The 'Zoo Lates' events, at which around 6,000 partygoers descend on the Zoo to "party with the animals" raise up to £800,000 a year to fund the zoo's work, according to The Guardian. But critics say the zoo is putting the welfare of animals at risk by allowing drinking and noisy crowds near the enclosures until 10pm.
London Zoo confirmed that a member of the public threw beer into the tiger enclosure, which hit a male tiger. Staff also had to intervene when a member of the public started to undress before trying to get in and swim in the penguin pool - but Zoo staff confirmed that they were stopped before they made it into the water.
One incident, which the Zoo could not verify but was allegedly witnessed by a Guardian reporter, saw an attendee approach a zookeeper to ask "which penguin can I fight" and another zookeeper told a colleague some people were getting "a bit touchy feely" with the baby penguins.
A spokesperson for London Zoo said: "The animals' welfare is the number one priority for (London Zoo operators) ZSL. We send out guidelines to people attending, and don't allow alcohol to be brought on site. "We have staff on site to make sure everyone has a good time," she continued, "but the animals come first."
The summer events, with tickets costing up to £35, are very popular and sell out well in advance.
Zoo Lates marketing describes the events as an "after-work start to the weekend with a difference [with] over 60,000 [people] partying with penguins, tigers and lions in the heart of central London."
Scientist and presenter of Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies Dr James Logan, took to Twitter after he attended the event and was concerned at what he saw.
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