Plan Your Visit to Edinburgh Zoo
We are open every day of the year, including Christmas Day, from 9am until:
| 6.00pm | April - Sept. |
| 5.00pm | Oct. & March |
| 4.30pm | Nov. - Feb. |
How you can help
The natural world needs our help...and we need yours! Please consider making a donation to support our conservation, education and research work, both within our parks and across the world.
Zoo News
Mercedes steps out into her new Highland home
21 October 2009
After months of planning and preparation, Mercedes the polar bear is finally ready to make her public debut at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie. Mercedes was transported by road from Edinburgh Zoo to the Highland Wildlife Park on Monday. Since then she has been in a holding pen, under the watchful eye of her keepers, to give her time to settle in to her new surroundings. She has adapted very quickly and will now be given access to her four acre outdoor enclosure, where members of the public will be able to see her for the first time.
Mercedes, the only polar bear in a UK zoo, had been in Edinburgh for 25 years. She was rescued from her native Canada after she was scheduled to be shot. Unfortunately she began roaming into a nearby town in search of food and, as polar bears are dangerous animals, this behaviour had to be discouraged. Initially, she was captured and the number ‘39’ was painted on her coat which allowed her to be tracked. On her third visit the decision was made to shoot her. Luckily, she was rescued and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) offered her a home at Edinburgh Zoo.
RZSS announced their decision to move Mercedes from Edinburgh Zoo to the Highland Wildlife Park earlier this year. The original estimations put the cost of a new enclosure at £300,000. However, a team of soldiers from the Army donated their time, skills and equipment to help build parts of the enclosure which drastically reduced the cost to £75,000. The remaining funds required were raised following a successful public appeal.
David Windmill, Chief Executive of RZSS said:
“Mercedes has been an extremely popular animal at Edinburgh Zoo and watching her leave was a poignant experience. We have been gradually moving animals that are better suited to colder climates from Edinburgh Zoo up to the Highland Wildlife Park and Mercedes is the latest of these moves. The animal collections at both parks will continue to evolve and visitors can expect to see new species introduced in the coming months.”
Douglas Richardson, Animal Collection Manager at the Highland Wildlife Park, said:
“The transfer on Monday went very smoothly. Our colleagues at Edinburgh Zoo had been training Mercedes to walk into her transport crate for a few months so she walked in without any apprehension. Her crate was lifted onto a lorry and she travelled up the A9 which took around three hours. When she arrived here, she walked out of her crate and immediately began investigating her indoor dens and holding pen. She has settled in very well and we’re looking forward to seeing her explore her outdoor enclosure which, at around four acres, is one of the largest polar bear enclosures in the world.”
Editor’s Notes
About Mercedes
- Mercedes, the only polar bear in a UK zoo, has been in Edinburgh since 1984. She was rescued from her native Canada after she was scheduled to be shot. Unfortunately she began roaming into a nearby town in search of food and, as they are dangerous animals, this behaviour had to be discouraged. Initially, she was captured and the number ‘39’ was painted on her coat which allowed her to be tracked. On her third visit the decision was made to shoot her. Luckily, she was rescued and RZSS offered her a home at Edinburgh Zoo.
- It was one of RZSS’s life members who helped rescue Mercedes from Canada. She enlisted the help of her cousin, a former Minister of Fisheries in Canada, to find a new home for her. When Mercedes arrived at Edinburgh Zoo she was paired with a male polar bear called Barney. They produced two cubs, To-Nuik and Ohoto. Barney passed away 13 years ago, since then Mercedes has been on her own, which is a natural social state for this solitary species. Mercedes currently has a comprehensive and constantly evolving enrichment programme to stimulate her. She has also been trained by the keepers to stand on her back legs which allow them to check her paws and chest without the need for anesthesia.
About Highland Wildlife Park
- Until recently, the Highland Wildlife Park’s animal collection contained species representing Scotland’s past and present such as Scottish wildcats and European wolves. The expanded new collection includes many of its existing animals but has been widened to include animals from mountain and tundra habitats from around the world.
- The planned re-development is expected to take three to five years and it is hoped that the increase in visitor numbers will help fund conservation work in the wild, both in Scotland and further afield.
- The Highland Wildlife Park is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland which also RZSS was founded by visionary lawyer Thomas Gillespie. The Society was set up in 1909 ‘to promote, facilitate and encourage the study of zoology and kindred subjects and to foster and develop amongst the people an interest in and knowledge of animal life’. The Society celebrates its centenary this year.
- The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is a registered charity, charity no SC004064.
Keep up with all the latest news: