Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo News 2025
- Thread starter Quincey
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Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
If anyone has a spare £2000, you can hand feed (using tongs) one of the Sumatran tigers. I will be surprised if this is popular.
Cobi
Well-Known Member
You get a bit more for your money than just that but even if only one person books, it’s £2000 for the zoo that they wouldn’t otherwise be getting and for comparatively little effort from the zoo’s part.
Edinburgh Zoo: We try out the £2,000 bespoke private tour - Scottish Field
Its 'bespoke' so of course that adds to the price...
though in fairness it sounds like a whole day with close up 'encounters' with four species of your choice. But even so...I often wonder what all these animals in Zoo 'experiences' think of all the strangers entering their behind- the scenes (or even just the exhibit) spaces close-up but I suspect they're well used to it nowadays and usually it also means one thing...food.
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
Personally, if it generates extra funds , good for them
A Patron of the zoo has posted on a social media site earlier today advising that Patrons have received an email from the zoo confirming that Sloth Bears will arrive this year as the replacement species for the Giant Panda's. Please note I am not a Patron so I can't confirm this personally.
Jambi
Well-Known Member
The zoo's Facebook page has just put up a video of a tadpole in Wee Beasties, naming the species as a Trinidadian stream frog. I looked this up as it's a species I had never heard of, and it looks like they're on the 2023 animal inventory, albeit listed under a different name, the Trinidad poison dart frog.
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felis silvestris
Well-Known Member
Really hope they do arrive. Will mean there will now be 5 different species of bear in Scotland alone
felis silvestris
Well-Known Member
The Zoo was also closed on Friday and Saturday during the storm, but has since reopened.
I kind of wish it was a different species.... I must admit Sloth Bears are my least favourite bears- I think they are rather ugly with their scruffy coats etc and the least bear-like of all the bears, with their more specialised, predominately insectivorous diet. Plus they are pretty inactive a lot of the time. Not the best exhibit IMO but I am sure others will leap to their defence.
Do we know what the additional house being built into the sloth bear exhibit is for? Will they be mixing dhole or a primate species with them?
Also interesting to see if they will still maintain sun bear as well as sloth bear when their remaining individual passes away. It’s nice to see some new species and developments happening!
Also interesting to see if they will still maintain sun bear as well as sloth bear when their remaining individual passes away. It’s nice to see some new species and developments happening!
Sad news published on Facebook:
"We are sad to share the loss of Kevyn, our eldest male red panda, who passed away this weekend
At 14 years old, Kevyn had been facing age related health issues and was being cared for closely by our expert keepers and vets.
After spending 10 years at Highland Wildlife Park and fathering seven kits, he moved to Edinburgh Zoo in 2022, where he has been living with our new female, Priya. He was a favourite among staff and visitors during his time at both our charity’s zoos and will be hugely missed."
Edinburgh Zoo
"We are sad to share the loss of Kevyn, our eldest male red panda, who passed away this weekend
At 14 years old, Kevyn had been facing age related health issues and was being cared for closely by our expert keepers and vets.
After spending 10 years at Highland Wildlife Park and fathering seven kits, he moved to Edinburgh Zoo in 2022, where he has been living with our new female, Priya. He was a favourite among staff and visitors during his time at both our charity’s zoos and will be hugely missed."
Edinburgh Zoo
GeeZee
Well-Known Member
I’m glad it’s a bear, but I had hoped it was going to be a moon bear (originally that was what they had intended I believe).
& in response to the £2,000 private tour, I could be wrong but not that long ago they were offering very similar directors tours for £5,000 , so it’d actually a lot cheaper.
Baringogiraffe12
Well-Known Member
Are they coming from the same collection or two separate collections?
A lot more active than the giant pandas they are replacing however, in my experience
Golden Jackal would be my preference, also being a proven mix, a rather nice species, and less high-maintenance than dhole or langur.
I'm surprised you were hoping for a species already visible on the doorstep of Edinburgh over a unique species for the area
Rajang-GOAT
Well-Known Member
Honestly out of the tropical bear species they could've considered (Andean/Asiatic black/Sloth), I've been thinking they are/were arguably the best option, to me anyway. They are less represented both in the country and continent as a whole and as you say the more local area, as well as their appearance making them possibly more charismatic of a statement species (if that's what they're needed to be) as a "replacement" for the Giant Pandas.A lot more active than the giant pandas they are replacing however, in my experience
Golden Jackal would be my preference, also being a proven mix, a rather nice species, and less high-maintenance than dhole or langur.
I'm surprised you were hoping for a species already visible on the doorstep of Edinburgh over a unique species for the area
I hadn't heard of mixed species exhibits with the species before, but I suppose it shouldn't surprise me as they are more than possible with Andean and Sun bears. If there is potential for a mix like that it would be really great to see.
yes I should have thought of them and indeed it would be nice to see.
Someone suggest a cubbing den but I would presume the giant panda set up would already have all the necessary husbandry requirements for sloth bear breeding.
As far as European collections go, the species is currently mixed with Asian Short-clawed Otter (Beekse Bergen), Golden Jackal (Rheine) and Dhole (Muenster) - and as I noted before, the Langur mix currently employed at Ostrava with Asiatic Black Bear would also work biogeographically.