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?