Giant pandas coming to Edinburgh zoo? » Edinburgh Zoo

12-08-2008

I am pretty sure Lanka the sloth bear was not a young animal when she arrived at London zoo....for the first six months to a year she was almost constantly head-weaving, but improved steadily over time, a testament to the enclosure and enrichment programme at London. So I would anticipate some improvement in Mercedes....plus I think what a great many people wish to see is a better habitat for her, with more choices, space and stimulation, regardless of how she performs inside it.

It really will highlight her situation if Edinburgh do go ahead with Pandas first.

12-08-2008

I agree with Pertinax that a big polar bear enclosure would be at Edinburgh, I think they'd want to do the whole underwater viewing thing. I would like to see her go to HWP, but I doubt it's going to happen.

Surely the ideal scenario would be for them to build a low cost polar enclosure at HWP, something big and open and natural and then at a later date build the Edinburgh Zoo, high profile, under-water viewing, real-ice and snow machines, all sing all dancing bear enclosure. Mercedes could move to the HWP until she dies, then Edinburgh could have bears at both sites. Alternatively, as Johnstoni says, Brown Bears could go in the HWP exhibit. I guess it's too big a investment.

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Chris

15-08-2008

It's also rumours that Rotterdam Zoo will have giant pandas. What i know they wanna have them where the lions and the hyenas are today, but i think they should be in the Asia part. In Scandinavia, the only zoo which is capable too have pandas is Odense Zoo, they have pretty much space, and it's a nice zoo too.

15-08-2008

It'll be sad in a way if Panda's become more widespead, firstly because of the cost taking from other uses and secondly it will take some of the allure away for the zoos that do have them and the event of seeing one in person in a zoo... I still remember seeing one at Auckland Zoo in their 3 month stay in '88 when I was five...

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