Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo News 2014

I also visited the zoo today and with regards to the new meerkat enclosure I agree it looks bigger than I was expecting. Was disappointed when the sealions left but there is an opportunity now at the entrance to give a good first impression of the zoo to visitors.IMO not enough is made of the area around the duck ponds.As for the zoo overall as a member I always enjoy my day there however im a bit concerned about the amount of empty enclosures and underused spaces.Edinburgh is a good place to see the unusual but my worry is the majority of famillies now prefer whats on offer at Blair Drummond.Am I being too pessimistic or does anyone else agree?
 
I am on holiday next week and was considering visiting the zoo.

I have not been in 3-4 years and apart from the Pandas (of course) I have not seen news of any new additions (species wise) that really interest me!!

What is the reptile collection like? I believe the old reptile house was done away with in favour of the Chimpanzee House.

I would far rather visit the Highland Wildlife Park but it is a little too far to travel at this time of the year.

Best Regards,

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Smaug giganteus said:
What is the reptile collection like? I believe the old reptile house was done away with in favour of the Chimpanzee House.
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Very small, and almost entirely offshow, I am afraid to say.

I would not let the time of year put you off visiting HWP, incidentally.
 
Thanks for your comments, as a matter of interest, do you know what species they have off show?

Regarding the HWP - I am not worried about the weather once I am there, it is the long drive up to it that puts me off - that and the petrol!!

TeaLovingDave said:
Very small, and almost entirely offshow, I am afraid to say.

I would not let the time of year put you off visiting HWP, incidentally.
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Last time I was there the only reptiles I saw on display were a pair of Taiwan Beauty snakes. I have seen tortoises and other snakes on display on occasions.

The last (2013, as at 31/12/12) animal census said there were:

- 3 tortoise species Yellow Footed, Pancake and Egyptian)
- 2 lizard species (Bearded Dragon and Leopard Gekko)
- 7 snake species (Royal Python, Egg eating Snake, Corn Snake, Aesculapian Snake, Taiwan Beauty Snake, Californian King Snake and Nelson's Milksnake) held.

I would like to see more reptiles on show/in the collection.
 
Thanks for your reply - very disappointing considering the reptile collection they used to have!!

Davef68 said:
Last time I was there the only reptiles I saw on display were a pair of Taiwan Beauty snakes. I have seen tortoises and other snakes on display on occasions.

The last (2013, as at 31/12/12) animal census said there were:

- 3 tortoise species Yellow Footed, Pancake and Egyptian)
- 2 lizard species (Bearded Dragon and Leopard Gekko)
- 7 snake species (Royal Python, Egg eating Snake, Corn Snake, Aesculapian Snake, Taiwan Beauty Snake, Californian King Snake and Nelson's Milksnake) held.

I would like to see more reptiles on show/in the collection.
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The leopard gecko are on show-by the indoor viewing for the hunting dogs, so its them and the beauty snakes. I think at the moment they bring some of the off-show species out to budongo as one of the daily events-its in the afternoon sometime, but I've never gone to it myself. It's definitely not currently a good zoo for a reptile enthusiast! Five sisters might be an option depending on what they have on show now following the fire last year?
 
Thanks for your reply - yeah it was a real shame what happened at the Five Sister Zoo. I will have a look on their web site to see whether it is worth a visit now or whether it is best leaving until later in the year.

Tunanta said:
The leopard gecko are on show-by the indoor viewing for the hunting dogs, so its them and the beauty snakes. I think at the moment they bring some of the off-show species out to budongo as one of the daily events-its in the afternoon sometime, but I've never gone to it myself. It's definitely not currently a good zoo for a reptile enthusiast! Five sisters might be an option depending on what they have on show now following the fire last year?
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From the blog;

In an update from the animal section at Edinburgh Zoo, our Darwin’s rhea have now started laying eggs. Rhea are notoriously difficult to successfully breed, so this is excellent progress. We have also welcomed two three-banded armadillos to the collection, which arrived at the Zoo last Friday and are settling in well off show. And finally, the Zoo’s herd of kiang and vicuna have been moved to the fields at the very top of the site in order to allow the lower fields time to regenerate over summer – successful land management is an important yet often overlooked part of animal husbandry for hoofstock species.
 
Would the kiang and to some extent also the vicuna not be better off at the Highland Wildlife Park?

How large are both groups (vicuna and kiang) now?

Nice to hear the Darwin's rheas have finally cracked it …
(kudos to bird team!)
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Would the kiang and to some extent also the vicuna not be better off at the Highland Wildlife Park?
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As a matter of fact, they do so well at the Highland Wildlife Park that the kiang and vicuna at Edinburgh are actually the "overspill" from HWP producing so many young!
 
TeaLovingDave said:
As a matter of fact, they do so well at the Highland Wildlife Park that the kiang and vicuna at Edinburgh are actually the "overspill" from HWP producing so many young!
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The kiang are overspill, the vicuna at HWP are an all male group, replaced at Edinburgh by a potential breeding pair.
 
kiang said:
The kiang are overspill, the vicuna at HWP are an all male group, replaced at Edinburgh by a potential breeding pair.
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Thanks for clarifying.

It would be nice to have kiang at more UK collections (Whipsnade, Marwell, YWP, ..) to name but a few places!!!
 
