Edinburgh Zoo M. Man's Edinburgh Zoo Review

A quick note before the review:

Since working at different zoos over the last few years (volunteering at Milwaukee County Zoo; interning at N.E.W. Zoo one summer; and my future position at Nashville Zoo), I have began to view zoos and aquariums a little differently. I usually rank and review them based on animal collection, exhibit quality, personal experience, and visitor experiences – with a heavy emphasis on the first two categories. And while those two factors are still in my opinion key for a zoo, things such as amenities, children’s zoos, and even the simplest animal enrichment opportunities (even if their exhibit is subpar) have taken on a whole new meaning. I will still be reviewing animal exhibits, commenting on animal collections, and putting in my “personal twists” like my Highlight of the Day section and labeling species firsts. However, I will be adding more information about the overall visitor experiences like the establishment’s atmosphere (something I have starting expanding on in my more recent reviews), amenities, education, and even viewing opportunities, as those can have a major effect on a visit, and to provide more of a balanced review. I will also probably take enrichment more into account when judging exhibits.

Feel free to comment or give suggestions with this new format. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and enjoy my new review format, starting with…

Review of the Edinburgh Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo

A few miles away from Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, sits the Edinburgh Zoo, an 82-acre wildlife establishment. It opened in 1913, a few years after the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) was founded in 1909. The Zoo generally took inspiration from the Hagenbeck designs with spacious areas and natural-looking barriers separating visitors from animals. Since then, it has continued to grow through the years with many unique animal exhibits, enduring hardships like WWII and a 2001 disease outbreak along the way. As of today, the collection consists of over 1000 specimens making up 171 species.

Apart from some animal displays at the Xcaret Resort in Mexico, which I saw way back in 2006 and 2007, this was the very first zoological facility I’ve seen outside my home country. I was intrigued by the comparisons between this example of U.K. zoos and those found in the States. The most notable being the simple approach to creating some of these exhibits, yet the results in some cases work well. Edinburgh, a solid and nice zoo, easily slides into this description, along with slowly but surely providing exhibit complexes that include modern elements for both animal and visitor alike.

Animal Exhibit Complexes​

African Animals – Most of the animals from the Dark Continent are located towards the front and central areas of the Zoo. A very good exhibit for meerkats, with lots of sand, rocky lookout points, and a surprisingly low viewing window area, greets visitors when they walk into the establishment. Down a pathway is an aviary with Waldrapp ibis and black stork that is average in size and quality; African wild dogs (didn't see) have a spacious, lush habitat that is excellent and can be viewed through glass and on a boardwalk; and another well done mixed-species habitat, with a stream and a few small trees, is home to hamerkop, Kirk’s dik-dik, and vulturine guineafowl. Nearby a Barbary macaque troop (a first for me) is found in an exhibit with lots of rocky crags, ropes, and a muddy ground area. Elsewhere in the Zoo is a shady pygmy hippo exhibit, and a great gelada habitat (another first) that is incredibly steep, rocky, and has a bare tree that two females were utilizing – a “rock solid” representation of the Ethiopian highlands.

Giant Panda Habitats – In 2011, Edinburgh became the first zoo in the United Kingdom since 1994 to house the rare black-and-white bears. The female’s name is Tian Tian, and the male is Yang Guang. Two medium-sized outdoor habitats can be seen via expansive viewing windows, each featuring many shrubs, a small pool, wood shelters, small trees, plenty of grass, and even a couple wood ramps to encourage climbing. They're nowhere near the top quality panda habitats that can be seen at the Smithsonian National Zoo, but I found them to be much better than the ones in Memphis and San Diego. Tian Tian was nowhere to be seen in the first exhibit, as she is apparently quite shy, but Yang Guang was dozing under his shelter in his exhibit. A funny moment took place here when a magpie landed on Yang Guang while he was sleeping, which quickly woke him up, only for him to slouch back into his slumber! After viewing the lazy bamboo chompers, visitors travel along a trail surrounded by bamboo, cumulating in a small plaza with elements about bamboo usage and conservation. I found this to be a unique educational touch. On a side note, I saw photos of the indoor viewing but couldn't find any access to the area. Is that for special occasions only?

