An extra special community event took place at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo this Father’s Day (18 June), with over 400 guests from five Scottish charities invited to take part in the second annual Wild about Scotland Day.
The charities in attendance were Children 1st, Children in Scotland, Aberlour, Circle and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland.
The event, delivered by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland with support from Clydesdale Bank, saw over 400 tickets being handed out to disadvantaged service users through the five charity partners. The young people and families spent the day visiting the Zoo, engaging with the Wild about Scotland education programme, and learning all about the fascinating wildlife that Scotland has to offer.
By visiting the Wild about Scotland bus, taking part in workshops and exploring the Wild about Scotland garden, guests learnt about the simple steps we can all take to help safeguard the precious native species on our own doorstep.
The event caps off a busy year for RZSS’s Wild about Scotland team, with a number of major milestones achieved. The project has now engaged over 55,000 people, visited 450 schools and reached all 32 local authorities in Scotland. The team have also established a dedicated volunteer group, launched a suite of online resources, attended the opening of the fifth session of the Scottish Parliament, and won a prestigious BIAZA silver education award.
Barbara Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), said:
“Wild about Scotland Day caps off a truly impressive year for the project as a whole. We are delighted to be working so closely with our key charity partners around Scotland to provide hundreds of free tickets to the Zoo, enabling people from all backgrounds to connect with nature during their visit.
“Thanks to the generous support of Clydesdale Bank, the Wild about Scotland team have now visited 450 schools and connected with over 55,000 young people across all 32 regions in Scotland.”
Helen Page, Group Innovation and Marketing Director at Clydesdale Bank, said: “This celebration has been a great way to round off another successful year for the Wild about Scotland team. It has been a pleasure to play a part in helping young people enjoy all that the Zoo has to offer.”
The Wild about Scotland initiative aims to educate the next generation of conservationists about the importance of Scottish wildlife, teaching them about native species, their habitats and environments and what they can do to protect them. This is done with the help of a bespoke double-decker bus and a team of experts, who delivers free wildlife lessons to children across Scotland. The Wild about Scotland bus has been converted into a fully functioning teaching space, which provides fun and practical lessons, engaging children and communities with Scotland’s native wildlife.
To find out more about the Wild about Scotland bus, visit the website at: http://www.rzss.org.uk/wildaboutscotland
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo was presented with three prestigious awards at the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) annual awards ceremony event hosted by The Deep in Hull.
The Zoo received the silver award in the Conservation category for its groundbreaking work reintroducing the critically endangered Partula tree snail into French Polynesia, whilst the Zoo’s contemporary new tiger enclosure – Tiger Tracks – was also recognised, picking up bronze awards in both the Exhibit and Horticulture categories.
Barbara Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), said:
“We were delighted to see RZSS Edinburgh Zoo recognised with a silver and two bronze awards at the prestigious BIAZA Awards ceremony. RZSS has been involved in Partula snail conservation since 1984, and this latest award is real testament to the skill of the team involved and the long-term commitment RZSS has to the species.
“It’s also great to see our visitor favourite Tiger Tracks – the new and improved home for our pair of critically endangered Sumatran tigers at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo – being awarded two bronze medals for Exhibit design and Horticulture.”
Dr Kirsten Pullen, CEO of BIAZA, said, “Our annual awards ceremony recognises excellence in the work being carried out by our zoos and aquariums as well as our associate members. Our community is committed to conservation, education, research, and having the highest levels of animal welfare and this is highlighted by the incredibly high standard of award submissions this year. I am delighted that RZSS Edinburgh Zoo has achieved these awards.”
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is one of Europe’s leading centres of conservation, education and research. We work collectively with many other zoos and conservation agencies both here in Scotland and in over 20 countries around the world on co-ordinated conservation programmes, to help ensure the survival of many threatened species.
