Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo News 2013

Re the Sun Bears - he does pace (I forget which one), it's because of the size of cage he was kept in as a pet. When he arrived at the zoo, he was almost agrophobic. The other bear sometime encourages him to go outside by biting him to get him to chase (I was slightly sceptical of that until I saw him do it!!). The outdoor enclosure must be twice the size of the old polar bear one as it's been extended backwards and a lot of enrichment added (albeit even more has been destroyed by the bears!!).

I agree something needs to be done at the entrance - having decided that the pool is wrong for both penguins and pelicans, it needs something that engages the visitor. iT's a pity that the original plan for Budongo to where the entrance had to be dropped - that would have also dealt with another of the issues mentioned, as it would have involved a transit system as well.

I often wonder what people want from zoo enclosures.

I do have a slightly controversial view on the hilltop location - I think RZSS should have bitten the bullet 10 years ago, sold the whole site and moved to a new site (Currie/Balerono was mentioned) - but that would have been a huge risk and depended on them getting planning permission to develop costorphine.
 
When I visited in June, I watched the two bears playing like puppies. It was amazing to see, and made them both appear quite happy.
 
Regarding the sun bear, this to me is history repeating itself with what happened at Bristol some years ago with a polar bear, they obtained one which had previously lived in not ideal conditions, it displayed very bad pacing/head weaving in all its time at the zoo despite what was done for it at Bristol, the zoo came in for some criticism over this as if it was their fault the bear was in such a mental state, I heard visitors comment on the behaviour of the sun bear in a similar fashion on Monday. I remember well the zoo's suggestion that it might have moved to a new site about ten years ago, which came to nothing, this would have been an enormous gamble and one which I am glad did not happen, despite the disadvantage of being on a steep hill, its location is quite good, not too far away from the city centre and well served with public transport, it has now survived 100 on this site, there is no reason why it cannot go on for another 100 years, I do wish though they would put more animals up on the top fields, throughout the forty years plus I have been visiting this zoo the situation has never really improved, at least in the early seventies they used to have Highland cattle up there, I always thought they could have built a polar bear exhibit up top for Mercedes, which is exactly what they did do years later but at the Highland Wildlife Park. Edinburgh has never been one of my favourite zoos for some reason, even though I have been going there for most of my life, I have always felt indifferent about going there and never really sorry about leaving at home time, as Clinton Keeling once stated "its good but not that good", that is how I feel about it, I had a much more enjoyable day at another zoo yesterday, and one that is mentioned on here on quite a regular basis:), P.S. Pertinax may be interested that there are currently six red river hogs at Edinburgh, one male, three female and two hoglets:):)
 
TARZAN said:
P.S. Pertinax may be interested that there are currently six red river hogs at Edinburgh, one male, three female and two hoglets:):)
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Yes I am. Its almost as if the debacle over euthanasing that very first litter never happened. Keeping and breeding them again now(for whatever reason they re-appeared) makes that previous decision and the pathetic explanations for it look even more ridiculous still.

The Polar Bear you are referring to at Bristol was called 'Misha.' I believe his stereotyped behaviour originated, as you suggested, from previous circus and/or zoo backgrounds on the Continent. Despite a fairly small enclosure- by modern standards anyway, I don't think any of Bristol's other Polar bears, such as his companion 'Sabrina' who was born there, stereotyped, at least not badly like he did.
 
Pertinax said:
Yes I am. Its almost as if the debacle over euthanasing that very first litter never happened. Keeping and breeding them again now(for whatever reason they re-appeared) makes that previous decision and the pathetic explanations for it look even more ridiculous still.

The Polar Bear you are referring to at Bristol was called 'Misha' I believe his stereotyped behaviour originated, as you suggested, from circus life on the Continent. Despite a fairly small enclosure- by modern standards anyway, I don't think any of Bristol's other Polar bears stereotyped, at least not badly like he did.
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Misha the polar bear came from a well known circus in the U.K. Regarding the red river hogs, the originals lived in the large ex white rhino paddock, there was far more space for them there than what the present six have now, in a smaller pen next to the meerkats, didn't the parents of the two that were put down and the second litter move elsewhere, to a private collection and the ones they have now are different animals after they had a change of mind in keeping this species, very baffling.
 
No signage although it's usually explained at the daily talk. The lack of signage about the individual animals (rather than the species) is one thing I always think lets down some of our zoos - the public engage much more with an animal if they know a little about it rather than ' oh look, a sun bear'.

I'm sure I read the Red River Hogs were merely 'lodging' at Edinburgh for somewhere else. RR Hogs are not the only 'we're not keepig those anymore' species to re-appear. As well as the Meerkats they also have a couple of ring tailed lemurs up by the Education Centre.
 
TARZAN said:
Misha the polar bear came from a well known circus in the U.K.
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I thought he was from somewhere on the Continent.