Penguins Rock – One of the Zoo’s biggest claims to fame is its penguins; not only was it the world’s first to display and breed the popular birds, but there is even a penguin parade that is held as a tradition after an accidental escape! I unfortunately didn't get a chance to check out the parade, in which a keeper leads them around the zoo. The penguin habitat, which opened in 2013 and features three species (king, Gentoo, and northern rockhopper - the latter being in a small side exhibit), itself is average. It certainly is the largest exhibit I've seen for the aquatic birds, the plethora of nests for breeding pairs were neat to see, and there are some cool viewing areas via basic metal fencing, a bridge going through the exhibit, small windows similar to looking out of the bow of a ship, and a colossal underwater viewing window looking into the enormous pool. However, the land area is minimally detailed concrete, and the exhibit mostly resembles those from some years ago. It's more than adequate, but for the Zoo's signature species and a recent renovation, I was expecting a bit more.

Hoofstock Paddocks – These exhibits are generally located in the central area and towards the top of the Zoo property. Next to the gelada habitat is a very steep pen for a male Nile lechwe; I didn't trek up the hill to see the next-door exhibit, but I could see a Grevy's zebra in that exhibit from afar. Behind the red pandas is a grassy Chinese goral (believe this is another first) pen; banteng (didn't see) live in a nice-sized yard with a pool and mostly dirt substrate; red river hogs can be seen in four different connected exhibits of varying quality (a tiny indoor stall, two small poor outdoor yards, and a roomy yard of average quality). A series of cool cliff-side habitats are home to the following: pudu (didn’t see)/agouti – kind of inappropriate for these species; Visayan warty pig; and Visayan spotted deer/wallaby (don’t remember the species). Near Tiger Tracks lies a gigantic savannah habitat for Grevy’s zebra and lowland nyala (including two calves) that looks stunning with its rolling green hills and tall mature trees. I didn’t venture up the hill to the overlook that reaches into the exhibit, but I’ve heard the dramatic views are incredible. Last but not least, at the top of the Zoo are two huge grassy paddocks surrounded by simple fencing: one was empty, and the other had vicuña and Darwin's rhea (both firsts).

Bird Exhibits – Next to the deer/wallaby enclosure is a large nice aviary for snowy owl (another first); up the hill from the hippos is a well vegetated habitat for southern cassowary (didn't see); Egyptian vulture (didn't see) can be seen in a basic aviary near the geladas; two small enclosures for Darwin’s rhea and Chilean flamingo/scarlet ibis (two other species are present too, but don't recall them) are found close to the entrance; and a trio of so-so aviaries across from the rhino holds red fronted macaw, Bali starling/rainbow lorikeet, and great argus pheasant (didn't see).

Tiger Tracks – The Zoo’s newest exhibit complex, which opened in September 2016. The first exhibit, which held the female on my visit, looked to be an older habitat with glass windows looking out into a heavily vegetated and strangely high habitat with some wooden beams to traverse to the exhibit's higher levels. This particular habitat would be phenomenal for clouded leopards, but I feel it works well for the tigers too. After another intense climb, a plaza is reached with windows into the top part of the older exhibit, an education wall featuring details about tiger life stages and jumping ability, and a window into an indoor room. Viewing into the second habitat, where the male was located, can also be found here. This decent-sized exhibit is less dense than the other one, but still has a nice amount of foliage, a pool that was empty when I was there, a couple wood platforms, and a few beams. In addition to a couple overlooks, the most unique vantage point here is a glass tunnel that the striped cats can traverse over to reach the other side of the exhibit. The complex concludes with an area explaining about the threats that tigers face in the wild such as poacher traps, along with several spots of tiger facts that can found the path – a cute touch for kids.

Wallaby Outback – Three species of wallaby (swamp, rock, and shrub) live in a huge, grassy walkthrough enclosure with a few rocky areas and a visitor path with zero barriers. There are also average side exhibits for grey kangaroos and a Visayan spotted deer (another first).

