Penguins p-p-p-pick up a pebble

Penguins offer their potential mate a pebble as a "token of love"

By Cara Sulieman

LOVE IS in the air at Edinburgh Zoo as the penguin mating season gets under way.

The female gentoo penguins have taken their place on the nesting rings scattered around the enclosure and are waiting for male penguins to offer them a token of love in the shape of a pebble.

This unique courting ritual will be played out over the following weeks – and will be broadcast live on the zoo’s webcam.

The female bird will only take the pebble that catches her eye, and the male that gives it to her becomes her mate.

But there are also cases of “pebble envy” within the group, with sneaky male penguins trying to nab the best looking pebbles from other nests for their own sweetheart.

Zoo shuts because of ice

Penguins enjoy February's snowfall at the zoo

By Cara Sulieman

ONE OF the country’s top tourist attractions closed its doors today (Sun) thanks to the wintry weather.

Edinburgh Zoo – which is open every day of the year including Christmas – had to remain shut because ice had made the steep paths around the enclosures too dangerous.

And they said that they would have to reassess the situation tomorrow morning (Mon) before deciding if it is safe enough to re-open.

It was the second time in month that extreme weather kept visitors away from the park – with high winds causing problems on November 25.

Penguin has happy feet again after boots help his tootsies heal

Rockie in action with his booties

By Cara Sulieman

A PLUCKY penguin who suffered months of pain in its feet is on the road to recovery after kind hearted keepers fitted it with a pair of custom made waterproof booties.

Rockie the Rockhopper was struck down with a bad bout of Bumblefoot and his tender feet needed protecting.

So kind caring staff at the popular visitors attraction fashioned him a natty pair of boots to protect them from the sharp rocks in his enclosure.

Scots duo deliver laptops to children in Greenland by kayak

Richard Smith in his kayak

By Cara Sulieman

TWO SCOTS explorers travelled by kayak to remote parts of Greenland on a mercy mission to deliver laptops to local children.

IT specialist Richard Smith, 37, and accountant Craig Mathieson, 40, from West Lothian, spent three and a half weeks kayaking around the wilderness to complete their mission.

It is part of an ambitious new project to link the remote Inuit communities with two primary schools in Scotland.

Paddling for up to 12 hours a day, the duo had to contend with the wildlife and even wilder weather.

Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo become webcam sensation

By Cara Sulieman

A PILOT trial of a webcam watching penguins at Edinburgh Zoo has been such a hit that it is to be made a permanent fixture.

It was set up in June to capture the Gentoo penguins nesting and bringing up their young and has been attracting 9000 visitors a month so far.

There was even a massive Twitter campaign to get it back up and running after technical hitches saw the camera go down briefly.

Bosses admit they never expected the scheme to be as popular as it has been and are now looking at rolling out the idea to other animal enclosures.

Edinburgh Zoo celebrates 100 years

Lemurs tuck into their birthday cake

By Cara Sulieman

THESE lovely lemurs were given an extra cool breakfast special to tuck into when they were served with a birthday cake made of yoghurt smeared ice at Edinburgh Zoo yesterday.

The cute creatures lapped up the tasty treat as a part of the centenary celebrations behind held at the city Zoo.

Yesterday was the hundredth anniversary of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland who owns both the zoo and Highland Wildlife Park.

Yoghurt-covered ice

And the lucky lemurs tucked into a yoghurt-covered block of ice that contained a variety of berries and other fruit to mark the occasion.

Thomas Gillespie, an Edinburgh lawyer, set up the charity in 1909 with the aim of opening a zoo for the people of Scotland.

Although it took another four years, he finally got his wish and the society grew from there.

Humble penguin

It was the humble penguin that propelled the zoo into the international spotlight.

When three king penguins were brought back from a Christian Salveson exhibition to the South Atlantic in 1914 it was the first time the bird had been seen outside their natural habitat.

And when a chick hatched in 1919 the zoo gained international renown.

Chimp tea parties

There have been a lot of changes in the past hundred years.

The zoo has gone from hosting chimp tea parties and elephant rides to housing the animals in enclosures that reflect their natural habitat.

It is also an important supporter of conservation projects around the world including breeding programmes for endangered species and funding chimpanzees in Uganda.

John Spence, President of the society, said: “RZSS may be 100 years old but it could not have more dynamism, vitality and engagement with the public. It is a privilege for me to be associated with such an extraordinary organisation.”