Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo news 2011 #1

The Scotsman really likes to put the boot in doesn't it?

"Edinburgh Zoo has seen its visitor numbers slump by more than 90,000, despite a bumper year for rival leading attractions"

That claim doesn't really fit with the numbers in the same article:

"TOP ATTRACTIONS

Paid-for attractions, 2010

Edinburgh Castle, 1,210,248 visitors, +1.2% on 2009

Edinburgh Zoo, 547,364, - 14.1 %

Edinburgh Bus Tours, -2.4%

Falkirk Wheel 439,072, - 7.9%

Stirling Castle, 377,204, - 1.6%

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, 298,460, +5.6%

Our Dynamic Earth, 295,997 -0.8%

Urquhart Castle, 286,262 +1.4%"

Of these top eight attractions, four others (as well as the Zoo) have fallen and of the three that have increased two have done so less than 1.5%. Hardly a "bumper year for rival leading attractions".
 
Sure enough it do not add up. A frequent mistake in journalism. Again it seems some - unbeknownest - parties are hellbent on sending out bad publicity on the zoo (to secure their own agendas). Even handed reporting does not seem to be of any concern here ... alas. Which befittest/begs the question: do we ask for this kind of journalism?

I do believe that - given the less than clement weather - the earlier assessment that visitor numbers are down due to this issue rather than any perceived drop in popularity of the zoo (or zoos for that matter) is the real issue .... here.
 
The Scotsman is actually a really trashy paper with no regard for accuracy or impartiality, I take most things they print with a pinch of salt.
 
Shirokuma said:
The Scotsman is actually a really trashy paper with no regard for accuracy or impartiality, I take most things they print with a pinch of salt.
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Thanks for that clarification, unfortunately I have no knowledge of the quality, or otherwise, of the media in Northen Britain. "The Scotsman" as a title doesn't really give away where the newspaper pitches itself unlike, say, The Daily Star which sounds inherently crappy.
 
Rumour on the German forum that Wuppertal and Edinburgh are close to importing about 30 blue fairy penguins from Australia. Can anyone confirm/elaborate?

Is there an Australian Zoo with 30 odd spare penguins?

Saw them at Cologne a few years ago and loved em, not much that looks grumpier in the animal world...
 
jwer said:
Rumour on the German forum that Wuppertal and Edinburgh are close to importing about 30 blue fairy penguins from Australia. Can anyone confirm/elaborate?

Is there an Australian Zoo with 30 odd spare penguins?

Saw them at Cologne a few years ago and loved em, not much that looks grumpier in the animal world...
Click to expand...
Cannot confirm Edinburgh,but have heard rumours over the last 6 months or so that a couple of UK collections were looking at bringing some in!!
 
If true, it would explain why they figured on ZSL's plans in the design of the new penguin pool. I think ZSL will wait though, and see if another UK collection is successful at keeping them alive first.
 
jwer said:
Is there an Australian Zoo with 30 odd spare penguins?
Click to expand...

For sure. ISIS lists 75.52.37 Blue Penguins in Australia with 31.21.17 at Taronga Zoo in Sydney alone. Another facility that could send away some penguins is Melbourne Zoo which has 12.9.9 currently.
 
Shorts said:
The Scotsman really likes to put the boot in doesn't it?

"Edinburgh Zoo has seen its visitor numbers slump by more than 90,000, despite a bumper year for rival leading attractions"

That claim doesn't really fit with the numbers in the same article:

"TOP ATTRACTIONS

Paid-for attractions, 2010

Edinburgh Castle, 1,210,248 visitors, +1.2% on 2009

Edinburgh Zoo, 547,364, - 14.1 %

Edinburgh Bus Tours, -2.4%

Falkirk Wheel 439,072, - 7.9%

Stirling Castle, 377,204, - 1.6%

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, 298,460, +5.6%

Our Dynamic Earth, 295,997 -0.8%

Urquhart Castle, 286,262 +1.4%"

Of these top eight attractions, four others (as well as the Zoo) have fallen and of the three that have increased two have done so less than 1.5%. Hardly a "bumper year for rival leading attractions".
Click to expand...

No not exactly a bumper year for the Scottish visitor attractions, what I find worrying about these figures is the fact that the zoo attendance figures have dropped the most, the only drop to be in double figures, reading the comments of the local residents the culling of the red river hogs has not gone unnoticed,
 
Three little pigs

TARZAN said:
reading the comments of the local residents the culling of the red river hogs has not gone unnoticed,
Click to expand...

Without wishing to stir up another Hornets' Nest:rolleyes: and now that recent happenings at Edinurgh have rather eclipsed the Red River Hog saga, I'm still interested in what decision has been reached, if any, regarding the current litter? Retain them or find them a new home?( it was announced at one stage that interested parties should contact them if they could rehome these pigs). Any update?
 
Three little pigs

TARZAN said:
reading the comments of the local residents the culling of the red river hogs has not gone unnoticed,
Click to expand...

Without wishing to stir up another Hornets' Nest:rolleyes: and now that recent happenings at Edinburgh have rather eclipsed the Red River Hog saga, I'm still interested in what decision has been reached, if any, regarding the current litter? Retain them or find them a new home?( it was announced at one stage that interested parties should contact them if they could rehome these pigs). Any update?
 
Quite right too! And how is it relevant to the issue that she has cancer? And why is this even in the news? Ridiculous.
 
What I'm (genuinely) interested in is what an animal considers a costume as opposed to unusual/outlandish dress sense. Would they equally be freaked out by a charicature punk rocker for instance? Or is it the fact that a number of people are dressed identically?

I can see there might be a valid point in refusing entry based on clothing but where does such boundaries start/end? I wouldn't want zoo entrances becoming like the door of a nightclub. When I visited Crocodiles Of The World a number of inhabitants really didn't seem to like my t-shirt, I would have been in a quandry if I'd been refused entry because of this:). Besides there's sometimes arguably a fine line between enrichment and distressing an animal.

Finally I wonder if entry was barred due to the costumes as opposed to that being used as an excuse because someone thought the group looked/sounded "rowdy" -I was once refused entry in a pub/restaurant/disco (we had those weird combinations in Derby) ostensibly because I was wearing shorts but in reality I think it was down to the fact that I was extremely drunk at the time.
 
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