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 |
St Andrew's Day
Celebrate Scotland's national day at Edinburgh Zoo. We are offering FREE admission on St Andrew's Day, 30 November 2008.
Admission will also be free to the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Kingussie.
Zoo News
Zoo goes with the Flo!
4 September 2008
Edinburgh Zoo is delighted to announce the arrival of a Grevy’s zebra foal. The female foal, Florence, arrived on 28 July and both she and mother Emily are doing very well.
This latest arrival at Edinburgh Zoo is particularly important as the Grevy’s zebra is listed as endangered, with only 1,500 to 2,000 remaining in the wild. They are the largest of the zebra family and as a result are preferred by both hunters and predators alike.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland which owns Edinburgh Zoo has been involved in conservation programmes in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia aimed at preserving these zebras in the wild.
Kathleen Standen, Head of Hoofstock at Edinburgh Zoo said:
“We are delighted with the arrival of Florence as this contributes to the great success the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has had in helping to conserve such an endangered species. Florence is proving to be really popular with our visitors and can be seen spending lots of time playing in her African Plains enclosure.”
Editor’s Notes
- Grevy’s zebra is one of three surviving species in the zebra family. They have long heads and necks, with a short mane running from the top of their head down to their upper back. They have narrow black and white stripes with a white belly. They have fairly long ears that they can rotate to determine the location of a sound.
- The Grevy’s zebra is socially unusual in that they do not form large herds like common zebras do, but instead they form very loose herds of related females.
- Grevy’s zebra feeds mainly on grasses, but will also consume bark, fruit and leaves. Their diet requires a high volume, so they spend about 60% of their day eating.
- The gestation period for Grevy’s zebras is around 13 months. Mares typically give birth to only one offspring at time. A young foal is able to walk one hour after birth and can graze within a few weeks.
- Edinburgh Zoo has four Grevy’s zebra, two females and two males (including Florence’s parents, Emily and Frank, and brother Alan).
- Edinburgh Zoo is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, a registered charity, charity no SC004064.