Edinburgh Zoo

NEWS

Our winter times from November to March are 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3pm. In extreme snowy weather, please call us before starting your journey in case we have to close all or part of the Park.

Musk Ox Arrival
On the 14th of January, two female musk ox arrived at the Park. It has been 24 years since musk ox were last imported into the UK and these are the only two of these Arctic animals in the country. A specialised facility strong enough to withstand the strength and destructive nature of the ox has been built to house the two females who will be joined by a male later this year.

Musk ox, even females, are notoriously aggressive and the keepers will need to exercise the same level of care as they do when working with the polar bear or the tigers. They can be tremendously hot tempered during the breeding season, with the males, who can weigh up to 350kg, able to bend heavy steel with their reinforced head - definitely not an animal you want to get too close to.

The musk ox are not yet on public display but we hope to let them explore the rest of their new home next week once they have settled in. "Karin" was born in June 2002 in the Czech Republic and Madelon, her daughter, was born in July 2008 in Holland.

*NEW* Interactive Animal Quiz

We have a new interactive animal quiz, which can be downloaded before you visit the Park onto iPhones, iPads. During your visit the questions will be located at each of the animal enclosures. Answer the questions by selecting a), b), or c) and find out if you are correct. The quiz will give you additional information about the animals and can help you explore the Park. It can be downloaded onto other smart phones, but some of the interactive features may be limited. Please click here to download.

*New* Family Activity Pack Download
The idea of this Family Activity Pack (Download here) complete with Answers, is to provide activities for children as they explore the Highland Wildlife Park.

Each activity can be printed out individually or as a whole booklet - it's a pick-'n'-mix pack. You can select what suits your family and what you are interested in. If your family does not find the answers during their visit, research can be undertaken when you return home via the internet. There are many excellent resources on line such as;

IUCN Red List

Arkive

BBC Nature

We hope that you find these activities fun and that they will benefit your family's understanding of zoos, animals and their environment. If you have any suggestions or ideas regarding specific worksheets, we would be grateful if you would complete the quick survey on the following link Complete survey here.

When you have completed the survey, leave your contact details (name and email or phone number) to enter our prize draw with a chance to win a Family Season Pass for the Park. Many thanks for your help.

Interactive Park Map
We have a new interactive Park map, developed by our Education Dept. which can be downloaded before you visit the Park onto iPhones, iPads or printed as a regular document. It gives you additional information about the animals and can help you explore the Park. It can be downloaded onto other smart phones, but some of the interactive features may be limited. Please click here to download.

Great Grey Owls Strix nebulosa
Our pair of Great Grey Owls are now on show in their new aviary. With a round, beautifully marked face, Great Grey Owls are one of the largest of the owls. They are native to North America, through Canada, Alaska and the Rocky Mountains as well as Scandinavia and Northern Eurasia. They have excellent hearing - so much so that they can hear and capture a vole under a foot of snow.

Work has now also been completed on the new enclosure for the European Forest Reindeer. Located in our Wolf Wood, a boardwalk runs along one side of this wooded area. We currently have two of the male reindeer in the new area. The breeding male and two females are remaining in their old enclosure.

Silver Green Tourism Award
Following our last assessment, we are delighted to announce that we have been upgraded to silver in the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GBTS). This is the national sustainable tourism certification scheme for the UK and tourist sites are assessed every two to three years. We have worked hard to reach this and have looked at many areas of the Park including recycling of waste, sourcing of sustainable and Fairtrade products for the shop and cafe and working to reduce our utility use. We now have two years to develop this further so we can attain Gold at the next assessment!

Snowy Owl Chick
Our snowy owls successfully hatched and reared a chick this year. In the photo, it is sitting with it's mum (left) with dad sitting on the perch. It isn't yet possible to tell from it's plumage whether the chick is male or female. Our snowy owls have now moved to their new enclosure at the viewpoint.

Party in the Park
Looking for an unusual Birthday Party? We are now taking bookings for our new party package. Prices include a day's entry to the Park, meeting our snow monkeys with their keeper as they are fed at 11.30am and party food boxes provided at the patio area overlooking our play park. For more info and the booking form please click here.

Tomek the Bison
A new bison bull from Ireland has been setting female bison hearts all a flutter in our Main Reserve. Tomek, the four year old European Bison Bull, arrived this summer from Fota Wildlife Park near Cork and has been warmly welcomed by the existing herd of eleven females. Tomek has definitely been trying to show the ladies who is in charge. He’s starting to be more and more assertive, particularly if any of them come too close or go for food that Tomek has his eye on. One forceful shake of his head and the girls immediately back off! The dominant male in Tomek’s last herd was his father, who kept Tomek in line, but now he has a chance to reach his potential unhindered. As our only male, all the girls seem to be really fascinated by him, and as he’s considerably larger than them, at a huge 600 kilograms, or 94 stone, the female bison are happy to take his lead.

