London Zoo has launched its first ever public fundraising appeal in its 186-year history to help save a species of endangered tigers.

The campaign, Tiger SOS, aims to raise £2m by 2013 to develop a conservation and breeding centre in London Zoo for Sumatran tigers, of which only 300 remain in the wild. The centre will be five times the size of the current tiger enclosure.

Money raised through Tiger SOS will also be used in the wild to increase anti-poaching patrols in Indonesia, helping to fight against the trade in tiger skins and body parts, and fund the creation of wildlife corridors in tigers’ increasingly fragmented habitats.

A London Zoo spokeswoman said the charity would target individual donors, corporate sponsors and visitors to the zoo.