RZSS Centenary 1909-2009
| Related Links |
| RZSS Wild Bus |
| Our History |
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) celebrated its Centenary in 2009.
The Society was founded in 1909 by a forward-thinking Edinburgh lawyer, Thomas Gillespie. Within four years, enough money had been raised to buy the estate of Corstorphine Hill House.
Edinburgh Zoo opened to the public in the summer of 1913 and occupies the same site to this day. In 1986 the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Kingussie, became part of the Society.
Celebrate the Centenary
Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate a hundred years of the RZSS. The celebrations were officially launched on 18 March, when seniors received free entry to Edinburgh Zoo. Everyone had a fantastic day, particularly the Lemurs, who enjoyed a special birthday cake to help us celebrate.
 |
 |
| A Bactarian camel calf born in 1914. Edinburgh Zoo opened the previous year. Large, open enclosures were constructed at a time when most other zoos kept their animals in more confined spaces. | Flo, a Grevy's zebra foal born at the Zoo in 2008. The breeding programmes at Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park continue to safeguard the future of endangered species. |
Wild Bus – the RZSS Centenary Tour
To celebrate RZSS's centenary, the Wild Bus travelled to schools throughout Scotland to share the Society's education, research and conservation work. Using a 1976 Leyland double-decker as a mobile classroom, education outreach officers toured up and down the country undertaking rainforest conservation lessons and animal handling sessions. The initial aim of the Wilbus Centenary Tour was to reach 100 schools. However, the team more than exceeded this by meeting pupils from over 130 schools and teaching over 6000 children!
Mercedes the Polar Bear
 |
To celebrate the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s 100th birthday, we launched our Centenary Fundraising Appeal on 18 March 2009 to raise £75,000 to create one of the largest polar bear enclosures in Europe for Mercedes. The Society was delighted that the army pledged to contribute their time and machinery to develop a state-of-the-art home for Mercedes. This meant that our new £300,000 enclosure only cost the Society £75,000, which was raised through donations
We are grateful to our members, adopters, supporters and visitors for generously donating to this appeal. On 31 September 2009 we surpassed our target and closed the appeal.
Mercedes has moved to a brand new £300,000 home at the Highland Wildlife Park, where we have created one of the largest polar bear enclosures in Europe. Mercedes' new home features a large pool set in over four acres of land, which is typical of the polar bear’s tundra environment. Visitors will be able to watch Mercedes from both the main reserve and from a brand new viewing platform at the top of the hill, which will provide a unique insight into the natural behaviour of this wonderful and yet sadly endangered animal.