ANNUAL REVIEW 2014failed to carry her pregnancy to full term, there was still much to celebrate in 2014, including the 100 year celebrations of our penguins at the Zoo, the building

ANNUAL REVIEW 2014

Our missionPresident’s statementChairman’s statementChief Executive’s statementConservationConservation scienceOut in the fieldRZSS Edinburgh Zoo2014 highlightsRZSS Highland Wildlife ParkCommunity conservationEngagementGet involvedFinancial summaryOur people and Society structureBoard, Honorary Fellows and PatronsAbout us

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Annual Review 2014 01

OUR MISSION

Safeguarding species from extinction. Connecting people with nature.

A Partula snail and young; the species has been bred at the Zoo for almost 25 years

Not content with the huge success of the Zoo’s centenary year – which saw great progress for the Society and extremely high levels of customer satisfaction – the key question in 2014 has been ‘how can we make improvements’?

Whenever I meet RZSS people, I find an intellectual and emotional commitment, a passion for the Society to succeed, a belief in what we stand for and a drive to make things even better next year than they were the year before.

In 2014, we placed renewed emphasis on the importance of customer experience. Research has shown us time and time again that visitors love to hear the story of our animals and how it relates to conservation in the wild, and recent changes have helped us redouble our efforts in this area. The merging of our Animal Presentations, Education Talks and Visitor Experience panda teams has led to dramatic improvements in the visitor experience for our customers, with the public responding positively to our new approach.

While we were all disappointed when Tian Tian, our giant panda, failed to carry her pregnancy to full term, there was still much to celebrate in 2014, including the 100 year celebrations of our penguins at the Zoo, the building of a new polar bear enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park, our new Meerkat Plaza and the birth of Velu, the first baby chimp to be successfully reared in Scotland in 15 years.

PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT

What has always impressed me about RZSS’s people is their desire to move forward continually.

Our outreach and educational programmes – such as the recently launched Wild about Scotland bus – have also made great strides in emphasising the critical fact that, first and foremost, RZSS is a conservation charity.

As you will find out on the pages that follow, our international conservation work has come on leaps and bounds over the past 12 months, with projects ranging from protecting the African forest elephant in Gabon, to assessing population genetics of sand gazelle in Oman.

But there is still much to do and we will only ever be as good as the experience of our last visitor.

As ever, I am deeply grateful to all of RZSS’s people – the volunteers, the staff, the management and the board. Thanks also to our patron HRH The Princess Royal, who always manages to find space in her diary for an official visit, and to all our members for your continuing interest and support. Your passion for all that we do inspires me with renewed enthusiasm and pride.

John SpencePresident

02 Annual Review 2014 1

Meerkats in their new home at Edinburgh ZooVictoria the new female polar bear at Highland Wildlife Park

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Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff, trustees and supporters, the Society is in as strong a position as it has ever been. We have taken major steps forward in fostering external relations, attracting new members, expanding our educational resources, and working more systematically and efficiently on fundraising activities.

Last year saw the launch of a number of new attractions at Edinburgh Zoo, the highlight for me being the rejuvenation of the front entrance. This has been a symbolic step forward: since the loss of our sea lions in 2012, our entrance had been lacking in impact. The meerkat enclosure – alongside the splendid new welcome plaza – is a lively greeting for our visitors and underlines our commitment to improving the visitor experience.

Highland Wildlife Park is also in the process of being transformed. This year will see a number of exciting developments, with the arrival of Victoria our new female polar bear, as well as snow leopards and amur leopards, not to mention the start of captive breeding of the threatened Scottish wildcat.

In 2014, we laid the groundwork, building a new polar bear enclosure and launching our overall Big Cat Strategy, which articulates an ambitious vision for the future of wild cats both in the Park and at the Zoo.

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT

2014 was a year where the Society returned to its roots, renewing our focus on the fundamental priorities of conservation, education and research.

Of course, our organisation cannot achieve everything it wants to on its own. It was for this reason that I was delighted when we signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Edinburgh, and we are developing plans to work more closely with a number of academic institutions both at home and abroad, not least in research and education.

We have been maintaining and developing strong relationships with other partners and friends, including the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the National Museums of Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the City of Edinburgh Council, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Our Dynamic Earth. Together, we can be much more effective, particularly when it comes to conservation-related work.


2014 was also a year where we further spread our wings internationally. For a long time, the Society has perhaps had an understated involvement in conservation overseas. Our work in the Budongo and Pantanal regions, of course, has always been a source of great pride but, in 2014, the Society really stepped up its activities. Our work in helping to combat the threat of the illegal wildlife trade, for instance, has had a real impact in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and beyond.

Looking forward to the year ahead, I expect 2015 to be a year when we really bring the key objectives of the Society to life – at our sites and further afield – putting our crucial conservation, education and research efforts firmly on the map.

Prof Jeremy A PeatChairman

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Marty the adult male Amur tiger at Highland Wildlife Park

We have been looking at our sites, visitor experience, education, and partnerships and relationships. On the ground, this has involved work on exhibition design, interpretation, and the journey around the sites, so our visitors not only have an enjoyable experience but also come away with a much stronger sense of the range and depth of the work that we do.

All of this work has been in line with our mission statement: ‘safeguarding species from extinction. Connecting people with nature’. Fundamentally, we are more than a zoo. A key part of this mission is the Society’s social contribution, something which has progressed this year as we work to develop learning and discovery, with the possible launch of a Discovery Centre on site in the near future.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S STATEMENT

The past year has been all about review and renewal for RZSS, with a key focus on the business side of the Society to help ensure the organisation continues to thrive for the next 100 years.

We have been building and expanding upon long-standing programmes – including Wild about Scotland and our Beyond the Panda education outreach – while strengthening our partnerships with other key organisations in Scotland, including a new memorandum of understanding with the University of Edinburgh. We have also taken a closer look at our economic contribution to the city and the country as a whole.

Sustainability also took a leap forward in 2014. We are continuously reviewing and refining how we manage our energy, waste, water and transport, developing a new five year programme with Scottish Enterprise and Resource Efficient Scotland to ensure we ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to sustainability. This goes far beyond simple compliance with legislation, as we seek to develop best practice and then to demonstrate it, connecting environmental issues on our doorstep to RZSS’s wider conservation objectives.

On that note, I was delighted with the progress we have made internationally to help combat the problem of the illegal wildlife trade. We now have an RZSS scientist stationed in Jakarta, working with governments and agencies across Southeast Asia. We also have research and policy interactions with a number of African governments.

2015 will mark the tenth anniversary of our involvement with the Budongo Conservation Field Station and we will be continuing to support that, as well as our work in the Brazilian Pantanal. Following on from our Giant Panda Research Symposium in 2013, we are also continuing to work with our Chinese partners on the ecology of bamboo forests, as well as supporting pandas in the wild.

Closer to home, we launched our Big Cat Strategy in October. This represents a major step forward in how we manage accommodation and breeding for our cats, both at the Zoo and in the Park. We will soon be launching, for example, a new off-site facility for our two Amur leopards at Highland Wildlife Park, to ensure privacy and to help with the development of the re-introduction of offspring into the wild. Only around 35 to 50 Amur leopards now remain in the wild, so these developments could hardly be more timely.