Koala Territory – The only group of koalas in the UK is found here. After trekking along a winding path, visitors venture into a building where the first habitat is seen. This is the best of the four habitats for the charismatic marsupials, with a rocky wall, mulch flooring, trees, and some climbing opportunities. The other three exhibits are far less detailed, with nothing but mulch ground and small trees and branches for climbing, but they are quite spacious, and it was good to see that the koalas can rotate between areas. The signage is also decent, with details about koala joey development and how to conserve the iconic species in Australia.

Living Links – As an animal behavior major, I found this area really fascinating. Not only are the exhibits for brown capuchin and common squirrel monkeys enormous and naturalistic, but the educational opportunities for visitors are phenomenal - almost immersive in a psychological sense. The complex consists of two near-identical sections consisting of the following: two huge outdoor habitats (with lush grass, several trees, and what looked liked several vines that mostly replace ropes), a building with two indoor rooms (one for each species, all filled with wood chips and several branches to clamber on), a training room between each indoor room, and educational signage galore. Edinburgh Zoo works with various universities across Scotland as part of the Scottish Primate Research Group to study the many complex behaviors of the monkeys. It was amazing to read about some of the projects the establishments collaborated on from friend recognition to food location memorization, breaking new ground in researching primate intelligence and behavior. This is probably the best that Edinburgh has to offer, and it has quickly become one of my favorite exhibits.

Magic Forest - This is a small indoor pathway featuring small primate species on both sides. One side consists of indoor exhibits with various climbing areas, and the other side has lush mid-sized enclosures. Species include Goeldi's monkey, Pygmy marmoset, and grey-legged douroucouli (including a baby).

Budongo Trail – Chimpanzees live in this exhibit complex, which was named after a Ugandan forest of the same name. Before making one’s way down a winding ramp to the neat modern-designed building, there is an overlook of the top part of the outdoor exhibit. One of the largest I’ve seen for the species, the sloped habitat is packed with foliage, a rock wall, and many climbing areas consisting of wooden pole structures and ropes. I didn’t see the second half the exhibit as access to it seemed to be closed, but from what I have seen in photos there is also a water moat in front of a viewing area at the bottom of the hill. The outdoor habitat is impressive enough, but what really elevates this great ape complex is the interior, which also features windows into the outdoor habitat. Some solid interactive opportunities for visitors include kiosks and a video with information about ape life and conservation. Furthermore, the trio of indoor exhibits is simply extraordinary. The ground area is multi-tiered, there are an array of ropes and platforms, the viewing is at mid-level of the exhibits, and the height allowed for the chimps is unbelievable. Another cool element is the array of overhead chutes that the apes can traverse to get from one room to another. The strengths of this complex have led to Budongo being one of the top chimpanzee habitats I’ve seen.

Other Exhibits – A pathway leading to Tiger Tracks has a pair of steep, good-looking Scottish wildcat habitats (another first), but the windows and exhibit design combine for an awkward viewing experience for visitors, especially if the cats are laying low. Near Magic Forest is an indoor/outdoor pair of dwarf mongoose exhibits, a small all-indoor room for margay (another first), and a huge, well furnished habitat for a pair of Malayan sun bears (formerly polar bears), which can also be seen inside. Near the top of the Zoo by Tiger Tracks is a large, grassy giant anteater exhibit viewed through either chain-link or an overlook. In the center of the establishment are the following: an Asian small-clawed otter (didn’t see) habitat that has more land than water, and is the largest I’ve ever seen for any otter species; a lush binturong habitat that allows access to live trees, and is the best I’ve seen for the species; a Taiwan beauty snake terrarium (another first); and a circular exhibit for striped skunk (didn’t see). Two of the Zoo’s largest species are found near Penguins Rock: a huge male Indian rhino has a two-level outdoor exhibit with wood chips, a pool, and a mud wallow that is weak, but outshines the cramped, dim-looking indoor quarters; two Malayan tapirs share a tiny indoor room (by the way I was shocked by how HUGE they are up-close) and a pair of outdoor enclosures that lack detail, and one of them is viewed through a distracting fence, but they are shaded by live unprotected trees. Buff-cheeked gibbons have many climbing opportunities, but are unfortunately found in a long black metal cage. Finally, a pair of red pandas, which are a new addition this year, have an open-topped exhibit that allows the red critters access to tall trees.

