Edinburgh Zoo is set to open its doors to the public for free, for the first time in its history, on St. Andrew's Day. The Zoo will be joining dozens of other visitor attractions (see story) around Scotland, including Edinburgh Castle, which are participating in the Scottish Government's ‘Visit for Free' initiative on Sunday 30 November.
Edinburgh Zoo welcomes around 650,000 visitors a year and expects that the opportunity to visit for free will be popular with both new and returning visitors. The zoo showcases over 1,000 animals from around the world. Popular attractions are the penguin parade and new indoor enclosures such as Rainbow Landings and Budongo Trail.
David Windmill, Chief Executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which owns Edinburgh Zoo, said:
"As a charity we are taking a risk by having a free day but it's a chance to welcome members of the public that perhaps haven't been for a while or have never been at all. We're anticipating that we will be quite busy so we recommend that people arrive early to avoid disappointment in case we reach our maximum capacity."