Edinburgh Zoo

During 2008-2009, RZSS enabled schools across Scotland to be linked to children and schools in the Falkland Islands. The project aimed to establish pupils in both countries to gain an understanding of each other’s environments and wildlife whilst particularly encouraging them to study and appreciate their own natural environment. The Society has a long standing relationship with Falklands Conservation and is well known for its colony of penguins at Edinburgh Zoo.

The school link was devised as a meaningful way of encouraging young people in both countries in the work of the Society and in further developing our outreach education programme.

Each school in both countries were visited by RZSS education staff delivering curriculum-linking activities to inspire and enthuse the children involved. 47 schools in Scotland joined the project and the 3 main schools, 2 settlement schools and some of the individually-taught pupils in the Falklands were linked to them through RZSS.

Over 1500 pupils were involved and a diversity of activities undertaken at each school. A blog was created by staff when they were in the Falklands to keep the Scottish schools engaged in the link with such a far away place. The blog is still available at:  

  
 
A selection of around 150 pupils attended link days at the Zoo, in which they had opportunity to share their projects and speak directly via live web-cam link to pupils in the Falklands. This project now forms the foundation of future school and RZSS links.