, abusive or insulting words will not be tolerated and will result in removal from the programme without refund.

All programme content is copyright of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland unless otherwise stated and any sharing/copying of materials beyond reasonable use for personal learning is prohibited.

All work you submit to the programme remains your own intellectual property.

All five informal assessment tasks must be completed by the end of your four-month enrolment in order to receive your ZEBRA award. Awards will be delivered via email to the address of the participant after confirmation of completion.