10 Great Reasons to visit the Park
1. There are roughly 200 animals at the Highland Wildlife Park
2. The Highland Wildlife Park covers 200 acres in the Cairngorms National Park
3. Walker, our polar bear, is the only polar bear in a public collection in the UK
4. Our Mishmi takin are thought to be the animal behind the legend of Jason’s Golden Fleece.
5. Pallas Cats - Pallas's cats are the subject of a European Zoo Association breeding programme which is coordinated by staff from the Highland Wildlife Park.
6. European Elk – ours eat around 20 kilos each of browse a day!
7. Kiang or Tibetan Wild ass – we’re the only zoo in the UK to have them
8. We were the first zoo to successfully breed capercaillie in captivity.
9. Bactrian camels can drink up to 120 litres of water at a time. We have 2 females and 1 male.
10. Scottish Wildcats – through the Highland Tiger project, we are helping to identify and protect pure wildcats, to breed them in captivity and hopefully reintroduce them.

Vicugna arrive at the Park
On Friday 13th May, a bachelor herd of six male vicugna (pronounced “vicunya”) arrived from our sister zoo in Edinburgh, where they will be establishing a breeding herd and we will maintain the male back-up group. Vicugna are the wild ancestors of the domesticated alpaca and have luxuriant coats that keep them warm in the high altitudes of the Andes Mountains. They are normally found above 3,000 metres, and so they are a perfect addition to our collection of cold weather adapted species. Due to their fine coats, by the beginning of the 1970s the wild population was approaching extinction but a subsequent prohibition on international trade and a regional agreement that established protected areas has seen their numbers rise quite dramatically. Our 6 animals are part of the European Zoo Association’s management programme for the species, which is coordinated by a colleague in Zurich Zoo, and all were born in zoos in the UK, France, Poland and Germany. Because breeding males are intolerant of other males near their females, bachelor herds like ours are needed to maintain a number of reserve breeding males for the future. These all male groups are normal for this species and bachelor herds also occur in the wild.

*NEW* Pre- and Post-Visit Activity Sheets available for download on our Schools Page
This pack can be used before or after your visit with pupils, youth groups or families. Each activity can be printed out individually or as a whole booklet - it's a pick 'n' mix activity sheet. These worksheets do not require a visit to the Park and there are links to extra information on the web. You can select what suits the requirements of your group and what you are interested in.

Polar Bears
It is with great sadness that we have to announce that on April 15th 2011, Mercedes the polar bear had to be put painlessly to sleep due to age related health problems and a recent rapid deterioration in her welfare. Her obituary can be read by clicking here.

Walker, our 2 year old male polar bear has the run of the whole enclosure. He is now the only polar bear in a public collection in the UK and came from Rhenen Zoo in the Netherlands where he was born in 2008. The Park was approached by the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) coordinator for polar bears and Rhenen Zoo to ask if we could take him this November. Walker’s sister was expecting another litter so because of this, Walker needed to find a new home before she retires to her cubbing den.

The polar bear EEP coordinates the movement of animals around European zoo collections as part of the breeding programme. The decisions for these moves are largely based on the quality of the enclosures, and having one of the largest polar bear enclosures in the world we are delighted that the Highland Wildlife Park was top of the list for Walker’s new home.

The polar bear enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park spans four acres and has a natural pool and tundra-like environment. For Walker’s arrival, a natural extension was added to the enclosure, which allowed keepers to manage Walker and Mercedes separately when required (photo courtesy of Aaron Sneddon).

Pallas's Cats
Our pair of Pallas's cats are in their new enclosure behind the lynx. They are settling in well and they have been seen sitting at the top of the cliff-face at the rear of the enclosure in the afternoons. Because of their coat colour, they are experts at blending in well with their rocky surroundings. Pallas's cats are the subject of a European Zoo Association breeding programme which is coordinated by staff from the Highland Wildlife Park.

A small wild cat, the Pallas’s cat is classified as near threatened with a decreasing wild population due to harmful agricultural practices and trapping for their fur. This unusual and highly specialised cat species is thought to have split from the other “modern” cat lineages over 8 million years ago.

Scotrail Kids go Free Ticket
Up to two children aged between five and 15 can travel free with each adult who purchases a Kids Go Free ticket on any route within Scotland. Show your Kids Go Free ticket at the Highland Wildlife Park or Edinburgh Zoo and get a free child place with each full paying adult.