NOTE – The Brilliant Birds complex and Asian lion exhibit were closed due to maintenance - much to my disappointment with the latter. I also didn't get a chance to check out walkthrough exhibits for monkey, pelican, and lemur (I did pass by the habitat though, and it looked nice and lush with greenery for the ring-tailed lemurs I saw); and the monkey house (home to drill, Diana monkey, and L’Hoest’s monkey). I did, however, pass by two outdoor cages, with no inhabitants that I could see, and they looked underwhelming.

Visitor Experiences​

The establishment is situated on a steep incline, which can make for a tiring day. However, it's not as bad as the Smithsonian in which there is mostly just one big path going straight down a hill. Edinburgh has a couple paths like this too, but other than that there are mainly ramps and gradually inclining trails as one makes their way to the top of the property - kudos! The layout is also a little awkward, with several different paths that lead to different animal exhibits, sometimes making for backtracking. In my opinion, the Zoo would greatly benefit from having a sky tram or other forms of transportation to help with these issues.

The grounds themselves look pretty decent for being on a constant incline. The views of Edinburgh from above are gorgeous, the narrow pathways are shaded by big trees and lined with plants in places, the medieval-looking Mansion house is stunning, and the cool-looking ancient rock work from back in the day is used to the Zoo's advantage, giving a unique historical edge to it.

Lastly, the entrance area has a sleek design and a modern look to it - an interesting and unique contrast with the old, historical rock around the Zoo; there are three eateries oddly located almost right next to each other (I feel it would be more beneficial to have one of these at the top of the Zoo); and there are some activities present for kids, including a couple play areas and an Animal Antics show area.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: My visit marked the first time I ever saw an active koala! It was cool to see a species that is normally slumbering the day away actually awake and curiously looking at its surroundings from the ground. The male then went on to climb one of its trees and perch at the top with its back to its onlookers. By the way, they’re faster than I would’ve imagined!

OVERALL: For my first international zoological facility, I was happy with what I saw. It was a fascinating experience comparing this zoo to those found back in the U.S. I enjoyed seeing how it's not always necessary to have authentic rockwork or thundering waterfalls to have a naturalistic environment for animals. Sometimes all that’s needed is fencing in a slice of nature, provide some good viewing areas, and add additional elements if needed. Edinburgh does have its issues (steep layout, some outdated exhibitry, etc.), but the unique grounds, rare species collection, and numerous above average animal areas (especially Living Links, Tiger Tracks, and Budongo Trail) make this Zoo well worth a look.

Apart from the Zoo's drills eventually moving into the Barbary macaque exhibit, I'm not sure what this zoo has in store for the future. I remember reading about a master plan that would arrange the Zoo into major biomes and bring back some species of megafauna such as elephants, giraffes, etc., but am unsure what has become of those plans. If the Zoo continues on with the caliber of its recent projects, this could be a Zoo to look out for.

I will not say what Edinburgh’s ranking is yet, as I’ll probably post an updated list of rankings later this year.

 

I have only ever known the swamp wallaby in that exhibit, what is a shrub wallaby?

Brilliant review and fascinating to see through the eyes of an overseas visitor, i think you may have been a bit overgenerous in your praise, i personally think you are 10 years too late visiting the zoo.

 

As someone who has only visited Edinburgh once - in June last year - this review broadly reflects how I felt about it. While there is a general consensus on ZooChat - which broadly strikes me as fair - that this is a collection in decline, this had led to significant exaggeration of the negative aspects of the zoo, which, despite these faults, remains (for now) one of the best in Britain.

 

An excellent, detailed review. Great work! I have been reading with interest on the supposed decline of Edinburgh Zoo and based on your review it sounds as if the zoo is still a very good one. I'll have to visit for myself later on in life. One thing that surprised me was the fact that there are only 171 species in the collection...a paltry sum for such a well-regarded institution.

 

I didn't think the zoo was bad, but my review will be quite different This, however, is likely due to having had a former Edinburgh Zoo regular with me to help point out the extremely disappointing bits many others might miss.

~Thylo

 

So to confirm, @TeaLovingDave ruined Edinburgh for Thylo..?