I can think of no better illustration of the Society’s vision, and I look forward to seeing this and many other conservation projects flourish over the months and years ahead.

Chris WestChief Executive Officer

RZSS now works in over 20 countries around the world


An elusive giant armadillo tracked as part of the Giant Armadillo Project

CONSERVATION

2014 was the first year of a new five year strategy being delivered through six conservation areas: species restoration, field zoology, conservation genetics, illegal wildlife trade, conservation planning and capacity building.

RZSS has a history of activelyconserving endangered catsand our new Big Cat Strategyrepresents an ambitious planfor the future. At EdinburghZoo and Highland Wildlife Parkwe are focusing our skills andexpertise on providing highquality environments for cats aspart of European EndangeredSpecies Programme coordinatedbreeding. Out in the field, ourpioneering genetic research willhelp us to further understandand safeguard wild populations.Various new species will nowenter collections both atHighland Wildlife Park andEdinburgh Zoo and the existingBig Cat Walkway at EdinburghZoo is being demolished.

Construction is taking placeon an enclosure for a pair ofendangered snow leopardsat Highland Wildlife Park. Theenvironment at the Park mimicstheir high altitude range in themountains of central Asia andthe large space provides roomfor breeding as part of themanaged European BreedingProgramme.

A new off-show breeding facilityfor one of the rarest cats inthe world – the Amur leopard –is also being built (the pairat Edinburgh Zoo wasincompatible). Here cubs willbe born and reared with minimalexposure to humans and thishands-off approach will makethe young eligible for theplanned reintroduction projectin their native environment in Russia.

Conservation is at the very heartof the Society’s work and 2014has seen a number of high profiledevelopments, both at homeand abroad. RZSS now worksin over 20 countries aroundthe world, with our new IllegalWildlife Trade programme, theconclusion of the Scottish BeaverTrial, a new sand gazelle geneticsproject and the developmentof a wildcat conservation breeding programme just a few of the highlights.

We are a lead partner in the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan (SWCAP), contributing our conservation breeding skills to efforts which aim to ensure Scotland does not lose its last remaining felid. An off-show breeding area is being developed at Highland Wildlife Park for the conservation breeding programme, with founding animals being high purity, wild-caught adult wildcats. Importantly, RZSS WildGenes’ recent development of a DNA test now allows the assessment of the level of hybridisation of Scottish wildcats both in collections, in the wild and off show.


RZSS’s world-renownedWildGenes laboratory – basedat Edinburgh Zoo – will continueto house research staff andtechnicians that provide DNAanalysis services to zoosworldwide, including substantialprojects in Southeast Asia, theMiddle East and Africa, as wellas undertaking collaborativeresearch projects on topicsof national and internationalconservation interest. Thelaboratory is currently assistingAl Ain Zoo in the United ArabEmirates to launch a breedingand research programme forthe Arabian sand cat; the elusiveanimal’s habitat is under threatand the true number remainingin the wild is unknown.

Elsewhere, 2014 saw the creationof a new Sustainability Team,specifically tasked with minimisingour impact on the environment.This includes embedding a cultureof sustainability within RZSS forboth our staff and our visitors.Achievements in 2014 includedthe retention of the importantISO 14001 environmental standardby Edinburgh Zoo and the creation of a plan to ensure that ourwater consumption is kept to a minimum.

Plans are in place for EdinburghZoo to be leak free by 2015: by the end of 2014 the team had reduced water consumptionby 56% over a six year period.Electricity consumption has alsoreached a six year low. Our plan to divert 85% of our waste away from landfill started in 2013. In 2014, we saw a 30% improvement and we are on track to meet our target in 2015.

Finally, as part of our increasingdesire to facilitate discussion anddebate on a range of conservationissues, in April 2014 we organiseda public talk on the topic of ‘Living with Raptors’ and brought together three speakers to present case studies about the Island of Mull, the Falkland Islands and the issues of managing conflict related to raptors.

WildGenes analysed over 550 million lines of genomic data – the equivalent to around 600 copies of the complete works of Shakespeare

CONSERVATIONSCIENCE

Veterinary research

Our Veterinary Team continues to be actively involved in clinical zoological medicine and pioneering surgery. Conservation aspects include veterinary health assessments and post-release monitoring of reintroduction species, most notably Eurasian beavers and water voles.

RZSS vets have been continuing to assist the Tayside Beaver Study Group by screening Eurasian beavers for the presence of infectious diseases that may have accompanied the animals from continental Europe. We are also working on the ongoing health assessment of the Scottish Beaver Trial in Knapdale, as well as acting in an advisory capacity for DEFRA and the Beaver Advisory Committee for England.

During the year, the team presented new techniques and findings in disease treatment and management in zoological species at several national and international meetings. These included the Royal Veterinary College, the University of Nottingham, the University of Glasgow, the University of Edinburgh, the British Veterinary Zoological Society, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, International Wildlife Surgery Research Meeting, Chinese Association of Zoo Gardens and the International Tapir Symposium.

In 2013, the veterinary department successfully gained approval to train a resident veterinary surgeon in zoo health management from the European College of Zoological Medicine. Adam Naylor has now completed his first year of the residency, which is run at Edinburgh Zoo by Head of Veterinary Services, Simon Girling.

08 Annual Review 2014

Conservation genetics

Work in the WildGenes laboratory continues to deliver genetic data to support population management for zoos, reintroduction projects and field-based conservation.

A visit to Oman in June led to a new project to assess the population genetics of sand gazelle to help manage the country’s semi-captive herds. It is hoped that this will be the first of several conservation collaborations with the Omani wildlife authorities over the coming years.

Research has also started on the genetic analysis of capercaillie to evaluate new methods for population monitoring in Scotland. Similar work is looking at pheasants to identify possible hybrid individuals in conservation breeding programmes and at sand cats to establish genetic diversity. We are also involved in long-term studies of dama gazelle and scimitar-horned oryx, using genome approaches to assess their population status.

As mentioned earlier, the WildGenes laboratory is assisting Al Ain Zoo in the Unites Arab Emirates to launch a breeding and research programme for the Arabian sand cat and the recent development of a DNA test now also allows us to assess the level of hybridisation of Scottish wildcats, both in collections, in the wild and off-show. This is set to be another long-term study, supporting our new wildcat fieldwork and conservation breeding projects.

A broad range of zoological research is carried out at RZSS, but our primary focus is on delivering applied science to address conservation issues. In the first year of our new Conservation Strategy, the Science Team has been developing a series of new projects, alongside existing longer term research activities.

Giant pandas

During the 2014 breeding season, the full team of experts and scientists from various disciplines and organisations regrouped and redoubled their efforts in a bid to help Tian Tian and Yang Guang produce a cub. Unfortunately, however, Tian Tian lost her pregnancy in mid to late August. We have thoughts and ideas as to how we can help Tian Tian in the future and we will be looking to make various changes in a bid to achieve success in 2015.

