Visit to Highland Wildlife Park

My Husband and I were up near Inverness for the Scottish Open and couple of weekends ago, but the golf was off due to the weather.  It had been raining very heavily and there were floods-a-plenty from Edinburgh right up to the Highlands.  The golf course at Castle Stuart was not only flooded but muddy and also suffered a couple of landslides.

When we realised we couldn't get to the golf, we decided to go to the Highland Wildlife Park instead.  It was only an hour or so away and we had never been before. I did ring them before we left Inverness though to make sure there were still open.

On the way there we took a wrong turning a couple of times because the signage is appalling.  There are no signs from the main road and really nothing until you're actually there.  Surely if they want people to visit, they should make it easier for them.  I think there should be signs on the main road to tempt drivers as they pass.

Anyway we arrived quite late in the afternoon and the rain was still coming down.  It's good then, that the first part is a drive around sitting in the comfort of your own car.  I had been worried about that part, as you hear terrible stories about animals causing damage, but they had told me earlier on the phone that they don't have the sort of animals that do that (mainly monkeys I believe).

Well they were right, they don't have that sort of animal in the drive around 'safari' part. However, they don't really have much of anything!  I won't write the exact names of the animals there (partly because it wasn't obvious) but there were:

• Elk
• Bison
• Red Deer
• Przewalski's Horse

Think that's about it.  We were really surprised.  I'm not sure I even see the point of the drive around section of the park.  There wasn't even any information boards to read.

We then parked up near the area with enclosures, really excited to see the tigers and polar bears.  Kitted out with waterproofs and an umbrella, we made our way to see the Amur Tiger enclosure.  The two tigers were very sensibly lying down inside, so I took a fairly rubbish picture.  Their enclosure looked really big outside though, so that was nice to see.  There were puddles all around, from the uneven ground, but we made our way back through the park to find the polar bears (on the way we saw a lovely owl, just begging for a photo!)

We knew that Mercedes (the famous polar bear, that used to be at Edinburgh Zoo) had died and couple of months ago but we'd heard there would be a male called Walker there to see.  Alas, we looked and looked but no polar bear did we see.  There was a huge enclosure that you looked down on with lots of trees and bushes, but surely a polar bear is big and would find it hard to hide?  We looked in the indoor area and finally concluded we wouldn't be seeing Walker the polar bear.  We were very upset to see a poster/information board about Mercedes in the viewing area, surely it's bad taste to still have that on show - it should at least be re-worded to let the reader now the situation.

We left the Highland Wildlife Park very disappointed and extremely glad we hadn't had to pay an entrance fee.  A real shame.

RZSS to trademark new panda names

This article on the Scotsman website says that the RZSS is applying for the names of the new pandas to be trademarked so that fake merchandise can be made, and so they can make lots of money out of it.

Zoo wants rights to panda names in black and white
BOSSES at Edinburgh Zoo have launched a bid to stop the arrival of their two giant pandas being exploited by bootleggers. 

Executives at the attraction are seeking legal protection for the names of the pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, to prevent fake merchandise from cropping up. The Royal Zoological Society for Scotland (RZSS), who run the zoo, are hoping to make a fortune from their own range of panda-related goods when the bears arrive from China.

They have applied to trademark the two names for a range of products including "toys, clothing, footwear, Christmas decorations and films".

But 'make' lots of money, isn't quite right.  It's more a case of recuperating money, as the pandas will cost 1 million US dollars a year, plus fees such as upkeep, feed, maintenance, etc.

You can't blame them really.

Link to original article

Incidently, I had a look at the new Panda enclosure when I last visited the zoo, and it's coming along nicely, so I took a couple of photos.

The enclosure was due to cost £250,000 but it has already gone over budget (according to the Scotsman).  The visitors area will be enclosed, or at least undercover which is great considering the Scottish weather generally.  The enclosure has taken the place of the old Gorilla area, around the back from the monkey house and the penguins.  Looks like it's taking shape nicely anyway.  Below is a picture of what it should look like when it's finished.

An artist's impression of the new home at the zoo for the pandas

Links to articles about the panda enclosure:

BBC: Edinburgh Zoo panda enclosure to have nursery for cubs

Scotsman: Panda inspectors due as enclosure cost soars

Scotsman: Zoo blunder sees work grind to a halt on panda enclosure

Daily Record: Work on Edinburgh Zoo's new panda house halted after bosses forget to ask for planning permission

Grand opening of new entrance

Just a quick one to describe the 'Grand Opening' of the new entrance at Edinburgh Zoo.

