Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo news 2024

The Penguin Parade is currently postponed due to the ongoing risks associated with avian influenza.

Penguin Awareness Day 2024 | Edinburgh Zoo

Given the fact that avian influenza isn't going to go away, the fact the parade has already been on hiatus for this long, and the likelihood that they will now be saving rather a lot of insurance money not having the penguins and public risk coming into contact, I rather suspect that in this case "postponed" is a euphemism for "we have no intention of ever resuming the parade but having now lost the giant pandas don't want the visitor backlash from ever actually saying so" :rolleyes:
 
I visited today for the first time in 2024 and noticed the following:

The Cape Porcupines are off show as their enclosure is undergoing maintenance.

There were demolition signs on the wooden walkway up to the closed viewing platform(?) beside the porcupines overlooking the Crowned Lemurs.
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The grasslands restaurant was closed with work being carried out on the roof.

The 2 new Drills are on show and in with the existing 3 Drills. In the indoor section the blinds were up at the red panda side (I’ve never seen them up before)
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Construction work has started on the upgraded Gelada enclosure, there are some new logs, the makings of a potential cave/shelter/water feature and 2 new glass viewing platforms are being constructed. The Gelada’s were in there holding pen.
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No sign of the Agouti and all previous signage had been removed.

Theres new signage along the bottom of the Visayan Warty Pig, similar style to the new Flamingo signage.

The Bagot goats which were next to the Kangaroo/wallaby walkway look to have moved back to the there main enclosure.

Ground work has started on the new Zebra enclosure with some newly planted trees.

I have to the say the middle and then the upper right hand side of the zoo is now looking rather empty with multiple empty enclosures, it would be interesting to see any sort of masterplan from the zoo but they seem to keep there cards close to there heads.
 
I visited today for the first time in 2024 and noticed the following:

The Cape Porcupines are off show as their enclosure is undergoing maintenance.

There were demolition signs on the wooden walkway up to the closed viewing platform(?) beside the porcupines overlooking the Crowned Lemurs.
thumbnail-IMG-7690.jpg


The grasslands restaurant was closed with work being carried out on the roof.

The 2 new Drills are on show and in with the existing 3 Drills. In the indoor section the blinds were up at the red panda side (I’ve never seen them up before)
thumbnail-IMG-7696.jpg


Construction work has started on the upgraded Gelada enclosure, there are some new logs, the makings of a potential cave/shelter/water feature and 2 new glass viewing platforms are being constructed. The Gelada’s were in there holding pen.
thumbnail-IMG-7687.jpg

thumbnail-IMG-7688.jpg

No sign of the Agouti and all previous signage had been removed.

Theres new signage along the bottom of the Visayan Warty Pig, similar style to the new Flamingo signage.

The Bagot goats which were next to the Kangaroo/wallaby walkway look to have moved back to the there main enclosure.

Ground work has started on the new Zebra enclosure with some newly planted trees.

I have to the say the middle and then the upper right hand side of the zoo is now looking rather empty with multiple empty enclosures, it would be interesting to see any sort of masterplan from the zoo but they seem to keep there cards close to there heads.
I believe the drill part is already established but everything else is very interesting, especially the gelada developments which could really help improve the enclosure’s poor viewing options

Is the new zebra enclosure at the top of the zoo?


Also, welcome to ZC!
 
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I believe the drill part is already established but everything else is very interesting, especially the gelada developments which could really help improve the enclosure’s poor viewing options

Is the new zebra enclosure at the top of the zoo?


Also, welcome to ZC!
Thank you.

Yes across from the Giraffe and the Przewalski's Horses exhibits, the field the Vicuña had been using since its arrival.
 
Thank you.

Yes across from the Giraffe and the Przewalski's Horses exhibits, the field the Vicuña had been using since its arrival.
Thats where its going dont know why I was thinking it was the old camel enclosure. Whats happening to that does anyone know?
 
I visited today for the first time in 2024 and noticed the following:

The Cape Porcupines are off show as their enclosure is undergoing maintenance.

There were demolition signs on the wooden walkway up to the closed viewing platform(?) beside the porcupines overlooking the Crowned Lemurs.
thumbnail-IMG-7690.jpg


The grasslands restaurant was closed with work being carried out on the roof.

