Rainbow landing at the zoo, will now close as an exhibit for free flying lorikeets. The zoo has released a statement on facebook, saying that it will be redeveloped. Here is the statement. Hi everyone, it has been decided that Rainbow Landings will now be closed permanently after three years in operation. It was a popular exhibit with visitors and helped raise important funds for RZSS during the time it was open. However, as a... heavily staff and cost intensive exhibit, it was decided after careful consideration that the enclosure is no longer sustainable within the Zoo’s current resources. The remaining birds from Rainbow Landings will be moved to other collections and a small flock will be moved to another aviary in the zoo. Plans are now in place to redevelop the enclosure into an exciting new exhibit as part of the Zoo’s current development plans to improve services to animals and the visiting public. Facebook fans will, of course, be updated as soon as we know more! So what now for this fairly new building, i for one would like to see some more reptiles join the collection, but we will find out in due course.
It really had better be fantastic if it wants to live in Rainbow Landings footsteps. I've only visited once, but that building was by far my favourite thing in the zoo, and I believe it was very popular with everybody else? Reptiles are a good idea, but personally I would like to see something very unique for it to be memorable (if only to zoo geeks). Something not in other UK collections if possible? I don't remember exactly, but is there room outside for any outdoor extensions (islands, paddocks, enclosures?) If so, how about returning Sumatran orangs to the zoo?
Completely bonkers. An interactive exhibit such as this is just what visitors like. You don't need to sell very many pots of 'nectar' to pay the wages of the staff involved - and surely volunteers could be used to patrol inside. Unless the running costs of the building were high, for some reason, I simply do not understand this move. Real short-sightedness, and a real shame.
Damn Myself and my girlfriend had planned to visit the zoo a few weeks ago, but had to cancel due to illness. We'd been looking forward to our rescheduled visit this weekend, but now quite a lot of the joy has been taken out of it for me, in hearing that our favorite part of the zoo has been closed *despite* being popular and apparently a strong fundraiser for RZSS.... makes me wonder what will be next to go?
Volunteers were used to help inside along with education and presentations staff! Volunteers don't start until 11 and finish at 4 in the summer, 3 in the winter (we like a look around the zoo too!) Also, there are not enough volunteers to cover all the required activities around the zoo! Sometimes the birds just didn't feed and the money raised from selling nectar only really covered the cost of the undiluted nectar and a fraction of the staffing costs with no impact on the cost of keeping the building going. There were a lot of flaws with the building from the start that only came to light after the place got up and running including temperature control and drainage. Although it was done well (in my opinion probably better than some other zoos with their lorikeet walk throughs), obviously it was felt it wasn't as high a standard as it should have been. The decisions really were more than financial and the decision for it to close was actually taken in early summer, way before the recently announced financial downturn.
Mmmm I was toying with going to Edinburgh zoo next year, the lorikeets where a highlight since they dont have any red pandas, now Im having to rethink the idea. Maybe a trip to Norfolk will replace my Edinburgh dream. Shame the zoo is closing the enclosure down, it was fun to feed the lorikeets at Bristol Zoo.
All the exciting things at Edinburgh and you're put off by no Rainbow Lorikeets and Red Pandas? Lesser Kudu, Kuhl's Hog Deer, Central Chinese Goral, Drills, Sun Bears, Aardwolves, Siberian Musk Deer, Guinea Baboons, Asian Golden Cat, European Sousliks, King Penguins, Hamlyn's Guenons, Koalas, White-lipped Deer, Swamp Wallabies... I've really got to get back to Edinburgh next year... Seriously, it's well worth a visit. One of the best mammal line-ups in the UK.
Rainbow landings is being turned into a walk-through South American exhibit. Zoo to introduce walk-through primate enclosure - Scotsman.com
Sounds nice but I don't understand how it will be cheaper to run, does anyone know what might make this the case? Good about the cock of the rock but I'm not sure about pudu, sure they are South American but don't they live in a much more temperate habitat than tropical rainforests?
Hyperbole alert! Unless they're defining it pretty narrowly it's hardly the first enclosure of this type in the UK. Twycross, London, Newquay, Dudley (and I'm sure a few others) have very similar exhibits. Also, that's potentially quite a lot of monkeys in a fairly compact area. Cock of the Rock -awesome! I look forward to seeing this in September.
So they've done away with a walk through exhibit due to expense to staff it, only to replace it with a walk through that needs.....staffing? And as Shorts pointed out, it's hardly going to be a one of a kind unless they really come up with something special. Does anyone know what's going in and where they're getting them from? If they go with the usual squirrel monkeys, saki monkeys etc does that mean they're emptying the enclosures currently holding these animals or going down the dreaded route of more than one exhibit with the same species in it? Having asked all those in a negative tone, I do like Edinburgh zoo and think there's more than a good chance they'll make a very good fist of it. Primate walk throughs and giant pandas sound exciting from a marketing stand point.
I think this, along with the pandas, is positive in terms of making a comeback after some difficult times recently. Also, am I right in thinking the pudu are currently next to the gorilla house? That redevelopment will probably have an effect on this whole corner of the zoo as other posters have noted.
Reading between the lines I did wonder if, despite the explanation about staffing, they have done away with 'Rainbow Landings' more because its no longer a novel exhibit for Edinburgh's regular(most frequent) visitors and they want something different yet again to keep pulling the visitors in. I also noticed someone said the Lorikeets sometimes wouldn't feed- probably this was due to a surfit of nectar being offered at busy times? -if they wouldn't always flock eagerly to people then the exhibit wasn't working anymore.