It was billed to be 'grand', with lots to see and do - a family fun day.  On 25th June 2011, from 11am till 4pm, visitors could enjoy attractions including a bouncy castle, a face painter, side stalls (such as coconut shy, hook a duck and tin can alley), giant operation and jenga.  That's on top of Edinburgh Dungeon personnel handing out goody bags and the chance of meeting Po - not the Tellytubby but the famous panda from Kung Fu Panda 2 (I expect Po was in the first film too).  It all sounds very exciting doesn't it?

Lots of people must have thought it sounded exciting, because it was very busy at the zoo that day.

However, it wasn't quite as billed.  Alternatively, maybe it was exactly as billed but maybe things were hidden.  We went along (even though we don't have kids and 'family fun day' always smacks of needing kids) and were disappointed.  There absolutely were side stalls - a coconut shy, a hook a duck stall and a tin can alley stall.  There was also a small bouncy castle and a giant Operation.

Family fun day - a bouncy castle and three stalls

There were two extra things; a giant buzz wire (you know where you trace a loop along a wire and if it touches it buzzes and you have to start again) and a Strongman 'Ring the bell' game - hit the target with a mallet and try to ring the bell at the top.  The mallet was mainly strong foam for the head but very heavy otherwise, I saw small kids dragging it around because it was too heavy to lift by themselves.  The 'ring the bell' game itself was set to be impossible to ring the bell (many capable men tried), which made it an attractive challenge to older teenagers - to show off.  We saw three foreign youths thrash the thing until both the target pin was broke and the mallet splintered into pieces.  There wasn't any staff around, apart from one on each of the stalls, so there was no-one to say anything - they replaced the broken mallet and sneaked off.  Of course, the next child that came along presumed they broke it and started crying, probably thinking they would get into trouble.

I didn't see a face painter, or giant jenga, and I certainly didn't see a Panda named Po.  I also didn't see anyone handing out Edinburgh Dungeon goody bags.  I did contact them via Twitter afterwards to ask them about it and they said they were there but they were walking around and so must have missed me!  The stalls, etc, I did see were up by the restaurant, not near the new entrance at all - which was what it was all supposed to be about, as far as I knew.

Nice idea, but just not done right.

News article about the day on Edinburgh Zoo webpage

New entrance and gift shop at Edinburgh Zoo

On 15th June 2011, Edinburgh Zoo opened it's new entrance to visitors.  I went along to see it a few days later.

There's supposed to be a new way for visitors to queue up and pay, meaning less queuing times and happier people.  It should also mean it's easier for people to complete their details so that the RZSS can claim gift aid each time.

It was nice and quiet the first time I went to see the new entrance but the next time I was at the zoo, there were queues out of the door, so it's not obvious how successful this new building has been in that regard.

As for the rest of the space, it's just that...space.  There are pictures on the wall, lots of space and staff but there is little else to describe.  I'm really not sure what cost so much and took so much time.

Maybe it was the gift shop, which is on the other side of the building.  The idea is that the visitor enters on the right side of the building at the start of their day at the zoo and then at the end of the day they exit through the left hand side of the building, past the gift shop.

Past?  That's right, past the gift shop, not through it like it was before.  We've been so concerned that all the time and money was being spent on the gift shop and making it so that kids pressure their parents to buy everything they see on their way out...what a lovely surprise.  The gift shop is on the way out but visitors don't have to walk through it.  A genuinely pleasant surprise.


So what of the shops wares?

There is a lot of choice, from the silly to the serious and the expensive to the affordable.  There's even a section were things cost £1-£3.  It's only badges and things but it's great to have something that can be said 'yes' to.

There's educational materials, clothes, toys and even interesting 3D pictures.  All in all, it's not bad.  Was it worth all the money and trouble of the entrance being closed all that time?  Only time will tell.

Zoo closed because of weather

Yesterday it was a local holiday in Edinburgh, lots of people off work and kids off school.  In the afternoon me and my husband decided to go to the zoo.

The weather had been forecast to be quite bad all day unfortunately with lots of rain and very strong winds predicted.  But we were forewarned so we donned winter coats with hoods, no bags to get wet and I wore my wellington boots.