 

Thank you for your excellent review which I very much enjoyed reading. I look forward to reading some of your other zoo reviews in due course.

I have visited Edinburgh Zoo many times but it is several years since I was last there. Criticism of the zoo on ZooChat has rather dissuaded me from making the long journey from London recently – so it is good to know that you enjoyed your visit.

Apologies for being pedantic but I must point out that the often-repeated claim that Edinburgh Zoo was the first zoo in the world to exhibit penguins is erroneous. London Zoo, for example, exhibited half-a-dozen species of penguins in the nineteenth century, decades before Edinburgh Zoo opened.

 

Finally got around to posting this. Thank you for the kind words everyone!

@snowleopard: What's even more amazing is that just in the past ten(?) years there were even more rare and unique species! Bush dogs, honey badgers, Kuhl's hog deer, aardwolf, and aye-ayes are just some that I can recall. At least I got to see the Barbary macaques just in time!

@Tim May: Interesting regarding the penguins in London. Thanks for sharing!

@Thylo: We eagerly await your reports!

@kiang: I was going off the sign posted, and unless I misread it or read too quickly and it actually said scrub, I'm pretty sure it was shrub. Funny that you mention about me being a bit overgenerous, as I have to admit I did think about that a couple times while writing this review. I guess I didn't really know exactly what to expect despite seeing some photos, and being pleasantly surprised that it was much better than I anticipated, that's probably how we got the above review - a solid, nice zoo.

I do feel the layout is awkward and the lack of public transportation is sorely missing, especially for its location. I'd say the weakest exhibits in the Zoo off the top of my head, some of which I didn't go into detail about, include: rhino, tapir, margay, gibbon, red river hog, some of the bird exhibits, and the hoofstock "cliff-side exhibits" (after thinking about it, they may look cool, but are probably not well-suited for the species they hold). I didn't see the monkey house, but based on photos I've seen, I wouldn't be surprised if it was in the above list too. When analyzing the specific exhibit groups found in the review though, I can't think of any that are really poor.

 

Thanks for your review, which is welcome (although I disagree to some extent), it's always interesting to see a zoo through fresh eyes. Are you visiting anywhere else in the UK?

Not wanting to start anything too heated, but:

I think the public transportation is a key (negative issue) for a large zoo on a large hill. Also those exhibits you mention* are perhaps adequate but unlikely to remain so for much longer given expected zoo standards generally increase over the years. At present they* are among the poorest, if not the poorest, enclosures for their species in the UK. The Monkey House is (currently) not that bad for most of the species housed (Drills probably excepted) but looks it's age (not pretty at all) and does need replacing.

I still rate, as I note you do, Living Links, Budongo and the Sun Bear enclosure (among a few others including Penguin Rocks) but feel they serve to highlight the considerable work needed around the rest of the zoo.

Ten years ago Edinburgh Zoo would have easily made the top ten of UK zoos without much consideration, now I'm not sure that would be the case.


*Though I'd disagree with regard to the Gibbon enclosure (which I think is good) and the Margay enclosure (which I think's fine for the size of cat but awkward for public viewing).

 

Ten years ago, it was also going places. Several great exhibits opened, some wonderful species were brought in, and there were bigger plans in the pipeline. Edinburgh was exciting. I still try to support the zoo and take it for what it is*, but I don't think anyone could argue it feels like that these days.


*On which note, thanks @Milwaukee Man for the breath-off-fresh-air review.

 

The chimp house would not of been closed your ment to enter from the other side where the moat is as other door is a one way door

 

Thanks Shorts and Giant Panda!

@Shorts: My Scotland vacation was with a travel group which didn't go to any other wildlife establishments. Lots of castles, a couple boat tours, traditional meals, and the William Wallace Monument were some of the highlights of the trip. The bus did however pass the entrance to Blair Drummond and signs for two aquariums. I also saw advertisements for Highland Wildlife Park. Those will likely be saved for another time if I travel to Scotland again.

@adamntitch: The top part of the Budongo house was the only accessible area from what I could tell. The lower area of the building, towards the zoo entrance, was under maintenance.

