Edinburgh Zoo Director suspended

As a member of RZSS there are a number of things I am very unhappy about:

1) I am yet to be informed by the Society that our CEO has retired
2) I am yet to be informed by the Society that an Interim CEO was appointed
3) I am yet to be informed by Society what the recruitment process is to replace our CEO
4) I am yet to be informed by the Society that our Treasurer stood down in February
5) I am yet to be informed by the Society that our Director of Development has either resigned or been sacked
6) I am yet to be informed by the Society that they have suspended our Interim CEO
7) I am yet to be informed by the Society that they have suspended our Director of Animals, Education, Conservation & Research

All 7 points above I have read in the press

I have now received one letter from the Chairman advising that 'following a request by members', an Emergency General Meeting has been arranged for Thursday 12th May to discuss 'recent happenings' within the Society

I can assure you that I have several questions to be asked of our Chairman and our President on Thursday
 
glasgowanimal said:
As a member of RZSS there are a number of things I am very unhappy about:

1) I am yet to be informed by the Society that our CEO has retired
2) I am yet to be informed by the Society that an Interim CEO was appointed
3) I am yet to be informed by Society what the recruitment process is to replace our CEO
4) I am yet to be informed by the Society that our Treasurer stood down in February
5) I am yet to be informed by the Society that our Director of Development has either resigned or been sacked
6) I am yet to be informed by the Society that they have suspended our Interim CEO
7) I am yet to be informed by the Society that they have suspended our Director of Animals, Education, Conservation & Research

All 7 points above I have read in the press

I have now received one letter from the Chairman advising that 'following a request by members', an Emergency General Meeting has been arranged for Thursday 12th May to discuss 'recent happenings' within the Society

I can assure you that I have several questions to be asked of our Chairman and our President on Thursday
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It is a great shame it has come to this situation, and that it has all been conducted without any proper communication with its staff or members makes it even worse. However it is not as uncommon as people might think, remember the London Zoo crisis (obviously the root of the problems were not the same) but this kind of zoo management turmoil does go on, often behind closed doors, most of it never becomes public knowledge.
 
Nanook said:
...kind of zoo management turmoil does go on, often behind closed doors, most of it never becomes public knowledge.
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Unless someone writes a book about it, as they did about Lowry Park Zoo and their controversial former director. (Very headstrong, got a lot of improvements done at the zoo, but made a lot of enemies. Sounds very similar to the situation at Edinburgh).
 
Nanook said:
It is a great shame it has come to this situation, and that it has all been conducted without any proper communication with its staff or members makes it even worse. However it is not as uncommon as people might think, remember the London Zoo crisis (obviously the root of the problems were not the same) but this kind of zoo management turmoil does go on, often behind closed doors, most of it never becomes public knowledge.
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Do you think the public would take any interest in this whatsoever without the pandas on their way? Somehow I doubt that, it would be just like any other organisation with its internal issues. London Zoo's crisis was widely covered twenty odd years ago (even outside the UK) but it being the national zoo, the interest was understandable. Would the media be as interested in a similar crisis at Marwell, Bristol, Colchester, etc?
 
I think it's important to note that on the whole the interest in the media has been entirely local/Scottish and some of it has been somewhat provocative too. See also the red river hog business. I don't think it has anything to do with the pandas.
 
Baldur said:
Do you think the public would take any interest in this whatsoever without the pandas on their way? Somehow I doubt that, it would be just like any other organisation with its internal issues. London Zoo's crisis was widely covered twenty odd years ago (even outside the UK) but it being the national zoo, the interest was understandable. Would the media be as interested in a similar crisis at Marwell, Bristol, Colchester, etc?
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Well , the Pandas were obviously the initial interest I agree which has attracted alot more attention from the public, which in turn has caught the , often negative, attention of the press. There have been several unfortunate incidents occuring at the zoo of late which have been relayed in the press and they love it of course , it sells papers. So the whole situation has grown much more than perhaps it otherwise might on a national scale. I think certainly locally, if not nationally - in the case of Bristol for instance , people would be interested and rightly concerned.
 
It seems most senior executives have now been exonerated. Alas, all have been personally damaged by possibly totally unfounded complaints ...

Begs the questions:
1) why any suspensions went before the media in the first place ...?
2) who runs the Edinburgh Zoo day-to-day in the absence of all said suspended senior executives?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
It seems most senior executives have now been exonerated. Alas, all have been personally damaged by possibly totally unfounded complaints ...