Of course, Tian Tian and Yang Guang are only one part of a bigger and more complex Giant Panda International Conservation programme which RZSS is involved with. From our main Chinese partner, the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), reports were received on how our financial contributions to CWCA are helping many panda conservation and educational projects across the three provinces where pandas are found, including work on the fourth national survey of wild pandas and habitat restoration work.

Here in the UK, following the successful international Giant Panda Research Symposium hosted by RZSS in late 2013, our attention turned to the development of a variety of long-term research projects, in collaboration with a host of university and institutional partners. In 2014, our first joint panda publication was produced and our first grant from a UK funding council was received. Two MSc students, from two separate institutions, also produced excellent papers, opening up even more research avenues.

Academic research

Our support of cognitive research being carried out with the primates both at Living Links and the Budongo Trail continued apace in 2014, with researchers from the universities at St Andrews, Stirling and York leading cutting edge, internationally recognised research projects that are increasing our understanding of both animal and human cognition.

A project in partnership with bird food company Haith’s has also led to a pioneering development that will help change how birds are fed in this country. A first for the UK, the results will lead to a zoo nutrition database for birds that will help construct diets with better levels of nutrition. The first results of the collaboration were formally launched at the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) AGM at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in June.

1 Dama gazelle2 Giant panda male Yang Guang3 Sand cats

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WildGenes laboratory technicians extracted 2,329 DNA samples from 42 different species

Scottish Beaver Trial

2014 saw the publication of the final report into the Scottish Beaver Trial. This groundbreaking project, which was delivered in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Forestry Commission Scotland, saw the UK’s first ever trial reintroduction of beavers back into the wild.

Beavers were first reintroduced into the lochs of the Knapdale forest in Argyll in spring 2009, with the scientific monitoring period ending five years later in May 2014.

During the five year project, new animal management techniques and study methods were developed. The research also provided opportunities for a variety of work experience schemes, student projects, peer-reviewed scientific papers and other associated publications.

Above all, the trial has helped us to better understand how beavers behave in a Scottish environment. The Scottish Beaver Trial has also become a real tourist attraction for visitors to the Knapdale area over the past five years.

RZSS has contributed to a number of other projects, including Scottish National Heritage’s studies on beavers in Tayside and a similar proposed beaver reintroduction trial in Devon.

The future of beavers in Scotland is ultimately up to the Scottish Government, with a ministerial decision expected in the second half of 2015.

OUT IN THE FIELD

At home and overseas – from the Scottish wildcat breeding programme to the Budongo Field Station in Uganda – RZSS is leading the way in conserving some of the world’s most threatened species.

Wildcats

The Society has a leading role in the delivery of the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan, as the lead partner on wildcat genetics and the development of a conservation breeding programme.

2014 was a very busy year with the completion of a wildcat survey to identify priority areas for conservation work, the planning of a series of large-scale off-show breeding enclosures at Highland Wildlife Park, development of a rapid DNA test for evaluating hybrid status during quarantine and the recruitment of the Society’s first designated wildcat officer.

Under the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan, RZSS is responsible for coordinating a programme of conservation breeding for release, in which an insurance population of genetically viable cats is established, maintained and conditioned for wild release. This programme includes fieldwork to identify trapping and release sites, the establishment of quarantine facilities and the development of a coordinated network of extensive enclosure facilities, including those proposed at Highland Wildlife Park, to create a single managed population of wildcats in Scotland. This conservation breeding programme involves a wide range of stakeholders.

The research aspect of the project will also help us improve our understanding of wildcat population characteristics, including determination of genetic viability for the establishment of a conservation breeding for release programme.

Illegal Wildlife Trade programme

2014 saw the launch of our new Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) programme that brings together a series of projects to control the international trade in protected species and in flora and fauna. Illegal wildlife trading is now widely recognised as a major threat to global biodiversity conservation. Tackling the issue involves a range of approaches, helping to combat poaching, enforce wildlife law and reduce demand in affected countries.

The primary focus of RZSS’s programme is working to help enforce wildlife law in Southeast Asia, where the Society works with TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network to support countries in the development and use of DNA forensic techniques for wildlife crime investigation.

RZSS scientist Dr Ross McEwing is managing the programme from Jakarta, Indonesia, from where he delivers training and advice to labs in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as coordinating a regional network of wildlife forensic practitioners.

Species identification by DNA analysis, parentage testing and geographical origin investigation are all used on suspect animal parts like tiger skins, ivory and rhino horn to enforce and prosecute. The work is directly assisting Southeast Asian scientists to generate forensic evidence in investigations and is also helping develop new techniques for identifying illegally traded elephants and tigers through systems of individual DNA databasing.

Beyond Southeast Asia, the programme is also working with the Gabonese government to establish systems to help trace ivory in the face of mounting pressure from poachers and illegal traders on the country’s elephant population.


Beaver out on a loch in KnapdaleA Scottish wildcat at Highland Wildlfe ParkScientist Dr Helen Senn at workin the WildGenes Laboratory

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Pantanal

Our work on giant armadillos in the Pantanal region in Brazil has made a lot of progress this year. Locating these rare animals in their burrows continues to be very difficult, but nine giant armadillos and four giant anteaters were successfully captured, and later released, during ten two-week expeditions in 2014.

Throughout the year, we followed the progress of Alex, a baby armadillo born in July 2013, providing us with the first record of parental care in giant armadillos. We were also able to deploy nine GPS tags on giant armadillos. Although the tags fall off too soon, the quality of the data is outstanding, providing us with information that other techniques cannot.

We also expanded our study to the Cerrado region, looking specifically at road kill, working with the Lowland Tapir Project. The project monitored the three main roads of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and produced some horrifying results: 1,124 mammal carcasses were encountered, with armadillos and anteaters top of the list.

We are also continuing our ecological study of the giant anteater, which uses GPS harnesses. Preliminary analysis yields surprising results and home ranges are much bigger than what is currently published.

Burma

Although Burma (Myanmar) is seldom out of the news for stories of political unrest, the last four years have seen a measured improvement in the political process.

As we are a non-political body that focuses purely on conservation, RZSS has been working discreetly in the Karen (Kayin) state, a non-government controlled area, for the last three years to provide support and training for local villagers to undertake surveys and identify areas suitable for protection.

This has led to the formation of the Karen Wildlife Conservation Initiative (KWCI), a multi- stakeholder consortium of local and international participants working towards the aim of protecting some of the last untouched wildlife landscapes in Southeast Asia from the very real threat of poaching, timber concession, hydroelectric dam construction and industrial mineral extraction.

Budongo

The Budongo Conservation Field Station, located in the Budongo Forest, Uganda, is one of RZSS’s largest ongoing conservation projects. Since becoming involved with the field station almost ten years ago, the work carried out there has evolved and grown dramatically.

One of the station’s key community projects is the ex-hunter scheme, which aims to dissuade local villagers from hunting while providing them with an alternative option for their livelihoods. In 2014, the station was awarded a prestigious Darwin Initiative grant which has enabled the further development of this project, supporting access to skills and diversified agricultural products that provide alternatives to indiscriminate hunting, a key threat to iconic wildlife species.

