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03:10

At first glance, it looks like a normal day at London Zoo. Penguins sunbathe and swim in a clear blue pool. Staff are on site, continuing to care for over 18,000 animals housed there.

But otherwise the zoo is silent, its gates closed to visitors for the past two months due to the coronavirus crisis. It is the first time the iconic zoo has shut since the World War II.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which runs London Zoo as well as the UK's biggest zoo, Whipsnade, is now facing a financial crisis.

"We're pretty much 100 percent reliant on visitors for the funds to come in," says ZSL director-general Dominic Jermey. "We are a charity, for our two zoos we don't receive any money from government.

"It is the ticket entry that our visitors pay and our members who are incredibly loyal and support us. It's what they pay that pays for the outstanding animal husbandry. And the conservation that we do from all around the world."

Lemurs at Colchester Zoo. /Dan Cawthorne/CGTN

ZSL spends around £1 million ($1.2 million) each month on food, care, medicine and shelter for the animals at both of its zoos. The organisation also invests heavily in conservation and science work, and is now dependent on donations to continue.

"We're appealing to the general public for funding and we've been delighted with the response, but we are hoping to see more donations," says Jermey. "We've had some incredibly generous donations. But we are appealing for more right now."

Zoos all around the UK are struggling with lockdown closures. Marwell Wildlife Park in Hampshire, also a charity, has taken out a loan to cover the high overheads.

"We've got a large exotic animal collection, over 2,000 animals here," says Marwell CEO James Cretney. "We've kept the entire animal team working. All our zookeepers are still here, our veterinary teams are available, the animal service guys who provide all the food and bedding they're still here. Obviously, for a place like Marwell, the welfare and the husbandry of our animals is first priority."

The problem for zoos like Marwell is that despite their popularity, many of their supporters have their own financial worries too.

"They support us, they love it here – we are their zoo, which is lovely, that sort of engagement," says Cretney.

"But, of course, we're at a time now where people have other things to worry about, their own incomes, their own livelihoods and there are a lot of other charities and causes that need support, like our own NHS, for example."

But there is good news emerging from zoos too, such as three cheetah cubs born last month at Colchester Zoo in Essex.

"The zoo is running a

Facebook fundraising competition

to name them. Fundraising is really important at the minute," says Angela Matthews, who is the head of Colchester Zoo's tiger section.

"As you can imagine, without any income coming through the gate it's very difficult to keep the zoo running. So all the fundraising that's been done so far has actually been crucial to keeping us going for this long."

Cheetah cub at Colchester Zoo. /Dan Cawthorne/CGTN

Many zoos like Colchester are running regular social media feeds to maintain public interest in their animals – baby lemurs, leopards and elephants are all proving popular online during lockdown.

Zoos hope that they will be able to reopen soon once the government gives the go-ahead. They believe social distancing will be possible to enforce in the open air. They also warn that the experience may not quite be the same as before – with limited ticket sales, smaller crowds and cafes possibly closed.

With debts mounting and some of the peak season for zoo visitors already passed, there are genuine concerns among zoo directors about keeping hungry mouths fed throughout the winter.