Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo News 2016

Quincey

Quincey

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
New female Pygmy Hippo Gloria has arrived, from Marwell, to join male Otto.

Previous female Ellen has been sent to a zoo in Spain to retire.
 
Intesesting, not least because the location plan map is so old! Lion enclosure where the Koalas now are!

That area had never been developed prior to the Dinosaurs exhibition, and even then I don't think it went that far south. I'd been told once it couldn't be developed as there was a badger sett there - probably just rumour!

This could be the cat species that they mentioned when announcing the closure of the terraces. Looks like a big species - Amur Leopard, Jaguar? or as you suggest, a bigger area for the tigers (So both can get access )
 
There seems to be a tunnel connecting the current Sumatran tiger enclosure and the new housing.
To me it looks like an extension to the current Sumatran tiger facilities, with some badly needed, decent indoor housing.

But then i can't help but look at the attached plan and think of YWP's Amur leopard enclosure.
 

Attachments

Yes, the animal house connects to the existing Sumatran tiger enclosure so it's definitely an extension - and there's a new viewpoint into the existing enclosure from the NE.

I've added site plan and section images to the gallery. The section shows how the glazed visitor tunnel will allow the animals to cross between the two new enclosures.
 
4 more eastern white pelicans joined the flock
At the zoo, bringing the total up to 10 birds.
 
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo have announced they have received an additional £200,000 of funding from the People's Postcode Lottery, meaning they have now received £500,000 in total since the beginning of 2014.
 
there are strong prevailing rumours among staff, based on words given (such as a vet letting it slip by accident) that the Zoo will be getting big cats back again in a wee while (not sure when) - perhaps they realized just how bad it was getting rid of them. certainly in my time volunteering since they left, one of the most common questions I get, indeed I got it 10 times just last week, is "where are the big cats". Sure, we still have the Lions and Tigers but people want to see others.
 
Hello RicaFan

One of the commonest questions at London Zoo is, "Where are the elephants?" Some people also ask about giant pandas, koalas and polar bears, but it's a long time since anyone asked about leopards or jaguars, as far as I know.
 
The original CEO blog about scrapping the big cat terraces said:

We are in the initial stages of exploring the next generation of cat development at Edinburgh Zoo; potentially planned for 2016 and likely involving small cat species and/or a larger spotted cat species. This is still in the early stages though. Cats are really popular with our visitors and members, so we would love to bring them back in greater quantities to the Zoo, whilst working with the space and funds we have at our disposal. We will look to fundraise in the future.
Click to expand...

It also said:

The creation of a new state-of-the art facility would cost a very significant amount, likely millions of pounds, and we have to be realistic; we believe that money has to be spent on updating infrastructures across the Zoo – for example for the sun bears and the rhinos
Click to expand...

Has either been done yet - I keep hearing rumours about the rhinos.

Original blog: https://rzss.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/chief-executives-blog-134/
 
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Edinburgh Zoo receives £25,000 funding boost for red panda enclosure

STV News - 4th February, 2016

A project to bring two red pandas to Edinburgh Zoo has been given a £25,000 funding boost.

The People's Postcode Lottery awarded the cash to conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

The extra funding will go towards the development of an enclosure for the two red pandas.

RZSS is one of 57 charities that will receive the extra £25,000 award from players of the charity lottery.

Last month RZSS celebrated receiving half a million pounds since the beginning of 2014, which has helped support vital conservation and research projects as far afield as Uganda and Brazil.

Barbara Smith, managing director for the RZSS, said: “As a conservation charity we are delighted and grateful to be receiving this additional sum from players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Two male red pandas are due to arrive later this year at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and this surprise funding will make a huge contribution towards the creation of an enclosure for them.”

Darren McGarry, head of living collections at the zoo, added: “We’re delighted to be bringing red pandas back to Edinburgh. Our sister park RZSS Highland Wildlife Park houses red pandas and has had great success in breeding this endangered species, with a male kit born for the first time in over a decade in 2013 and a male and a female in 2014. In the future we hope to replicate this success at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo. To start with we will support the captive breeding programme as a male holder, but in the future we will house a breeding pair.”

Clara Govier, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “We are very proud that our players can continue to support the development of fantastic causes, including the new red panda enclosure at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo.”

The RZSS Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie has played host to a breeding pair of red pandas since 2012, while the species has been at the Park since 2008.

Red pandas are listed as endangered and are native to the eastern Himalayas and south central China.

They are not related to giant pandas, but are distantly related to the raccoon family and are slightly larger than domestic cats.
Click to expand...
 
chimp move

It appears a female Chimp was transferred from Edinburgh to La Palmyre, France, back in December. Her name is 'Emma'- is she one of the purebred West Africans, or one of the generics?
 
Emma was born at Whipsnade in 1981 and transferred to Edinburgh 10 years later. She is Qafzeh's mother which may be one of the reasons they decided to move her (with him being dominant male)

So to answer Pertinax's question - likely to be generic
 
Thanks Nisha. From that I deduce La Palmyre's small group (she will be the third female) are generic also.
 
That is correct: Emma was already a known troglodytes chimp (pre current 2nd program). The Chimp EEP is slowly branching into setting up this second SSP breeding program for the troglodytes subspecies and given there is still a fairly high number of wild-caught and untested chimps the likelihood of an increase in these or one of the other subspecies is not unthinkable.
 
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