Other research includes enhancing chimpanzee habitat protection in the face of forest degradation due to agricultural development; researching primate roots of human language; and gaining a better understanding of the causes and implications of the decline in fruiting trees within the reserve.


Over 2.9 million people engaged with the Scottish Beaver Trial over a five year period

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2014 was a year of new arrivals at Edinburgh Zoo, including our first ever banteng calf, nine Darwin’s rhea chicks, five Chilean flamingos and Velu, the first chimpanzee to be successfully reared in Scotland for 15 years.

RZSS EDINBURGH ZOO


Velu the baby chimpanzee was born on 24 June

Our new Big Cat Strategy was launched in October, which marks a significant change of direction for the wild cats in both the Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park. The new strategy focuses the Society’s skills and expertise on providing high quality environments for cats as part of European Endangered Species Programme coordinated breeding.Practically speaking, this means that the old Big Cat Walkway at Edinburgh Zoo was emptied ready for demolition.

Edinburgh Zoo continues to work closely with the lion and tiger European Endangered Species Programmes to ensure that we have the right individuals in our collection. The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered in the wild with only a few hundred remaining, whilst only an estimated 350 Asiatic lions are left in the wild. Our pair of Sumatran tigers were mixed successfully during the year and, after the death of our lioness Kamlesh, we received a young female, called Roberta, in October to join our male Jayendra. Our Scottish wildcats remained at the Zoo and our margays, which were previously held off show, went on show to visitors.

As the year drew to a close, a tiny new arrival managed to sneak in just in time. A male Malayan tapir was born after the Zoo closed on Wednesday 31 December.

Several other primates also bred this year: crowned lemurs, geladas, Goeldi’s monkeys, grey-legged douroucoulis and L’Hoest monkeys.

We also had some primates departing, with a large group of Guinea baboons returning to their home in the Paris Zoo.

Our bird keepers were delighted when, towards the end of June, nine Darwin’s rhea chicks hatched. A massive coup for animal conservation, Darwin’s rhea chicks have only been hatched and raised successfully in a very small number of zoos across Europe, and they have certainly never thrived in such large numbers.

But that was not the end of the story for feathered arrivals – five Chilean flamingo chicks were hatched in August and September. Two young female pelicans arrived to join the pod, and Java sparrows and Mindanao bleeding-heart doves have added a new dimension to the Brilliant Birds exhibit.

August saw the birth of three- banded armadillo Rica, who was born to mum Rio and dad Rodar. Both parents only arrived at Edinburgh Zoo in March 2014, so we were particularly pleased that our specialist skills and animal husbandry expertise helped the pair reach this milestone so quickly.

Our collections

2014 began with the announcement that UK’s first ever koala joey had been sexed by keepers at Edinburgh Zoo. The new male koala has been named Yooranah, an indigenous Australian word meaning ‘loving’.

March saw a first for the Zoo, with the birth of our first ever banteng calf, Kala. Listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, banteng are native to Southeast Asia and are very close to becoming locally extinct in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

The eyes of the world were again on the Zoo during the summer, when our giant panda Tian Tian displayed hormonal and behavioural signs suggesting she was pregnant. Sadly, despite the best efforts of our expert RZSS panda team and the support of our international colleagues, Tian Tian lost her cub at a very late stage of her pregnancy.

The summer period brought better news though, with the birth of four squirrel monkeys and a new baby chimpanzee, Velu. Velu is the first chimp to be successfully reared in Scotland in 15 years and he is an invaluable addition both to our collection and the wider breeding programme.



Our gardens and enclosures

2014 began with an important commemorative event for the Zoo. In celebration of our 2013 centenary, Professor Roger Wheater, RZSS board member and former CEO for 26 years, planted a ceremonial Darnaway oak tree in the grounds. With a lifespan of well over 100 years, the oak is a symbol of the Zoo’s future and our continuing connection with nature.

Our east aviaries were replanted during the year as we temporarily returned the area to landscape, a short-term measure until construction begins on a new area for our sun bears in 2016.

We also said a fond farewell to both our old pudu house and our warty pig enclosures with the animals being re-housed elsewhere. These spaces are being turned into beautiful gardens, picnic areas and a panda viewing waiting area.

Business operations

The Managing Director reviewed the structure required to continue to develop RZSS as a commercially successful organisation and recruited Deborah Newman as Head of Business Operations and Visitor Experience.

2014 was a strong year for visitors at both parks, with the full year delivering a surplus of £1.4 million against a budgeted surplus of £500,000. Key developments took place at both parks to ensure that the highest quality of service and experience is offered to our visitors. These included the Meerkat Plaza and Wallaby Outback at Edinburgh Zoo and the Oystercatcher Café at Highland Wildlife Park. Continual improvements have been made to visitor amenities including refurbishment of toilets.

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Mekong the male Malayan tapir calfGiant panda Tian Tian in her outdoor enclosureDarwin’s rhea chick

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2014 was another strong year for visitors to the Zoo – with 671,942 visitors coming through our doors. Although 12% down on the previous year, this was 4% up on our budget in the third year of pandas. Pre-booked ticket sales dipped considerably in August and September when both pandas were off show for the majority of both these months.

Keeper Experience sales income was £111,469 in 2014, also 24% up on the previous year. The experiences, including Magic Moments, benefited from a review of pricing, improvements to booking processes, and the focus of a joint Christmas sales and marketing campaign – Gifts for a Good Cause (Experiences, Membership and Adoption).

In May, Edinburgh Zoo Business Operations and Compass Catering jointly hosted the annual Scottish AGM for ALVA (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions), where the focus was on food provenance and the upcoming Scottish Year of Food and Drink. We showcased our joint commitment to ethical sourcing and authenticity, and our work towards ensuring all catering products are certified as sustainable in relation to palm oil.

A structural review of Business Operations and Visitor Services was ongoing throughout the year.

Visitor experience

The merging of our Animal Presentations section with the Education Talks team and Visitor Experience panda team has led to us dramatically improving the visitor experience for our customers.

The joint team now presents the animal shows, various animal encounters, animal experiences, guided tours and the animal talks programme, as well as manning a range of animal exhibits, including the pandas.

Visitors to the Zoo were treated to a dramatic new attraction in April, with the opening of the new Meerkat Plaza, which was launched by author Alexander McCall Smith. The meerkats’ new home features sanded areas, caves, heat pads and a meerkat house. As part of the development, our front entrance now includes a large welcome plaza, with new signage to help visitors orientate themselves during their visit.

At the end of the year we also launched our new Wallaby Outback walkthrough exhibit, located next to our Koala Territory. The new attraction features ‘Tellytubby’ style shelters for the animals, Australian plants and trees, and a new path offering unique views of both the animals and the Edinburgh skyline.

