London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828,[6] and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847.[5] Today it houses a collection of 758 species of animals, with 16,802 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom.[7] The zoo is sometimes called Regent's Zoo.