Earlier this year we visited Edinburgh Zoo.
- Penguins on Parade
The Penguin Parade is totally voluntary – every day any penguin who wants to comes out of the Penguin Enclosure at 2.15pm and goes for a walk around the zoo grounds. It was dull and rainy when we were there and lots of the penguins were enjoying themselves swimming and diving whilst others were stood around looking like waxwork models, but a few penguins were keen and bold enough to come out on parade. There were Gentoos, one King Penguin and a Rockhopper Penguin. We all stood behind the yellow lines and watched as the penguins paraded passed us. This first began in 1951 when a keeper left their gate open by accident and has continued ever since. it wasn’t quite happy feet as they weren’t dancing but they seemed to enjoy their walk.
- Penguins by the Pool
- King Penguins
This book Wonders Never Cease tells the story of Edinburgh Zoo and the story of the evolution of the modern zoo. I have to admit that in the past I’ve never been comfortable visiting a zoo and usually feel sorry for the animals, behind bars in prison as it were. Edinburgh Zoo aims to be a “centre for integrated conservation, from zoo to wild” and it is “a global leader of zoo-led conservation education.” More people visit zoos in Britain every year than attend premiership football matches and the day we were there the zoo was packed with people.
I did enjoy my visit and felt I’d learnt a lot and not just about penguins, although for me they were the highlight of the day.
I was a bit scared of the rhinos and wondered whether they were really comfortable with their enclosure.
They were able to go outside but it was a cold, wet day and they really didn’t want to go out and I wasn’t sure if they wanted to be gawped at either. They seemed agressive to me snorting and pawing the ground. They did venture outside but soon went back in. 
Maybe when I’ve read the book I’ll feel differently. It explains that zoos are no longer merely places of spectacle and display but they are also places of refuge for many endangered species and working to ensure
that animals will be maintained in their wild environment in a sustainable natural habitat. …
Zoos, because of their very nature, have their critics. It is inevitable that there will be many different ways of approaching any problem. Some people consider the keeping of animals in captivity to be anathema. Zookeepers, however, understand the literally vital role that responsible zoos can play in the twenty-first century. They know that through carefully managed programmes of care, research and positive conservation in the field they really can make a difference.
BooksPlease 
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I love those little ones! Lucky, lucky you to have been there to see this walk. I have a feeling rhinos are grouchy no matter where they live. :<)
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I was expecting something different! I share your reservations about zoos, although I think they are very important for conservation, especially those like Durrell’s zoo on Jersey, and I’ve been an occasional visitor to Edinburgh Zoo throughout my life (one day sons and I arrived to find it closed because the bears had got out!). I think Yann Martel had some very interesting things to say about zoos in Life of Pi, and that for some animals – especially those that live within small territories – they can provide a safe habitat, free from the stress of predation.
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That rhino enclosure does look a bit flimsy! I’d have been nervous, too.
Lezlie
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Thanks Mog! Penguins are so funny on land I think, whereas in the water they are just amazing.
Nan, I think you’re right – I wouldn’t want to meet one in the wild.
GeraniumCat, the conservation side of it is really good. I must re-read Life of Pi – I missed the zoo references the first time – such a strange book.
Lezlie, one rhino in particular kept pushing the barrier and extending its head over it – I kept well away.
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I love penguins! And the rhino enclosure doesn’t look very comfortable. I grew up in San Diego and went on a special tour of the wild animal park once in which I got to go out in a truck among the animals. I got to feed a giraffe and scratch a rhino’s snout. They have surprisingly sensitive skin and he was quite happy about all the attention.
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Stefanie, how amazing, I can’t imagine scratching a rhino’s snout! I think the enclosure they were in is a sort of passage between a big outside “playground” for them, which has a pool and lots of “playthings” like tyres and their inner living space, which I couldn’t see. Whilst I was there one of the keeper’s gave a talk about them – what they liked to do and what they ate etc. That day they just didn’t want to go out and play – so they went back inside.
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I don’t know what it is about penguins, but they just make me smile (except for the sad bits in March of the Penguins, of course). Great photos, and the topic of the changing nature of zoos is very interesting. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book. (Nice photos too!)
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