Events

At the end of April, renowned primatologist Dr Jane Goodall DBE visited the Zoo to give the inaugural Tribal Elders Lecture entitled ‘Reasons for Hope’. The lecture series invites those with years of experience in the field of conservation, the environment and nature to share their wisdom through storytelling. In November, Jane handed the Tribal Elders baton over to Professor Aubrey Manning OBE who gave a second lecture in the series.

2014 saw the continued success of Edinburgh Zoo Nights – which has grown from two to four events, with over 8,880 tickets sold over the four nights. A social night out with a difference, the evening’s entertainment featured street food stalls, animal talks and a silent disco. Zoo Nights brought in just over £200,000.

In October, we invited the Ugly Animal Preservation Society for a special fundraising evening on behalf of the RZSS Giant Armadillo Project. As well as raising funds for the programme, it was a great awareness-raising opportunity for the giant armadillo.

We also hosted a special Creepy Crawlies event and celebrated 100 years of penguins at the Zoo.


671,942 people visited RZSS Edinburgh Zoo in 2014

1 / January We celebrate 100 years of penguins at Edinburgh Zoo. Picture shows Gilbert Fisher, Society Director-Secretary.

2 / FebruaryAnnounced by the Gabonese president, RZSS genetic and forensic experts collaborate to protect the African forest elephant.

3 / MarchKeepers at Edinburgh Zoo build ‘mud pie’ nests that later result in five flamingo chicks being hatched.

4 / AprilAlexander McCall Smith unveils the Zoo’s new Meerkat Plaza.

5 / MayChinese Consul General Mr Pan Xinchun and MSP Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, visit the Zoo to celebrate our Beyond the Panda education outreach programme. Image shows Chairman Jeremy Peat and the Consul General with visiting school children.

6 / JuneVelu is the first chimpanzee to be successfully reared in Scotland in 15 years.

7 / JulyKitty, Highland Wildlife Park’s female red panda, gives birth to twins.

8 / AugustA Scottish native species educational outreach project, the Wild about Scotland bus, is unveiled in partnership with Clydesdale Bank.

9 / SeptemberWork commences on a new female polar bear enclosure at Highland Wildlife Park. Picture shows Walker, one of the Park’s male polar bears.

10 / OctoberRZSS unveils an overarching Big Cat Strategy.

11 / NovemberRZSS completes the trapping, health and genetic screening of Tayside beavers on behalf of the Scottish Government/ Scottish Natural Heritage.

12 / DecemberCamera trap photographs of endangered and elusive giant armadillos in the Brazilian Pantanal are nominated for two prestigious awards.


2014 HIGHLIGHTS

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2014 was a challenging but exciting year for the Park, which saw a bumper crop of new arrivals, as well as the launch of our first ever visitor focussed volunteer programme.

RZSS HIGHLAND WILDLIFE PARK


Japanese macaque at feeding time


New arrivals

Although no new species were added to the Park’s collection in 2014, we welcomed some new arrivals. Two Przewalski’s mares were brought in from West Midlands Safari Park and four female markhor goats were imported from Stuttgart and Nordens Ark in Sweden.

Two young female forest reindeer were also received from Nordens Ark, to add to our small herd. We hope that the addition of younger females will stimulate breeding.

2014 also saw the long-awaited arrival of a female European beaver from a specialist collection in Kent.

Breeding

2014 was an impressive year for new births at the Park, with perhaps our most high-profile arrivals being two rare Scottish wildcat kittens. Vaa and Gynack were born on 11 April and are the second successful litter from this adult pair.

We also saw the birth of six Pallas’s cat kittens – the birth of both of these sets of kittens is a real testament to the quality of the animal husbandry at the Park.

Himalayan tahr lambs, a Przewalski’s horse foal, two Eastern kiang foals, Northern lynx cubs, a muskox calf and red deer calves were all welcome additions to the Park over spring and summer. There were also births from Europe’s largest land mammal, the European bison, as three calves were born into the herd.

In June, there were double celebrations when the Park’s female red panda, Kitty, gave birth to twins. The rearing of twin red pandas was only the second breeding of the species in the Park’s history.


The births of three Japanese macaque babies brought the number of snow monkeys in the Park up to 24 – the troupe is so popular they even have their own webcam.

Key breeding successes during 2014 also included a female capercaillie and a female satyr tragopan – the latter will be sent out to India to add to the conservation programme at Darjeeling Zoo, where we have contributed birds in the past.

In April, Glen Rosa, a female European bison that was born in the Park in 2012, was selected to return to the wild as part of a coordinated reintroduction project. Glen Rosa, along with five females born in other UK and Irish zoos, were moved together to Vanatori Neamt Nature Park in north-east Romania. Highland Wildlife Park has been keeping bison since 1971, but this is the first time that a Park-born bison has been sent out to one of the reintroduction projects.

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Pallas’s cat kitten born at the ParkMusk ox calf Boeuf

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Visitors, events and new developments

Visitor numbers during 2014 remained strong, with established attractions such as a members’ night, the popular Santa Claus in the Park and our New Year’s Walk continuing to be a big draw.

In February, we launched a new visitor-focused volunteer programme – the first of its kind in the Park’s 42-year history. The programme forms part of Highland Wildlife Park’s Redevelopment Plan, which has received over £50,000 in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The funding was also used to create new educational resources for use in the Park as well as within local schools. It also funded improvements to infrastructure and signage, helping us to begin a programme of path works, which will improve walking areas throughout the Park. Specifically, it will allow disabled people and families with buggies to visit areas of the Park that have been previously inaccessible to them.

There were also a number of other significant developments to areas in the Park. We moved the Education Room from the Visitor Centre to a new location at the viewpoint overlooking the Insh Marshes and Cairngorm mountains. We also opened our new Oystercatcher Café with an outside decking area, while temporarily closing our main Antlers Cafe for a kitchen extension and refurbishment. Improvements are also being made to our ticketing systems – these and other projects will all be developed further in 2015.

May saw the introduction of a new eco-friendly polar bear cam. The camera runs completely on renewable energy and offers bear fans the opportunity to watch the antics of Walker and Arktos live online.

2015 will see the arrival of a new female polar bear, Victoria. Last year, we were busy preparing for our new guest: in September, 60 military personnel arrived at the Park to help create a new 300- metre walkway that will give visitor access to the one hectare female polar bear enclosure. This was a huge bonus for the park, and would have cost in the region of £45,000 in labour if it were not for the army’s involvement.

The year was also exceptionally busy for our Land Rover Tours, which are an alternative option for visitors who prefer not to take their own vehicle around the reserve. Recent surveys showed the tours as being in the top three favourite things to do and see while at the Park.

Our photography tours have also been well received. With wildlife photography becoming increasingly popular amongst our visitors, we are looking at the possibility of creating a two-day VIP photography tour package, working with local hotels in the area to provide accommodation.

In October 2014, the Society launched its Big Cat Strategy, which will have a major impact on the future of Highland Wildlife Park.


56 new births at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park

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In the autumn, Leigh Morris joined us as Director of Community Conservation. Leigh now oversees the education/community conservation work of the Society on and off site, which sits within the Conservation Department.