Begs the questions:
1) why any suspensions went before the media in the first place ...?
2) who runs the Edinburgh Zoo day-to-day in the absence of all said suspended senior executives?
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I agree that this was a truly deplorable way for staff to be treated. Cowardly anonymous allegations should never be treated seriously. I just hope that during these investigations that they uncover the source.
 
Clouded Leopard said:
One of two senior managers suspended at Edinburgh Zoo has been cleared of wrongdoing following an internal investigation.

BBC News - Edinburgh Zoo manager cleared of wrongdoing

I heard the rumours that Iain Valentine is to be appointed as an interim chief executive. In the meantime, I will attend the EGM tomorrow as members will submit vote of no confidence in management.
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Do you really know what or whom you are voting against at the AGM?

I still feel this whole thing should never have been publicised ... It all reeks too much of a hidden agenda and more than an axe to grind by some unbeknownest folks (I personally think that is the worst kind of folks you can have ..., behind one's back).

But then again the Age of Stupidity reigns supreme in The Scotsman!
 
Hi C.L.,

Can you actually devulge what transpired at this particular AGM meeting?
What did the standing senior executive proposed to do next?
Do the attendant membership and est. members of the Society really have a clue what comes next?

How representative is the 400+ membership of the entire Society?
(in other words as in being active and voting membership as opposed to supporting member)

What does one think of any of the Board or Senior Executives (also those suspended et al)?

I realise these are a lot of questions ... But hey, you must know that most of us on this site/thread are pretty cold-stone-dead perplexed by the whole power-struggle and anonymous allegations and veering off-the-road tactics by all and sundry). :cool:


Personally, I do feel it is the unwisest move to vote down an executive if you do not have the means, knowledge and network to put in a competent executive yourself .... :eek:

Thanks for any update on that!

K.B.
 
Another link (the ill-famed Scotsman): Vote of no confidence in chairman of crisis-hit zoo - Scotsman.com News


Personally, it bloody well beats me why the zoological director Iain Valentine is not in his job. He was fine by all accounts and well-respected in all circles zoological. It is a crying shame.

It continues to seem to me that the Zoo Board itself is a rather out-of-touch bunch. Or am I being to harsh here ...?!! :rolleyes:


Alas the article - if it is what you can call it - is hardly giving the answers I asked for in my previous posting.
 
Mr. Emslie's position had clearly become untenable. I hope that subsequently the team with Iain Valentine will be reinstated. Finally, I do hope the malicious anonymous reports can be traced back to source (there has simply been too much leaking to the press in the period when internal disciplinary investigations were being held - which in order to be successfull should be executed in an environment without someone or someones breathing down yer neck).

I sincerely hope the Society can now move on and the Executive together with the Board work on providing a sound financial basis for the Zoos and Society as well as going forward with renovating and putting back into the 21st Century of a fine zoo like Edinburgh.

I rest my case.
 
I like Yonmei's quote,"Gerald Durrell, who founded Jersey Zoo, wrote in one of his books about his Zoo that any zoo considering the design of enclosures should consider first the needs of the animals, second the needs of the keeper caring for the animals, thirdly the needs of the public who come to see the animals. Fourth and last consider the wishes of the architect who wants a visually attractive design."

Edinburgh Zoo's EGM from a member's point of view | Edinburgh | guardian.co.uk
 
Clouded Leopard said:
I like Yonmei's quote,"Gerald Durrell, who founded Jersey Zoo, wrote in one of his books about his Zoo that any zoo considering the design of enclosures should consider first the needs of the animals, second the needs of the keeper caring for the animals, thirdly the needs of the public who come to see the animals. Fourth and last consider the wishes of the architect who wants a visually attractive design."

Edinburgh Zoo's EGM from a member's point of view | Edinburgh | guardian.co.uk
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Thank you Yonmei and Clouded Leopard for posting that quote !!!
 
Clouded Leopard said:
I like Yonmei's quote,"Gerald Durrell, who founded Jersey Zoo, wrote in one of his books about his Zoo that any zoo considering the design of enclosures should consider first the needs of the animals, second the needs of the keeper caring for the animals, thirdly the needs of the public who come to see the animals. Fourth and last consider the wishes of the architect who wants a visually attractive design."

Edinburgh Zoo's EGM from a member's point of view | Edinburgh | guardian.co.uk
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I can live by that. It is how it should be. :cool:
 
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