Edinburgh Zoo wonders – have you seen our cats?

Published On: Fri, Aug 4th, 2017 at 6:13am

 By Shaun Bell 

Edinburgh Zoo launches ‘cattitude’ campaign for summer season.

RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is asking the nation ‘have you seen our cats?’ as it launches a summer-long campaign celebrating the attraction’s iconic cats.

The Zoo is home to some of Scotland’s biggest and most endangered cat species, including Sumatran tigers, Asiatic lions and Scottish wildcats. Throughout the summer, the Zoo will surprise and delight people across Scotland’s capital with a series of activities, discounts and taster events.

Over the summer months, the Zoo will distribute 250 ‘have you seen our cats?’ posters across Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. Each poster features tear-off limited edition vouchers for lucky visitors to get a £10 discount for two or more people at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo.

Tomorrow 5 August, Edinburgh Zoo will take over Castle Street (adjacent to Princes Street) with a ‘Big Cat Day’ for shoppers. It will feature a double-decker bus screening footage of the Zoo’s most majestic cats, the chance to race the world’s fastest cats, a challenge to jump higher than a tiger, and a feline face-painting station. Shoppers can also get a selfie with the Zoo’s new lion mascot, and make enrichment for their very own ‘big’ cats back home.

The Zoo is also launching an online competition to find the nation’s biggest cat fan. Using #cattitude and @edinburghzoo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, cat-lovers can share pictures that prove they are crazy about cats. The winner will get free tickets to visit the Zoo’s state-of-the-art Tiger Tracks enclosure where they will look into the eyes of Sumatran tigers through a spectacular viewing tunnel.

Barbara Smith, Chief Executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), said: “We’re asking the nation: have you seen our cats? Edinburgh Zoo is home to some of the biggest and most endangered cats in the country, and our summer campaign gives everyone the purr-fect opportunity to experience them face-to-face.”

RZSS is one of Scotland’s leading conservation charities, with a particular focus on the conservation of cat species. The Society is a partner in Scottish Wildcat Action – a five-year project which is attempting to save the critically endangered Scottish Wildcat from extinction – and is leading on the development of a conservation breeding for release programme at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park and the genetic screening of wild and feral cat species.

Elsewhere, the Society is involved in the Pallas’s Cat Conservation Alliance (or PICA), which is shedding light on one of the world’s least studied small cats. The project aims to establish a clear picture of the species’ current distribution in the Far East, as well as developing threat surveys and creating educational material that will help improve awareness of the species across Pallas’s cat range countries.
http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2017/08/edinburgh-zoo-wonders-have-you-seen-our-cats/