We got there about 2.10pm and headed straight for the penguin parade.  There weren't too many people there so there were going to do just a short route, from one part of the enclosure to the next.  At about 2.15pm it was announced that the zoo would be closing...after the penguin parade.  Not urgent enough to close straight away of course but it would indeed be closing.

It wasn't announced that refunds would be given but certainly the people that did ask were told to go to the ticket office.  I don't know if they were given refunds or tickets to come again another day - but either way I wonder if they will come back?

Did the zoo really need to close?  Maybe so.  Yes it's on a hill, yes the wind was very strong and yes there were trees knocked over in other areas of Scotland.  I understand that it's not worth the risk.  But the area surrounding the penguins, going about as far as the sun bears, wasn't too bad.  Would it have be possible to barrier off the roads leading up the hill, citing it to be too dangerous to go up there?  The zoo still may have had to compensate the guests but they'd be a lot more likely to come back knowing that the zoo had done it's best to keep them happy.

Surely not every visitor to the zoo is local and certainly not every visitor can easily come back another day.

I want to try to be fair to the zoo, they cannot afford to risk any sort of accident or any legal actions against them caused by an accident.  Also, both the Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Botanic Gardens were reported to have shut due to the weather.  I only wonder if there was anything else the zoo could have done to keep guests happy?

Maybe I'm wrong about the reason the zoo shut and it wasn't about accidents or falling tree's/branches, maybe it was somehow about the animals.  Surely everyone would have been a lot more understanding if it was communicated more effectively.  But then communication and Edinburgh Zoo don't usually go hand in hand.

Maybe there should be a way of checking the status of the zoo on their website, whether it's likely to be closed that day.  Just one of the many things that it would be useful to have on the website.  Althought that would require the website to be up to date and now I know I'm asking too much.

My view of the state of Edinburgh Zoo and the RZSS - post EGM May 2011

We went to the EGM of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland last thursday. Lots of questions asked but hardly any answers given, we were even fed a 'I cannot comment' at one point. The Chairman was given a vote of no confidence but the board weren't.

It seems like all the important people there don't actually go to the zoo, or other zoos to see the big picture. They see figures and gate entries and that's all they're interested in. Don't they realise that if the visitors don't get a good experience then they won't come back, and they won't tell their friends. Low gate numbers aren't due to the bad weather or the recession it's because when folk do come they don't enjoy their visit, they tell their friends and family about it and they don't come back. It seems very simple to me, but I'm just a pleb.

They really seem to think that the arrival of two giant pandas in the next couple of months will change everything.  Pandas are great, of course, but after you've seen them once and took a wee photo there's not much else to see. They eat and sleep, and doze, and occasionally turn their head...really not much else. People may well come to see them, but the panda's will not be a good enough reason for a return visit - the rest of their experience would have to have been exceptional to make them come back. Americans (certainly from central and west states) don't need to come to Edinburgh to see giant pandas, they can see them in San Diego (which is a fantastic zoo). The panda project is great for the UK as a whole but it is not an answer to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's problems.

This is the usual kind of picture you get of a panda - they don't tend to pose!

There's a raft of problems and nearly every member and visitor has a comment or two to make.  The board apologised last weekt for not keeping members more informed and that they wish to improve communication.  But what about two-way communication?  Members wanted to have their say at the EGM, when it wasn't really the correct arena for it, because there aren't any other channels.  We want to tell them our views of the situation but they don't seem to want to hear it.  All members just want the best for the zoo and the society, so why not just listen?

My husband and I will certainly be at the AGM next week.

They're currently spending a lot of money on a new entrance hall, so of course they were asked why.  They didn't say to ease queuing times, or aid the giving details for gift aid or even to make first impressions of the zoo better for the visitor.  No, their answer was to create a bigger gift shop.  You've paid a fortune to get you and your family into the zoo, stared at empty enclosures, walked up a huge steep hill to see hardly anything other than a nice view of Edinburgh and you've spent another fortune on food and drink from the catering outlets all day.  Then, on your way out they want you to spend again - on cuddly toys, fridge magnets, pictures, toys, and postcards, etc.  They already had a shop in the entrance/exit hall, you were forced to walk through it to get out of the park, but apparently it wasn't big enough!  The commercial side of the zoo only sees catering outlets and shops, ways of making more money once you're in.  Forget the amount of toilet facilites (or the quality and maintenance of them), forget precious photo opportunities and interactivity for guests, forget cleanliness and upkeep of enclosures, and forget the animals - apparently animals just aren't that important in a zoo.  Who knew?