Edinburgh zoo opened in 1913 on a beautiful hillside in suburban Edinburgh. It holds over 1,000 animals of 156 species/pphe zoo is run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland which, despite limited funding, is constantly upgrading its exhibits and facilities. The staff numbers 120 full time paid personnel plus 100 volunteers from a membership of 33,000
The staff are clearly dedicated to the welfare of the animals as the enclosures are clean and the animals look healthy and show little stereotypic behaviour. Several endangered species are being successfully bred including Diana Monkey for which the world studbook is kept at Edinburgh
The highlight of the visit was the Members House which boasts a first class restaurant, cocktail bar, comfortable lounges and is capable of accommodating conferences, meetings and other functions. We were entertained there by a volunteer couple. All the volunteers are members of the Zoological Society and have the benefit of this fine facility when they are working at the zoo/pphe collection includes