Regarding the Hogs. It was a crass decision to euthanase those first piglets but from what other posters have said, I believe the current ones may only be on loan, so any breeding of them might be because they are owned by, or on behalf of, another collection- I don't know. Nor am I clear if its the same Hogs as before, or different ones...(thoroughly confused.:confused:) But its odd to see them pop up there again.
 
The 2012 Edinburgh Inventory shows the departure of 4.3 and the arrival of 1.3.2 hogs , this does not help as to whether they were some of the same group .

Quite a few mammal species left the collection in the year - long-nosed potoroo , Moholi bushbaby , red titi monkey , Hamlyn's monkey , purple-faced leaf monkey , European souslik , European hamster , Southern and Northern Luzon cloud rats , maned wolf , European otter , marbled polecat , Patagonian sealion , warthog , Heck cattle .
 
Shirokuma said:
Is there any obvious signage about the sun bear stereotyping and the reasons for it?
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Yes there is a dedicated sign that explains the bears background and the stereotyping you might see them exhibit. It's on the wall at the front of the enclosure.
 
Im sure that the red river hogs living there also get access to the bongo enclosure through some tunnels under the walkway...so its not as small as it looks :)

I also have to confess that i quite like the panda booking sessions, being a member of the Zoo it is well published that you need a viewing slot... and on quiet days they are very open with the time slot and letting people in that have not booked. Even on busy days i have never noticed anyone ever going to the queue and getting turned down. Altho it does mean i cannot sit and wait to get "the perfect shot" i think it would be completely unmanagable to have their indoor enclosure just open and the queues would be massive. So the only way i think they would have open panda viewings were if they closes their indoor den.

Its also very well documented on their website and facebook that because of the sensitive nature of this time that the pandas might not be on show. Granted they are putting animal welfare before us but is that not what they are meant to do?

Its also worth pointing out that many of the zoos enclosures are protected because of their age and history and therefore its very hard to get planning permission to alter them .

But i do agree there are major parts of the zoo that need upgraded so lets hope some of the panda money gets spent on those areas :)
 
Panda flags to be raised across city - and Giant Panda Research Symposium takes place at Edinburgh Zoo.

CELEBRATORY flags are set to be unfurled at sites across the Capital if giant panda Tian Tian successfully delivers the first panda cub to be born in the UK.

The flags, which will be hung from Edinburgh landmarks such as Summerhall, The George Hotel, The Scotsman Hotel, Radison Blu Hotel, Camera Obscura and St John’s Church, have been provided by delivery firm FedEx, which first flew Tian Tian and male panda Yang Guang to Scotland on a chartered flight back in December 2011.

It is still unknown whether the female giant panda is indeed expecting a cub, after being artificially inseminated in April using sperm from Yang Guang and from another male panda named Bao Bao, who died at Berlin Zoo last year at the age of 34.

However, officials remain optimistic as recent behaviour of both pandas has been in keeping with reactions to an approaching birth.

Last week male panda Yang Guang went into hiding, which a spokeswoman for the zoo said was consistent with a reaction to Tian Tian’s raised hormone levels, adding: “It isn’t unheard of for male pandas who are close to females in the later stages of their pregnancy to respond in this way.”

Tian Tian has also chosen to hide away for the majority of recent weeks, and is described as off her food, moody and showing signs of “nesting” behaviour. Early in August the zoo revealed that two incubators were on standby in their nursery. Twin births are very common among pandas and protein analysis of Tian Tian’s urine conducted at a zoo in Berlin indicated that two cubs could be a possibility.

Panda creche

Should Tian Tian give birth to twins she will choose one to raise herself, and the other would be the responsibility of zoo staff when it is first born, but is likely to then be sent back to China to be raised in a “panda creche”.

Any cub born to Tian Tian that she chose to raise would remain in Edinburgh for the first two years of it’s life, and is likely to be on display for three quarters of that time, before being sent back to China.

Experts have predicted that if Tian Tian is indeed pregnant, the cub is likely to be born on September 10.

Pseudo, or phantom, pregnancies are extremely common in pandas, but if Tian Tian does give birth, the newborn cub – which will be pink, hairless and blind – will weigh in at just three to five ounces. A giant panda baby is the smallest mammal newborn relative to its mother’s size, outside of marsupials.

Community event

Should the pitter patter of tiny paws become a reality, the flags will be raised to ensure everyone in the city is aware of the joyous occasion.

A spokesman for Camera Obscura said: “Birth is always a miracle, but pandas are such rare creatures and conception is so difficult that a new panda cub really would be something very special and celebrated not just in Edinburgh, but all across the world. We want everyone to be part of that celebration and by raising the flags we hope to make sure as many people as possible hear the news quickly and join in.”