 

I agree entirely with the first half of this comment: but the second is literally out of order (and I think I'm using the word 'literally' correctly in this phrase).
Of course the black and white bears are the elephants in the room (how's that for a well-mixed metaphor?). Of course the facilities at the zoo and the diversity of the collection have declined in a thoroughly miserable and deplorable way. But considered objectively, neither those facilities nor the diversity of the collection at Edinburgh ever matched those of the other leading zoos in the UK.
As our friend from Milwaukee has pointed out, the exhibits for chimps, penguins, sun bears, capuchins & squirrel monkeys, hunting dogs, African birds & dik-diks, geladas, gorals, Siberian tigers, vicuna & Darwin's rheas and Grèvy's zebras etc are very good to excellent. Add in the koala, pygmy hippos, Malayan tapirs and some very nice monkey species in fair to adequate housing and you have an interesting collection with some real highlights for both the general public and the dedicated ZooChatter. I would certainly prefer it to Colchester, for example.
While I fully share the disappointment and frustration expressed about the 'development' of Edinburgh zoo in recent years, exaggerating the situation does not help.

 

I'd agree with this, whilst Edinburgh might struggle to make the top ten UK zoos at present, I'm struggling to imagine any objective view or criteria that would leave it outside the top twenty.

We'll have to agree to differ on this though, for me Colchester has less "blind spot" enclosures and a fine animal collection itself (though it's not for the fake rock-phobics or those that don't like "atmospheric" background music).

 

Fair point and well explained/expanded.

Whilst I wouldn't agree with all your opinions/rankings (that would be boring anyway) this is not the thread to expand on that.

 

A review for Edinburgh Zoo 19th August 2018 which was our first visit.

I now view a zoo through totally new eyes as a father to a little boy who is a few weeks off his second birthday. It is a totally different experience for me now as I am looking after his needs and experience of the zoo (alongside my wife and his mum) and my experience takes a far distant priority.

There is a modest car park at the Zoo which was almost full as we arrived at 11am. There is a short walk down the hill to the entrance from the car park.

Once entry into the Zoo is secured we walked left to the first exhibits which contained birds. My little boy lived it. It was a really positive and wonderful experience for him. We continued up hill, which is a phrase I’ll try not to repeat too often, but the Zoo is built upon a hill and a lot of punching a pram and coaxing a toddler to walk was done. I reminds me of both Belfast particularly in scale and Dudley.

I will echo the comments above that often walking around an exhibit can lead you off the path you had orginionllay taken meaning we had to circle back. To me the Zoo lacked clear main path ways.

The exhibits themselves seemed to include older style caging, fencing and windows but was in good maintance. The vegetation in the exhibits were generally excellent. The exhibits seemed to be of good size for the most part and in close proximity. It didn’t take long to move to the next exhibit as the paths were narrow in many areas but not saturated by visiters.

It was a really wet morning and constant rain was falling and so visibility of the animals was a little hit and miss, we understand this as the chance you pay visiting a zoo. A number of attractions were not open including the indoor Panda areas, Rhino house and Lemar walkthrough. We didn’t see all of the Zoo maybe only 50% but there seemed to be a limited amount of indoor viewing especially on a rainy day.

The monkey house is obviously an older design and is looking tired. It needs a good revamp or to be retired like the cat terrace has been already. There were 2 or 3 other areas that seems empty. Some had signage to explain why others had nothing. I also felt that signage, especially around the exhibits, could be improved.

Tiger Terrortrity, the Koalas and Penguins were all very good exhibits. I thought that Painted Dogs was the best although I know my lad would scale the short fence, leading to views of the dogs from above, in seconds. I was very careful here to not even pick him up, mush to his displeasure, because I wasn’t going even give it the chance that he could squirm out of my grip. I have never thought about safety for my party before. Although I did see a father perch his toddler on the fence of the Cheetahs years ago and let her sit there without being held.

We completed three walkthroughs to see the Pandas which we did on the final try. That was an excellent memory and special experience as my little boy watched the Panda sleep and then tried to copy.

The staff were very friendly. The play areas excellent. The cafe served excellent coffee.

Edinburgh Zoo is a very good place to visit we enjoyed this one and would love to return to see the areas we didn’t manage this time.