Towards the end of 2014 and early 2015, we carried out a review of education/community conservation at RZSS, with a new outline strategy and structure produced. This will be developed further and implemented fully in 2015. One of the first steps already achieved in 2014 was the moving of the Interpretation Team into the wider Community Conservation Team.

Going forward, the ambition is for an expansion of our delivery to schools (at both parks and through outreach), development of a range of new adult education and capacity-building programmes, fostering even stronger linkages with universities and colleges and greater and more interactive engagement with our visitors, both at the two parks but, also in the digital sphere.

Throughout the year, we continued to offer a quality Curriculum for Excellence schools programme at both the Zoo and Park, reaching 25,000 pupils. This year also saw the continued success of our summer programmes. Our summer school was themed ‘Down in the Jungle’ and attracted 400 participants, while the science summer school introduced 75 students (aged 16-18) to the practical application of science at the Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park.

COMMUNITY CONSERVATION

2014 has been a landmark year for Community Conservation at RZSS, with significant changes and developments made to the delivery of what is one of the Society’s core charitable objectives: education.

Additionally, our SQA-accredited work experience ZEST programme for 15-17 year olds adventured to the wilds of Knapdale, Argyll, in October 2014 to learn first-hand about the Society’s work on the Scottish Beaver Trial. The ZEST programme has now been expanded with the support of Baillie Gifford to provide opportunities for young people aged 17-24 years to experience the world of work through the ZEST Certificate of Work Readiness (CWR) programme, which received a commendation at the SQA Star Awards in November 2014. This year we delivered over 80 sessions to college and university groups, with over 1,800 students taught on and off site, as well over 35 research projects undertaken from college and university students.

Within our adult and tertiary education, we also continue to deliver the best-attended adult class in the City of Edinburgh programme, with 83 students taking the autumn class on Mammalian Diversity and Conservation.

Our outreach projects have been tremendously successful in 2014. As part of the Scottish Beaver Trial, there was an extensive education programme that ran for the duration of the trial until the end of May 2014 and still continues in part today. Over the course of the five year project there were significant educational outputs, including the creation of two successful beaver outreach lessons; an education pack; a guided walks programme; dedicated learning webpages; attendance at science festivals around Scotland; and teacher training workshops. The trial engaged directly with over 32,000 people and 8,000 of those took part in a dedicated educational session of some sort.

In September 2014, we launched our new outreach project, the Wild about Scotland bus, thanks to the generous funding of Clydesdale Bank. The project initially runs from August 2014 to September 2015 and involves a converted double-decker bus (donated by Stagecoach) visiting schools, events and locations all across Scotland. The RZSS team is delivering activities highlighting mini-beasts, wildcats and beavers and in the first five months of operation, the bus visited 75 schools from Glasgow to Aberdeenshire.

The year also saw an expansion of our other programmes, especially outreach. With the support of Jaguar Land Rover (China) and as part of our commitment to education associated with the ten year agreement for the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, an innovative Beyond the Panda education programme was delivered throughout 2014. This initiative has enabled over 2,000 pupils across Scotland to receive outreach sessions highlighting issues relating to conservation, biodiversity and China.

RZSS has also created a suite of new teacher resources around giant pandas and China, which are now available both as learning packs and online resources. Through the project and funding from Jaguar Land Rover (China), RZSS also assisted Education Scotland with the development of schools learning resources and we ran a pilot visit to Chengdu for ten Scottish high school students.


A student on our Zoo and Environment Skills Training (ZEST) programme setting a camera trap for the beavers, with RZSS Education Officer Dr Marianne Freeman (right) at KnapdaleEducation Officer Kirsty Garland introducing Edinburgh Zoo Summer School attendees to a Madagascan tenrecPupils from Woodmuir Primary School with our Wild about Scotland bus, sponsored by Clydesdale Bank

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Interpretation

Interpretation joined our Community Conservation department in the latter part of 2014, but earlier in the year we undertook an initial audit of all our interpretation material – including signage, multimedia displays and other assets – and we began an ongoing process of repair, removal and upgrading right across the Zoo. During the spring panda breeding season, we installed a temporary Panda Information Station, complete with digital tablets linked to our website so that we could share real-time news with visitors on site.

We also forged a new relationship with the MSc Science Communication and Public Engagement programme at the University of Edinburgh, with students carrying out placements to assist the review of our interpretation and receive visitor feedback. Students from Edinburgh College of Art also worked with us, developing new display ideas for the core information about the animals in our collections.

Social media and technology

We have also been increasingly using social media, in particular Facebook and Twitter, for our outreach projects and we have been embracing new technology in the lesson programmes, while still concentrating our efforts on engagement with real experiences on site.

2014 has been a landmark year for education at RZSS and we look forward to further progress in 2015 with a new structure, completed strategy, wider reach and even stronger cross-RZSS engagement.


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In April Chris Fancy was appointed as the new Head of Communications and Partnerships. On the communications side, the year saw successful new marketing campaigns, high levels of positive media coverage and developments to our digital platforms. We also made significant progress in fundraising, sponsorship and membership.

Marketing

For the first quarter of 2014, outdoor advertising remained the key medium of choice for both visitor attractions. In the run up to the Easter holidays, Edinburgh Zoo led with ‘New Digs’ to promote the new meerkat enclosure and then followed on with ‘Scotland’s extreme team’, capitalising on the interest around the Commonwealth Games.

Before the Easter holidays, Highland Wildlife Park focused on how closely you can connect with the animals with a ‘we’re closer than you think’ campaign. This was followed by a ‘there’s more to us than meets the eye’ campaign which informed the public of the varied range of animals.

We worked to increase footfall at the Zoo through key events such as Zoo Nights and using creative campaigns to help to establish the Creepy Crawlies exhibition. We looked to replicate this success at the Park with a radio competition to promote activities taking place over the October break.

ENGAGEMENT

2014 saw the creation of Communications and Partnerships, with the merging of the Communications, Membership and Development teams.

We enjoyed our most successful campaign to date with our festive ‘great gifts for a good cause’ campaign. While RZSS has many products ideal for the Christmas gift market, this was our first campaign to target this audience directly. A product-based Christmas campaign used print, onsite advertising and, for the first time, coordinated online and television advertising.

The foundations were also laid for a comprehensive market research audit, which will allow for the implementation of strategic marketing research plan in 2015.

Partner relationships continued to be an important element, with connections expanded with Marketing Edinburgh, VisitScotland, ETAG, City of Edinburgh Council and Forth Radio, as well as a new three year partnership deal signed with Transport for Edinburgh.

PR and communications

RZSS featured strongly online, in print and in broadcast media. There were an incredible 19 billion separate individual opportunities for people around the world to hear or see stories relating to RZSS’s work, all generated by our small in-house team.

Sharing stories of work relating to our core objectives of conservation, research and education remained key in our public relations strategy and these messages were threaded through all of our communications.

Similar to 2013, there were extraordinary levels of media interest during the giant panda breeding season and during and after Tian Tian’s lost pregnancy. Interest was international and the PR team carefully controlled, coordinated and communicated messaging internally and externally, keeping everyone from employees, volunteers and members, to the Scottish and UK governments, key sponsors and stakeholders – as well as media – updated on the complex science, animal husbandry and conservation significance of giant panda reproduction.