A spokesman for St John’s Church on Princes Street also referred to the potential birth of a panda cub in Edinburgh as a “community event”.

He said: “It really does feel like a community event and the Church is about joining with your community. We’re very pleased to be a part of it.”

Experts from around the world gather in Capital

The world’s foremost panda experts are gathering at Edinburgh Zoo from tomorrow for the first time for the Giant Panda Research Symposium.

Amongst many others, attending will be experts from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, China Conservation and Research for Giant Pandas, the State Forestry Association for the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Academy of Science and Peking University. Key individuals from panda zoos around the world will also be present, including experts from Smithsonian National Zoological Park, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research and Memphis Zoo.
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Panda flags to be raised across city - News - Edinburgh Evening News
 
Latest Panda Update:

anda Watch Update:

“In terms of Tian Tian’s possible pregnancy, we’re not out of the game yet although she’s keeping us on our toes. Her hormones are following an atypical pattern, with lots of rises and dips, which make timings much harder to predict. We are continually analysing hormone and protein samples and, based on the latest results, our external experts now believe Tian Tian may have experienced her secondary progesterone spike two weeks later than the results previously available suggested. Predicting pregnancy in giant pandas isn’t straight forward and we’re all rapidly learning that Tian Tian is a panda whose behaviour and physiology appears to be more complicated than most! We are continuing to review results with international colleagues through the course of this week who are joining us for our Giant Panda Research Symposium.”
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https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghZooScotland/posts/10151838474077243

A statement that really says nothing.
 
ThylacineAlive said:
I honestly doubt there's going to be a baby and doubt there ever really was.

~Thylo:cool:
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Well if the Federal Express flags are not flying in Edinburgh I suspect there is no baby panda, not to worry, the visitors can still turn up, pay £4 to park their car and £15 each to get in, and see an empty pool of water before stopping off for "mediocre "(and that is paying it a compliment) food in the restaurant. They can then make their way up a very steep hill passing animals in outdated, shabby, tired enclosures, at the top they can then admire a most impressive view of Edinburgh, just as well, as there is very little else to see, but they can go into the overpriced gift shop before going home to buy their panda souvenirs, to remember their visit and seeing the pandas, that is, if they actually were on view on the day of their visit.
 
TARZAN said:
Well if the Federal Express flags are not flying in Edinburgh I suspect there is no baby panda, not to worry, the visitors can still turn up, pay £4 to park their car and £15 each to get in, and see an empty pool of water before stopping off for "mediocre "(and that is paying it a compliment) food in the restaurant. They can then make their way up a very steep hill passing animals in outdated, shabby, tired enclosures, at the top they can then admire a most impressive view of Edinburgh, just as well, as there is very little else to see, but they can go into the overpriced gift shop before going home to buy their panda souvenirs, to remember their visit and seeing the pandas, that is, if they actually were on view on the day of their visit.
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£15 to see one of the best collections in the UK- a bargain compared to what many lesser zoos charge i would suggest!
 
pipaluk said:
£15 to see one of the best collections in the UK- a bargain compared to what many lesser zoos charge i would suggest!
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That may be your opinion but it most certainly is not mine, it all depends of course what you define as one of the best collections, it may have Asian rhinos, they live in an old giraffe house, the indoor pool they have is barely big enough for the two of them to get in, the cat enclosures are disgraceful, old cramped and unsuitable, I cannot understand how anybody can claim this zoo has one of the best collections when a lot of the animals living in this zoo are in far from ideal living conditions, even the stars of the show are housed in just a tarted up, ex dark and dingy gorilla house, although I suppose they couldn't afford to build them a new house with having to pay £1643 every day of the week to the Chinese just to have them there, I wonder how long it will be before this "pandamonuim" wears a bit thin with the public, sooner rather than later I would suggest, hope they then have enough money in the rent book when the Chinaman comes knocking on the door to collect.
 
TARZAN said:
it may have Asian rhinos, they live in an old giraffe house, the indoor pool they have is barely big enough for the two of them to get in, ..... even the stars of the show are housed in just a tarted up, ex dark and dingy gorilla house,
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I haven't been to Edinburgh for some years but your description rings a few bells. ;) They do undeniably have a very good animal collection nowadays but building-wise, apart from Budongo it sounds pretty much as if things have stood still. I've always thought the Indian rhinos being housed in the ex Giraffe House was a temporary measure but they have been living in there quite a long while now- photos show the outsides as not being big enough for this species.

As for the ex Gorilla/Panda House- given its comparative recent construction IMO this was the very worst Ape House built in any UK zoo - I don't know where they got the design from but it was dire. The insides were dark and looked like sunken dungeons, while the arrangement of the outdoor grass enclosures with a hedging barrier made viewing the animals outdoors virtually impossible. I imagine two Pandas living in the revamped version is a better arrangement.
 
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