Zoos, it seems, are no longer just the venue for an unthinking gawk-fest to fill up a few voyeuristic hours in the holidays. These days, they are more likely to be highly sophisticated centres of learning, attuned to the curricular interests of schools and universities as well as having a hand in global animal husbandry and worldwide conservation projects that are right at the ecological cutting edge. Certainly, such is the case at Marwell zoological park near Winchester in Hampshire.

It’s now 30 years since the philanthropist John Knowles opened the gardens as a zoo in the vast grounds of the stately home once owned by an offshoot of the Boleyn family (of Tudor renown). Only in more recent years have zoos’ global conservation projects begun to take off: concerted efforts have been made to protect species threatened with extinction or even to reintroduce them into the wild. One special interest at Marwell has been the plight of the scimitar-horned oryx, which features on the zoo’s logo.

The oryx was hunted to extinction in the wild but was saved from complete disappearance through the breeding of the very few that remained in captivity. “Our department has responsibility for the genetic management of these animals in Europe,” says Tim Woodfine, Marwell’s head of conservation and wildlife management. “We run a stud book and make breeding recommendations - because if there are just a handful of animals in one institution, they will become inbred and suffer from genetic drift, so the idea is to co-ordinate the breeding effort.

“Since the mid-1980s, Marwell has been leading a reintroduction programme for the oryx in Tunisia’s national parks. And since then, the initiative has been co-ordinated with other European zoos and the Tunisian authorities to try to re-establish further populations there.”

Other important work is being undertaken in southern Africa. In Zimbabwe, for instance, there are projects in place to manage rhino and small antelope; the latter are not so well known but are now under threat from over-harvesting and habitat loss.

“We also have a mandate in Zimbabwe to look into the conflict between local landowners and the cheetah - to find ways for these big cats to live in harmony with the people in their environment,” Tim explains. To convey the conservation message, the education effort at Marwell has been stepped up in recent years. “We now have some 30,000 students a year visiting our education department - that’s about 10 per cent of our annual visitor numbers,” says Rebecca Turner, the head of education.

“We teach all groups - from four-year-olds right up to postgraduate students. Our main inroads into the curriculum would be under science, but there’s also a lot of scope for work in geography, art and drama, and we have a literacy and numeracy package that children enjoy, often as follow-up work when they return to school. We’re also developing education for sustainability and citizenship, a new area of the curriculum which teachers are often not confident about and in which we feel we have a lot to offer.”

The education centre at Marwell is a model lesson in conservation, built on strictly sustainable principles. It is made from softwoods, rather than tropical hardwoods.

There is a shingle roof and the floors are made of genuine linseed and jute linoleum. And the lights will even turn themselves off when people leave the study rooms.

But it’s not all exotica and gizmos. In the grounds nearby, visitors may notice some unmown and wild-looking patches of land, where native species are also being nurtured - because these are often under threat too.

Indeed, there is a little corner of Hampshire that is forever Dorset since a stretch of heath was rescued from the latter county and transported to Marwell to save the land from destruction by building development.

Here, the zoo’s conservation effort is focusing on some endangered British species such as sand lizards and the Natterjack toad, which are being bred here and gradually re-introduced to their true native habitats around southern England.

“While Marwell is running around the rest of the world putting conservation into practice, it’s right that we should be doing the same thing with our own wildlife as well,” says Tim.

“It’s not something everyone thinks about - especially when there are so many large, charismatic mammals here. What’s really important now is that people understand that by coming here they are supporting all kinds of really valuable conservation efforts as well as having a good day out.”

TAKE A TRIP

Marwell Zoological Park, Colden Common, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 1JH;01962 777835; www.marwell.org.ukPrice (includes an education session) pound;4.25. Reduced prices for schools in Portsmouth, Southampton and Hampshire LEAs. Carers for special needs pupils (one to one) admitted free. 16+ students from pound;5.25 to pound;8.50.