Film buffs wanted for London Zoo's film archive

Some reels are showing signs of so-called vinegar syndrome

The charity which runs London Zoo is seeking volunteers to identify material from hundreds of film reels discovered in its archive.

Zoological Society of London (ZSL), based in Regent's Park, near central London, wants film enthusiasts or history buffs to help access the content of these mystery films.

While most of the 200 reels are labelled with a cryptic name or a description, 20 are entirely unmarked.

Tina Campanella, ZSL's bicentenary project manager, said: "Delving into 200 years of history is no small task, and we've uncovered some fascinating artefacts - like a 1930s ostrich egg and polar bear-shaped soap souvenirs - but these films remain a reel mystery."

Is Chi-Chi the panda on tape?

She added: "With just one year to go until our 200th anniversary, we'd love to find out what's on these mystery reels.

"We have absolutely no idea what historical secrets they may hold, if any at all, so if someone out there is as intrigued as we are, and would like to help, please get in touch!"

Around 10% of the reels are unmarked

Some of the labelled reels hint at footage of Chi-Chi the panda - who resided at the zoo between 1958 and '72 - possible behavioural research of Congo, a chimpanzee and other scientific studies.

ZSL said some of the films were showing signs of vinegar syndrome - where the films become brittle, shrink and emit a vinegar-like odour - adding they wanted to act swiftly "before the valuable information they possess slips away forever".