To create new reasons and opportunity to visit Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park we continued to communicate stories of births, new additions to the collections, new site developments and more.

The team also worked with many third parties on a number of high profile PR opportunities, including key sponsors and benefactors like People’s Postcode Lottery and Jaguar Land Rover (China), MSPs across Scotland and like-minded conservation bodies.

Other highlights of the year included the grand opening of Meerkat Plaza with the help of renowned Edinburgh author Alexander McCall Smith, the celebration of 100 years of penguins at the Zoo and the development of a female polar bear enclosure at the Park. Finally, our penguins got even more attention at the end of 2014 as they partly inspired the hugely successful Christmas campaign from John Lewis.


Yooranah the koala’s first birthday in May

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Our webcams have continued to be extremely popular with online visitors. We were delighted when IndigoVision extended their partnership with us, providing infra-red coverage of both external panda enclosures and an exciting new camera due to launch in 2015.

Digital’s role within wider marketing campaigns is also growing, with a large component of the successful Edinburgh Zoo Nights and ‘great gifts for a good cause’ campaigns delivered online. We have developed good relationships with external digital channels, such as STV, and we look forward to building on those in future years.

With an eye on 2015, the new Zoo website platform is scheduled to be extended to encompass both the Park and RZSS.

Development

2014 saw fundraising continuing to grow through successful partnerships with companies, charitable trusts, individuals and a significant rise in legacy gifts. In total £2.28 million was secured from philanthropic sources, legacies and donors to our overseas fieldwork.

We are most grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, who increased their support of our charitable work to £175,000 in 2014.

Clydesdale Bank also joined us as the lead partner of our Wild about Scotland project; the bank also donated £50,000 towards our Scottish wildcat captive breeding programme at Highland Wildlife Park.

Online

2014 brought changes to our digital platforms, with the launch of the new Edinburgh Zoo website and mobile application. The new website is a huge step forward, with optimised layouts for mobile and a range of interactive media, such as videos, image galleries and audio clips. As a result, online engagement has increased by a respectable 7% on average, and as much as 13% on mobile devices.

The accompanying app has received around 9,000 downloads to date, receiving 4.5-star review on the App Store. Featuring a GPS map, day planner and further links, it is proving a valuable tool, helping visitors make the most of their visit. Thanks to the QR code scanner feature, we are looking forward to increasing the ways that visitors can interact with Zoo interpretation in 2015.

Total web traffic across our main websites exceeded 3.2 million hits and our social media community has continued to grow. Edinburgh Zoo saw Facebook fans reach 96,000 and Twitter followers exceed 28,000. At Highland Wildlife Park, Facebook fans soared to more than 23,000 and followers on Twitter reached 2,000. We have also added Pinterest boards and Instagram to the Edinburgh Zoo offering and launched a dedicated RZSS Twitter feed at the end of the year.

Edinburgh Zoo’s penguin parade received its first ever sponsor too. In a two year partnership between Penicuik Home Improvements Ltd and the Zoo, the world- famous parade is now ‘powered by Penicuik’.

Jaguar Land Rover (China) continued its support of our Giant Panda Education Programme. The partnership also provided a travel bursary for ten students from Lasswade High School, who visited the Hope School in Ya’an, Sichuan, creating a special bond between the schools.

Our diverse education programme continues to attract support from long-standing funders. Baillie Gifford has granted a further three years’ funding of the ZEST programme and the Robertson Trust also kindly contributed to the Wild about Scotland outreach programme.

RZSS continues to receive substantial gift in-kind donations: Citroen Edinburgh contributed a Wild about Scotland support vehicle and a staff car and IndigoVision donated new camera equipment for the meerkat enclosure and upgrades to our popular panda cams. Thanks to the support of Mitsubishi Electric, Lothian Gas and Grundfos pumps, our rhinos now have a new sustainable system to heat their pool.

RZSS receives donations from individuals and organisations who share our vision and the legacies received in 2014 were substantial. Income from donations and Gift Aid increased significantly from May onwards, when focus was shifted to these as targets. Gift Aid income for 2014 was £657,979, up 24% on last year.


19 billion opportunities to see or hear about RZSS in the media

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Our members

We ended 2014 with 22,646 members, including 1,560 life members. In addition, there were 894 Highland Wildlife Park season pass holders.

The year also closed with a brand new membership team and a brand new growth strategy for the coming year.

Regular visitors continue to make use of our exclusive online Members’ Portal. The portal features our famous panda cam, bulletin boards, photo galleries and features such as discounts on keeper experiences and our online shop. Our online newsletter is currently received by 12,125 members and adopters, up from 11,657 at the end of 2013.

This year’s series of talks continued to be well received by members. The talks covered a number of subjects, ranging from artistic journeys around the southern hemisphere to Simon Girling’s veterinary updates.

Our volunteers

We are extremely grateful to all volunteers who donated their time this year to support our important work, and we now have volunteers at both Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park.

Their contribution in 2014 exceeded 12,000 hours of donated time. The team of just over 130 volunteers is mainly responsible for engaging with our visitors and educating them about our animal collection and various conservation projects.

GET INVOLVED

Our volunteer programmes, membership opportunities and animal adoption schemes are just some of the ways people can get involved with RZSS.

A small team also assists the staff in our Gardens department helping with grounds maintenance, while others assist with cleaning the windows at Penguins Rock. Along with their usual duties, our volunteers helped with various events in 2014, including the successful Zoo Nights. We simply could not do what we do without them.


However, we also have volunteers who support our work behind the scenes in office-based roles. More of these roles were created in 2014 and a small team of volunteers now support the staff in our Membership and Adoption department.

A family enjoying a day out experience at Edinburgh Zoo

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Corporate partners

Allied MobilityArthur J. GallagherBaillie GiffordBourne Leisure LtdCitroën UKClifford FrenchClydesdale BankThe Green Insurance CompanyGrundfosIndigoVisionIneos Chemicals Grangemouth LtdJaguar Land Rover ChinaLothian GasMitsubishi ElectricMüller Wiseman DairiesPeople’s Postcode LotteryPenicuikPetrolneos Fuels LtdScotmidWinnock Hotel

Trusts and foundations

A M Pilkington Charitable TrustThe Ancaster TrustThe Binks TrustCruden Foundation LimitedHeritage Lottery Fund (Your Heritage)The Hugh Fraser FoundationThe J & JR Wilson TrustThe Nancie Massey Charitable TrustRobert O Curle Charitable TrustThe Robertson TrustThe W M Mann Foundation

Grants

City of Edinburgh Council

Adopters

We are grateful, as ever, to our animal adopters for their generous support of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

Platinum adopters

Oxgangs Primary SchoolPeter G FalconerMichelle Fines-SmithMaria FrizzoniAlun GrassickKathleen JowittMr & Mrs Margaret and George LaingKirsty Maxwell StuartElizabeth McCallRonnie McNabSylvia and WellieMs Silvia MichellAlan M MorrisonMaureen SommervilleMrs Chris Weir

