EDINBURGH Zoo has said keeper talks and its famous penguin parade will be postponed as it puts safety measures in place ahead of re-opening on Monday.
The measures are being put in place to ensure that large groups don’t form when the zoo re-opens.
New signage lines on the walkways of the zoo, which is managed by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), will encourage crowds to follow a new one-way system.
Perspex screens protect staff at the visitor entrance, where animal print face masks will be available.
Also available is a £5 “Go Safe Pack”, which includes a disposable face mask, a pack of tissues and a mini 60ml bottle of hand sanitiser.
There will be hand-washing stations around the zoo and extensive cleaning was carried out on Friday including at the meerkat, penguin and flamingo enclosures.
RZSS chief executive David Field said: “We are thrilled to begin welcoming visitors back to Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park from Monday June 29, with a wide range of safety measures in place to protect our visitors, our staff and our animals.
“Both our parks have large outdoor spaces and we are introducing social distancing, one-way routes, closing indoor areas, limiting visitor numbers and selling tickets online with time slots.
“Other measures include additional cleaning and hygiene precautions, postponing keeper talks and penguin parades to avoid crowds, only opening our cafes for takeaway services with card payments, and encouraging visitors to wear masks in line with government guidance.
“We are doing everything we can to make the zoo safe for everyone, which means it will feel a little different to normal.”
He added: “Covid-19 is a new form of coronavirus and we are finding out more about it every day.
“As always, there is a high standard of cleaning and hygiene when it comes to taking care of our animals and we are taking extra precautions against the potential transmission of the virus.
“This includes keeping any direct contact to a minimum, keeping a two-metre distance where possible and wearing masks around some of our animals, such as the primates, cats and bears.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced last Thursday that outdoor businesses such as zoos and garden attractions can re-open from Monday.
She advised people “should not travel more than around five miles to visit them” and “where these places are ticketed, tickets should be bought in advance”.
Field said: “We know many people have been counting the days until they can enjoy our large outdoor spaces and say hello to the animals they love, and we look forward to seeing them soon.
“While we are all really excited to be welcoming visitors back, this is still a very difficult time for our charity because we had to borrow millions of pounds due to the loss of our visitor income.
“We would like to thank everyone for their amazing support so far and for helping us re-open.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here