The 2 new Drills are on show and in with the existing 3 Drills. In the indoor section the blinds were up at the red panda side (I’ve never seen them up before)
thumbnail-IMG-7696.jpg


Construction work has started on the upgraded Gelada enclosure, there are some new logs, the makings of a potential cave/shelter/water feature and 2 new glass viewing platforms are being constructed. The Gelada’s were in there holding pen.
thumbnail-IMG-7687.jpg

thumbnail-IMG-7688.jpg

No sign of the Agouti and all previous signage had been removed.

Theres new signage along the bottom of the Visayan Warty Pig, similar style to the new Flamingo signage.

The Bagot goats which were next to the Kangaroo/wallaby walkway look to have moved back to the there main enclosure.

Ground work has started on the new Zebra enclosure with some newly planted trees.

I have to the say the middle and then the upper right hand side of the zoo is now looking rather empty with multiple empty enclosures, it would be interesting to see any sort of masterplan from the zoo but they seem to keep there cards close to there heads.
Apologies for my ignorance, but is this Gelada enclosure going to be on the same site as the original one, or a new location elsewhere in the zoo (your second photo looks very different to the enclosure I saw when I visited two years ago)?
 
Thanks for your post & the photos, I don’t suppose anyone has been able to see what’s changed with the panda enclosure?

I’d like to know if theyve kept the gates / wooden panda statue (I’d assume not) they really seem quite adamant to move on now, it’s a shame, the gift shop no longer sell anything panda related either.
 
I've never seen the exhibit at Edinburgh. The photos I've found show a fairly high wall around it. Does anyone have ideas for what could be safely housed in there without major modification? Likely not secure for primates, cats etc?
 
I've never seen the exhibit at Edinburgh. The photos I've found show a fairly high wall around it. Does anyone have ideas for what could be safely housed in there without major modification? Likely not secure for primates, cats etc?
Just a theoretical idea of mine but maybe another species of bear such as European Brown? This enclosure (if I’m not mistaken) was created purely for Pandas, so having a bear replace them will mean not too much change (Apart from theming and size maybe)?
 
Just a theoretical idea of mine but maybe another species of bear such as European Brown? This enclosure (if I’m not mistaken) was created purely for Pandas, so having a bear replace them will mean not too much change (Apart from theming and size maybe)?

It was speculated for quite sometime that it was going to be another bear, particularly a moon bear but that seems a bit more unlikely now.

I guess we will have to wait and see, but it would be a good enclosure for most bears or maybe something like a wolverine or wolves, although they are at the HWP.
 
Just a theoretical idea of mine but maybe another species of bear such as European Brown? This enclosure (if I’m not mistaken) was created purely for Pandas, so having a bear replace them will mean not too much change (Apart from theming and size maybe)?
I know Memphis are going to have to modify to hold another larger mammal outdoors and I bet Atlanta Zoo will have it harder. Pandas are not as athletic as most bears and especially at latter zoo I can't imagine what larger species would stay in those spaces plus they are built on steep hill which makes them unsuitable for cranes and small hoofstock. Inside areas are easier, currently Memphis has red pandas and clouded leopards. Plus the spaces are relatively small
 
Visited briefly today.

- Supposedly the crowned lemurs are opposite the drill enclosure at the moment since their enclosure is next to the demolition site, I’m thinking they’re probably in the small cage which formerly held parrots and also stump tailed macaques before, though I didn’t get to see them.

- The demolition has made progress with most of the walls on the top section gone now.

- There is a huge pile of wood just outside of magic forest with barriers around it, which has signs on it with it saying the east side of living links is closed, but they were turned over, so I think you can now.

Hopefully I will be able to visit again in the February Holidays so might have more news soon.
 
Visited briefly today.

- Supposedly the crowned lemurs are opposite the drill enclosure at the moment since their enclosure is next to the demolition site, I’m thinking they’re probably in the small cage which formerly held parrots and also stump tailed macaques before, though I didn’t get to see them.

- The demolition has made progress with most of the walls on the top section gone now.

Is that the demolition of the monkey house?
 
Edinburgh won't keep going for long that comes from a keeper friend can't say much more but loads of keepers moving or walking
 
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