After being here in Edinburgh a little over a month, we decided that a trip to the Edinburgh was in order. It was a cool, cloudy day, which from experience in the US meant that it was going to be wonderfully uncrowded. So we hopped a bus (now that we are bus experts of the highest degree) and made the relatively short trip to the other side of town.

I went ahead and bought a student membership to the zoo, because 1) I feel th eneed to give to conservation programs like zoos, and 2) because it was cheap for me anyway, being half the price of an adult membership and being able to pay for itself in about 3 visits. Also, it includes admission to the Highland Wildlife Park, which we plan to go soon anyway. And they breed tapirs, which have long been one of my favorite animals, not to mention one of the rarest and hardest to breed mammals.

I have to admit, some of the exhibits at the Edinburgh Zoo were quite impressive. The penguin tank is huge, and their collection of penguins to match. Their large African Plains exhibit, containing a number of herbavores (notably zebras, kudus, and various antelopes, spread across and entire hillside. The Asiatic Lion exhibit, too, was relatively large. Some other exhibits, especially the tiger and polar bear pens, were disappointingly (if not disturbingly) small and insufficient for the wildlife contained therein, the polar bear exhibit nearly devoid of any water. I do suppose, however, that you have to prioritize your space when you have a city zoo in a crowded country.

In addition, this zoo felt particularly... "Old World." Much of the exhibits were enclosed by cages or ugly fencing. This isn't a comment on the suitability of the facilities for the animals, just on the old style of viewing enclosures. It reminded me of some of the older zoos I have been to in the states, one that have not been updated since the 50s. Much of the zoo is patently unattractive. Though I suppose one should keep in mind that the purpose of modern zoos is not necesssarily to entertain people, but to conserve and study wildlife. If you have only certain funds, you have to choose in which sector you put it: entertainment or conservation. Fair enough.

The zoo was also nice in that it had a Red Panda, which Jonmikel had never seen, and I had never seen close up. And a very close encounter it was, as the trees in the enclosure dangle precariously over the sidewalk on the other side of the wall, as did the red panda, at once point. Also, the zoo had a nice display for African wild dogs, or painted hunting dogs (depending on who you're talking to), which I have never seen in real life before. Granted, they were sleeping most of the day, (which I don't blame them for; it was mighty cold for Africa); but we stopped by at the end of the trip in time to catch an afternoon romp before returning to the warmth of their indoor retreat. These animals are amazing. When they look you in the eye, you see a normal dog. Fido, Fluffy, or Koani. With huge ears. But then then run, a long, loping run that looks incredibly lithe and dangerous, and it hits you that these things could rip you apart. These are hunters. Not to sound too ineloquent, but they are way cool. There was also a panther there, all black, but with amazing spots! I have seen a panther at the Cincinnati Zoo, but never where his spots as visible and as striking as the one at the Edinburgh Zoo. And this guy was very interactive with his audience, looking at them, posing for them, keeping people interested.

One really upsetting aspect of this trip was the lack of respect people have. First of all, there are screaming children everywhere, and nobody is telling them otherwise. Running and pushing and yelling. And parents who are tolerant of it all. Which is awfully annoying, and another thing I appreciate more and more in American culture: Americans are more tolerant than most whenit comes to children's bad behavior, but I have not as of yet heard any parents reprimand any children for doing anything. In addition, the fact that knocking on the class or making noises at the animals is rude is not something that has penetrated the minds of the Scottish (and I would assume through association, though perhaps I should not, the British, as well). After trying to ignore it for a while, I ended up having to yell at two people. One was an adult with a small child who insisted on knocking on the glass of the leopard display to try and get a better picture with her cell phone. I said loudly and angrily, though I stood some distance away from her, "Don't knock on the glass." A woman next to me heard me and looked over, surprised, but the woman to whom it was directed made no direct aknowledgement of my comment, though she did stop. The second person I had to reprimand was a couple of obnoxious teenagers at the wild dog enclosure. I was enjoying these animals so much that I was extremely put off when these two kids (I hate teenagers) came in and were trying to stomp to wake the dogs up and get them moving. This time, it was a yell when I said, "Hey! Don't do that!" The kids looked almost terrified, as my voice did a very impressive echo in the observation room, and quickly hurried out (as a side note, they ended up on our bus on the way home, and avoided us as much as possible). But it is just so irritating that people don't have any respect. There are signs everywhere, also, asking people not to do that, which makes it even worse. In the States, you have people do it every once in a while, but here it seems common to bother the animals. Another thing to appreciate about US culture.