ZOO OPENING TIMES
We are open every day of the year, including Christmas Day, from 9am until:
| 6.00pm | April - September |
| 5.00pm | October & March |
| 4.30pm | November - February |
2009 Events
Find out what's happening
at the Zoo in 2009.
Events include owl flights,
wildlife lectures, quiz nights and
a wine tasting.
Our History
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland was founded in 1909, by an Edinburgh lawyer Thomas Gillespie. A visionary and enthusiast, in only four years he garnered sufficient support and funding to enable the Society to buy an 85 acre site to the west of Edinburgh, for £17,000 with help from the City of Edinburgh Council.
Edinburgh Zoo was opened to the public on 22 July 1913, and was incorporated by Royal Charter later that year. However, it was only in 1948, following a visit by HRH King George VI, that the Society was granted the privilege of adding the prefix 'Royal' to its name. It remains the only zoo with a Royal Charter in the United Kingdom.
Objectives
In its original charter, the Society had the principle objective '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.' Education has always been at the core of the Zoo's activities, and we are proud of our international reputation for excellence in this field.
Design
In terms of the animal enclosures, Gillespie was inspired by the so-called 'open zoo' at Hamburg, designed by Carl Hagenbeck. This took a completely different approach from the Victorian menageries with bars and cages. Instead, Edinburgh Zoo was designed to have large, open enclosures, using ditches and moats to separate the animals from the visitors. The early footprint of the southern aspect of the site was designed by the social visionary and town planner, Patrick Geddes, along with his son-in-law Frank Mears. The Zoo has remained at the forefront of zoo enclosure design, and we regularly win awards for the natural and stimulating habitats for the animals.
Penguins
We are probably best known throughout the world for our penguins. The association with these amazing birds began in January 1914, with the arrival of three king penguins from the Christian Salvesen whaling expedition which docked in Leith. We subsequently had the first successful hatching of a king penguin chick in 1919. These were the first penguins ever to be seen anywhere outside of the South Atlantic, and Edinburgh Zoo has pioneered the care and science of penguins ever since. The king penguin is even featured on our logo!
Evolution
Over the years, the Zoo has continued to develop in line with our growing understanding of animal welfare, both physical and psychological. New enclosures are designed to enrich the animals' lives, and also provide exciting and inspirational experiences for our visitors.
Mission
Our mission is 'to excite and inspire our visitors with the wonder of living animals, and so to promote the conservation of threatened species and habitats.'
Please click here to find out about our Future plans.