Edinburgh Zoo – Outdated, Unethical and Expensive
Last christmas we suggested experience vouchers for Erin as a good alternative to toys. We were lucky enough to receive vouchers for a ceramic experience, which was great, and vouchers for Edinburgh Zoo. Erin gets into Edinburgh Zoo for free so we spent the vouchers in the shop, we bought pyjamas, a noah’s ark and animals (which she loves), a book and some sweeties.
Alex and I paid around £10 ($20) each for entry to the zoo. I’m still undecided as to how much I really enjoyed it. Erin was pretty miserable due to teething, so it’s difficult to know how much she enjoyed it.
My first issue was the price, although not extortionate, I felt it was certainly on the expensive side. There were two ticket prices – one which included a ‘donation’ to the zoo and its endeavours and one without. These multiple streams of income appeared around the park, certain areas were sponsored like the lion enclosure which was sponsored by a national newspaper, an education centre that could be privately hired, individual animals sponsored by generous members of the public, not to mention the several gift shops and refreshment areas. Oh…and £2.50 ($5) for parking.
The seemingly constant need to raise funds from here there and everywhere got me to thinking about the business model behind these animal attractions (we were at Deep Sea World where we witnessed some of the same issues). The attraction has to purchase or at least transport the animals to the enclosure, many times from aboad, continually feed and house the animals for the duration of their lives, not to mention medicinal costs too. That’s a lot of food, vet and staff, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whether visitors come or not. Think about it. It’s not surprising that we hear of zoo closures semi-regularly.
The result of these obvious cash restraints is that several areas of the park appeared tired and outdated, in need of upgrading. The animals looked as well looked after as wild animals can, many of which displayed symptoms of their incarceration. Pacing, lack of energy and rocking back and forth made for uncomfortable viewing. I’m pretty indifferent about animals, I don’t exactly love them but I certainly wish them no harm, but for the first time I really questioned whether these ‘attractions’ are really ethical. In today’s society with all the entertainment on offer are these type of attractions really necessary, I witnessed flash photography in a dark house where you could view monkeys sleeping, banging on the glass to a clearly agitated panther and lots of screeching and goading in other areas too. All of this to attract the attention of the animals who quite honestly would probably rather we all p***ed off.
What are your thoughts on modern day animal attractions?
Obviously, I haven’t been to Edinburgh Zoo, so perhaps it’s a bad one, but our Zoo here in Melbourne is wonderful. The enclosures have been improved constantly since I was a child and are more suited to the animals needs instead of just catering to viewers. As for business models, their income comes from many sources, but that’s a good thing. Zoos are very expensive. Corporate sponsors, gift shops, zoo memberships. And a function centre, and Twilight concerts, and sleepover nights where you can camp out and enjoy the cacophony of the animals. We also have Werribee Park, a separate location, where lions and hippos have a broad range and you travel through it on a bus like you are on a safari.
Perhaps it is a weather thing, and a space thing, that makes ours a different experience from yours, but nobody here thinks of the Zoo as an “animal attraction” – we think of all the more important work that goes on behind the scenes, which is what our ticket prices are really supporting, the research and the education which is intended to help animals. Zoos are not for people – we just benefit from them.
There are still horrible zoos around the world, and maybe there are some in places they shouldn’t be, but the zoos that have evolved along with our knowledge during my lifetime are places the animals profit from more than us. I am happy to support them.
Good points, Edinburgh Zoo has quite a good reputation, it’s probably one of the better ones in the UK. Some of the enclosures have been improved like the lion encosure and also the african savannah, some seemed in need of upgrading, like the tiger and panther area.
The poorer weather must have an effect on visitor numbers. I’m not convinced that what I saw was benefiting the animals more than the visitors, rowdy behaviour should be nipped in the bud for a start.
having been a member at Chester Zoo for a few years (which gets me into Ed. Zoo for free) and having been to both quite a few times and also visiting another zoo in East Anglia here are my thoughts.
Some of the enclosures at Ed aren’t nice. It is somewhat of an old-fashioned zoo with the animals “on display” rather than in habitats that suit their nature at times (the polar bear springs to mind, don’t know if she’s still there but last time I saw her she was just going round and round her pen which was awful) The site is hard work as it’s built up that huge slope meaning that unless some kind soul has tipped you off to catching the “train” to the top and working your way down you end up exhausted before you reach the half way point.
I can’t remember how many of their animals are on conservation schemes and to my mind that’s what zoos should be concentrating on rather than displaying animals for the purposes of gawking spectators. Chester has predominantly species taht are on teh verge of extinction and is involved in breeding projects with other zoos to widen the gene pool and put right some of the damage we have done over the years. Chester is also significantly more expensive than £10 per person (but probably more than twice the size) and has all the obligatory merchandising and invitations to sponsor individual animals, join them for evening meals in their (wonderful, silver service) restaurant followed by being frightened by all the nocturnal noises (!) Many of the enclosures there don’t provide perfect viewing opportunities but are better for the animals, I don’t think I’ve ever seen “caged” behaviour there.
However, the best habitat I’ve seen by far is Africa Alive at Kessingland in East Anglia where they have a huge central “Savannah” for a number of different species which allows them to roam as they would naturally but still have nice dry warm pens for at night time. They have a similar thing for their water birds although the local duck population tend to “gatecrash” that area! It’s probably comparable in size to Ed. and I can’t remember how much it is as we’ve always gone in as a group. They also do a lot of conservation and breeding work there.
I do think that if you want to look at animals then it should be with the aid of some clever camera work and Bill Oddy (or other wildlife comentator) on your TV rather than some furry freek show but most UK zoos aren’t like that now. Most are committed to repairing the damage that we have done to the world’s populations of some animals and really by going we are just donating to that work – seeing the animals is a sort of bonus.
Bristol Zoo is much very into conservation I think, my friend’s partner works there and he’s always in Madagascar working on some project for them to avoid extinction of some creature or other. I’m not that keen on zoos but it seems to be a good one, few animals that are lost in our climate and none seem to rock or pace.
I like zoos well enough but so many are run down. They have one here and there’s an elephant that they just sold. All that’s really left of interest is the polar bear and two Siberian tigers.
I have never put much thought into it, i actually kinda like Edinburgh Zoo but i do understand what your saying. Last time we were there felt like so much was shut down or animals were in hiding
I’ve been a member at Edinburgh Zoo for quite a few years now, whilst it’s greatly improved over the years there are some areas that do need work upgrading the enclosures for the animals.
The Zoo has a ‘Masterplan’ which over the next 20 years (too long I think) is set to change the whole zoo. There are a few enclosures that need done now, polar bear as an example, but some have recently been changed for the better and the new chimpanzee enclosure which opens in January 2008 certainly looks like a much better living environment for the animals.
I think the sponsorship and extortionate prices of juice, etc is a way that they can bring in extra monies for the zoo. So many places like this have to get extra money in as the funding from the government is non-existant.
[...] Sunday we had arguably our best day out of 2007. Considering this year we’ve been to Edinburgh Zoo, Centre Parcs, Deep Sea World, Edinburgh’s Winter Wonderland (a close second?), The Botanic [...]
Deep Sea World is very much a commercial operation (and absolutely not pretending to be anything else), but people there are pretty respectful of the sealife.
I’ve always found Edinburgh Zoo pretty horrid for the animals, although obviously much of that is historical accident which is difficult to change without *huge* amounts of cash.
Christmas Day is a good day to go – it always used to be free! And a nice family atmosphere too.
[...] They took Erin to Edinburgh Zoo, I didn’t want to disappoint them too much by telling them what we thought of our visit last year. In the afternoon we went ice-skating, it’s been around 18 years since I last [...]
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