In November I made two trips to Edinburgh Zoo on some days off that I had. The regulations in Scotland are currently that no-one should be entering into or out of the Edinburgh area, so at the moment the zoo is really for local visitors only – there are pros and cons to this, it’s nice to have fewer visitors (I went on both a morning and an afternoon, it was a little busier in the morning, but it was by no means busy) however this isn’t great in trying to help the zoo raise the funds it really needs to keep going. Despite it being November and a little cold and grey, with rain forecast on both of my visits, I had great trips with some great photography opportunities – hopefully you enjoy these pictures!
On both my visits the group of Chimps were mostly choosing to stay indoors with just one or two venturing out for some of the snacks outside. I even caught a glimpse of the newest addition to the group, baby Masindi who was safely tucked up in mum’s arms =)
This was also one of the few times I’ve seen on of the Binturong more up-close – normally I’ve just been seeing a bundle of fur, but one of the two was sitting on a platform near the front of the enclosure (the other was the usual bundle of fluff further towards the back!) – these guys have a very distinctive popcorn smell that you really can’t miss^ The Binturong enclosure is often one that I think gets missed out on, when facing the Sun Bears, they’re just to the left-hand side before you get to the Magic Forest trail.
Of course it wouldn’t be a visit to Edinburgh Zoo without seeing the pandas! Both Yang Guang and Tian Tian were asleep on my afternoon visit, so these pictures are all from the morning. Both times though it was pretty quiet and there were plenty of opportunities to have the panda viewing to myself which I really like. Tian Tian even stopped eating and turned around to face me at one point, which is a bonus – now I just need to see her venture into her outside space, I’m sure one day I’ll manage it! But she really was looking very lovely on my visits and it’s nice to have the opportunity to visit still. Yang Guang spent all of my visit outside eating and with his back to everyone, I think that hammock in his climbing frame is one of his favourite spots as I’ve snapped pictures of him there many times before.
A new male Tiger, Lucu, was recently welcomed at the zoo, he is in the newer enclosure to settle. One one visit he was happy staying inside from the wind, however when I went back on my second visit he was enjoying the view from one of the outdoor platforms and looking pretty comfy up there. Hopefully the pair will get on well when they are introduced, it would be great to have tiger cubs at the zoo one day again, I still remember the last tiger cubs that were there many years ago =)
And to end my visits in November I was lucky to spot the Scottish Wildcats – I was heading up for a last look at the pandas in the last light of the day and there was an adult cat just sitting right out in the open. They are pretty elusive cats when I’ve visited previously and it takes a good bit of searching to find one. And as I was taking some pictures, I was shocked when a tiny kitten hopped in the frame too! Then a second one appeared! The pair had a great time running around the foliage and playing with each other while an adult (I assume mum) watched on. I had no idea there were kittens, then a few days later the zoo announced on social media that two had been born in September, so they are just a few months old, and I’m really hoping to see them again soon!