Warning: the panda breeding season media build up has begun-I woke up to Iain Valentine being interviewed on Radio 4 this morning & news story on BBC website here: BBC News - Mating season approaches for Edinburgh Zoo pandas

Keepers at Edinburgh Zoo have begun a daily monitoring of the UK's giant panda couple as mating season approaches.

The zoo said Tian Tian and Yang Guang were starting to show signs that they are ready to breed.

It is hoped the pair will produce a cub this year after disappointment last time.

They failed to mate in 2013 and although Tian Tian was artificially inseminated she lost her cub.

'Increased interest'
Panda reproduction is a notoriously tricky process, with females only ovulating once a year.

Iain Valentine from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which runs the zoo, said: "Tian Tian and Yang Guang are both in great health and condition and things are progressing nicely.

"The giant pandas are clearly showing an increased interest in one another, both pandas are fairly regularly scent marking now and we've also seen food intake increase in both pandas as they seek to drive their body weight up - all fantastic instinctive pre-breeding behaviours.

Continue reading the main story
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Start Quote

We're currently just waiting for the all-important crossover of hormones in Tian Tian”

Iain Valentine
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
"Similar to last year, alongside our own experts, RZSS is working together with a number of global colleagues on the complex science that goes on behind the scenes.

He added: "Natural mating will be attempted, likely followed by artificial insemination as recommended by our Chinese colleagues."

Tian Tian and Yang Guang are the first giant pandas to live in the UK for 17 years.

They arrived on loan from China in December 2011 and will remain at Edinburgh Zoo for a decade.

Zoo bosses hoped the pair would mate naturally when she came into season but ruled out putting them together last April after assessing Tian Tian's behaviour.

She was inseminated using semen from Yang Guang and frozen semen from Bao Bao, a "genetically important" panda which died in Berlin Zoo the previous year.

Last week experts began the daily monitoring of Tian Tian's hormones which will signal when she is ready to breed.

She will then have a period of just two to three days to get pregnant.

Mr Valentine said: "As of Christmas 2013, we again began to collect urine samples from Tian Tian. These are being picked up and analysed so that we can monitor two key hormones for breeding purposes - progesterone and oestrogen.

"We're currently just waiting for the all-important crossover of hormones in Tian Tian and then when this happens it means breeding is roughly seven to 14 days away.

"This week we moved to analysing Tian Tian's urine samples each day, so it's a case of watch and wait."

The panda gestation period is typically five months and one or two cubs will normally be born.
 
More panda breeding news:

Giant panda Tian Tian ready to mate soon, say zoo staff - Telegraph

Giant panda Tian Tian will be ready to mate within two weeks, keepers at Edinburgh zoo have revealed

Experts there have been monitoring daily the female's hormone levels and announced that she will shortly enter her brief fertile period.

They hope Tian Tian and the zoo's male panda Yang Guang will produce a cub this year as both creatures begin to show the tell-tale signs that they are ready to breed.

The zoo is hoping to put the disappointment of last year behind it, when Tian Tian suffered a late-term miscarriage after being artificially inseminated when the pair failed to mate.

The latest tests showed the panda's oestrogen levels rose higher than her progesterone levels on Tuesday - a key sign that she will be ready to breed in the next seven to 14 days.

Iain Valentine, from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which runs the zoo, said: "Panda breeding season is progressing nicely and over the coming days both Tian Tian and Yang Guang's behaviour will become much more pronounced as we get closer to the breeding window.

"They will become more restless, scent-marking will increase and they will call to each other. Now that we have seen the hormone crossover we will begin enclosure swapping more regularly, which encourages breeding behaviours.

"Panda breeding season remains a delicate and complex affair, which takes in cutting-edge science from not only within Scotland but also abroad."
Experts will watch Tian Tian's behaviour closely over the coming days to gauge when her 36-hour breeding window begins.

Professor Wang Chengdong, from the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP), was travelling to Edinburgh to help decode both pandas' behaviour in the run up to the mating period. If the pandas do not mate then artificial insemination will take place. This will be overseen by specialists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin.

Mr Valentine said: "The survival of the giant panda is crucial. Firstly, the species does not live in a vacuum and a lot of panda conservation resources go towards managing and protecting a large amount of reserves in China, which also directly benefits other species living within these areas.

"Secondly, giant pandas act as ambassadors, raising awareness about conservation in general. When visitors come to see Tian Tian and Yang Guang they also learn about the plight of many other animals, the importance of preserving ecological diversity and how they can help."

Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yang Guang (Sunshine) are the first giant pandas to live in the UK for 17 years. They arrived on loan from China in December 2011 and will remain at Edinburgh Zoo for a decade.

Zoo bosses hoped the pair would mate naturally last year when she came into season but ruled out putting them together after assessing Tian Tian's behaviour.

She was inseminated using semen from Yang Guang and frozen semen from Bao Bao, a "genetically important" panda which died in Berlin Zoo the previous year.
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Kifaru Bwana said:
.

It would be nice to have kiang at more UK collections (Whipsnade, Marwell, YWP, ..) to name but a few places!!!
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I've never seen Kiang (admits serious omission...) so it would be nice if one of the Zoos down south took some on-if just for me.;)
 
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