Gold adopters

Oxgangs Primary SchoolBruntsfield Primary SchoolRotary Club of Corstorphine150th Craigalmond Beaver Scout GroupKirsten Alexander Ross Murray Stewart BalbirnieIsobel Ball Keith Ball Peter & Barbara BarhamMiss Georgia Bennett-BrownMidge Bett Anne-Greth BondesonDr Dallas Brodie Walter Brown Dave Bruce The George Hotel The Casm Family Robert Chambers Janice Ruth ChambersTracy Charles John G R Crombie Cults Academy Gavin Cunningham Anne Dick Samantha Dee DukelowKen & Sheila FalconerLynne Faulkner Mark G N Ferguson In Memory of Mrs Dorothy FernieDr Margaret Gibbs Martin Gibson Irene & Rodger GlenfieldStephen, Peter and Sarah GlenfieldMrs Emily Grassick Ruairidh and Eilidh GrassickCatherine Gray (neé Falconer)Heather May HarroldAlix Henderson P & K Holmes - In Memory of Jean Barbour MillerElaine & Larry Susan M. Jacyna George and Carole KerrMiss Kirsten King Katie Logan AndersonJennifer MackintoshIn Loving Memory of Eileen CholertonJayde McBride Shannon McClellandJohn Meikle Margaret Nelson Ms Catherine Ng Kwai FatPatricia Peattie OBE Robert Picken Miss Linda Profeta Neil Proven Hazel Ramsay Maggie Rigg Scalpay Linen Sandra Ross Ian Rushbrook - In Loving MemoryMaster Monty SalvesenDr Louise Saul Lesley Simmons Peter Stein Kirsty Stewart Dougal Stott Bryan Stringer Jill Stringer Sue Thomason Torphichen Kirk AdventurersMalcolm Watson Carole Wilson Derek Wilson Joyce Wylie

We would also like to thank our 885 silver adopters and 660 bronze adopters for their continued support.

RZSS ended the year with 22,646 members, including 1,560 life members

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Independent auditors’ statement to the members of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

We have examined the summarised financial statements of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland set out below.

Respective responsibilities of the trustees and the auditors

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the summarised financial statements in accordance with applicable United Kingdom law and the recommendations of the charities SORP.

Our responsibility is to report to you our opinion on the consistency of the summarised financial statements within the Annual Review with the full annual financial statements and Trustees’ Annual Report. We also read the other information contained in the Annual Review and consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the summarised financial statements. The other information comprises only the Financial Summary.

Trustees’ statement

The group summary financial statements are not the statutory financial statements but a summary of the information derived from the consolidated statement of financial activities and the consolidated balance sheet. The full Annual Report and consolidated financial statements, which were approved by the trustees on 30 April 2015 and will be submitted to OSCR, received an unqualified audit report from Henderson Loggie. For a fuller understanding of the financial affairs of the Society, the statutory financial statements are available on the Society’s website (rzss.org.uk).

Signed on behalf of the trustees by:

Jeremy A PeatChairman

This statement, including the opinion, has been prepared for and only for the charity’s members and Trustees as a body and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving this opinion, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this statement is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

Basis of opinion

Our examination involved agreeing the balances disclosed in the summary financial information to the full annual financial statements. Our audit report on the Society’s full annual financial statements describes the basis of our opinion on those financial statements.

Opinion

In our opinion the summarised financial statements are consistent with the full financial statements and the Trustees’ Annual Report of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland for the year ended 31 December 2014.

Henderson Loggie Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors30 April 2015


2014 £

2013£

Incoming resourcesIncoming resources from generated fundsVoluntary income 2,844,888 1,401,056Activities for generating funds 3,237,289 3,703,034Investment income 433,997 426,606

6,516,174 5,530,696

Incoming resources from charitable activities 9,203,169 9,907,267Other incoming resources 36,668 55,224Total incoming resources 15,756,011 15,493,187

Resources expended Cost of generating fundsVoluntary income 364,041 591,012Fundraising and trading 2,295,661 2,373,013Investment management costs 12,710 10,337

2,672,412 2,974,452

Charitable activities 10,903,543 10,465,058Governance costs 289,406 295,796Total resources expended 13,865,361 13,735,306

Net incoming resources before other recognised gains/(losses) 1,890,650 1,757,881

Gains/(losses) on investment assets 24,584 240,704Gains/(losses) on investment property - 450,000Actuarial gains/(losses) on defined benefit pension scheme (783,000) (61,000)

Net movement in funds 1,132,234 2,387,585

Total funds brought forward at 1 January 16,459,911 14,072,326

Total funds carried forward at 31 December 2014 17,592,145 16,459,911

The Royal Zoological Society of ScotlandSummary consolidated statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 December 2014

Principal income movements (£m)

Income 2013 15.5Visitors - 0.8Mission 0.1Donations/Legacies 1.4Events - 0.4Income 2014 £15.8

Principal expense movements (£m)

Expenditure 2013 13.7Events - 0.3Visitor - 0.1Fundraising 0.1Mission 0.5Expenditure 2014 13.9

Costs continued to be well managed in 2014. The increase in expenditure was mainly the result of increased mission spend (science, conservation and education), offset by a reduction in visitor related spend and the cost of hosting events.

Overall the Society achieved an operating surplus of £1.9m in 2014 (2013 £1.8m). The net surplus for the year was £1.1m (2013 £2.4m) after taking account of investment gains and movement in the valuation of the pension fund.

Trading performance

Performance in 2014 was strong, reflecting the high level of donations and legacies during the year. The visitor numbers at both sites were in line with expectations, although below the 2013 level. Income increased by 2% to £15.8m, even though 2013 included the centenary dinner and the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference.


2014 £

2013£

Fixed assets 15,563,327 15,795,488

Investments 2,893,257 2,581,508

Current assets Stocks 326,372 482,384Debtors 1,018,957 864,910Cash at bank and in hand 2,131,251 2,120,561

3,476,580 3,467,855

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (2,016,313) (2,062,268)

Net current assets 1,460,267 1,405,587

Total assets less current liabilities 19,916,851 19,782,583

Creditors: amounts falling due after one year (1,504,906) (2,999,872)Defined benefit pension scheme liability (819,800) (322,800)

Net assets 17,592,145 16,459,911

FundsUnrestricted reservesGeneral reserve 8,139,953 6,739,189Revaluation reserve 6,200,000 6,200,000

Pension reserve (819,800) (322,800)

Total unrestricted reserves 13,520,153 12,616,389Restricted funds 3,710,668 3,488,583Endowment funds 361,324 354,939

17,592,145 16,459,911

The Royal Zoological Society of ScotlandSummary consolidated balance sheet as at 31 December 2014


OUR PEOPLEAND STRUCTURE

Our people

Throughout 2014, the human resources and health and safety focus was on supporting culture change across the organisation, whilst continuing to deliver our key services. During the year, several areas were identified for review and we have supported managers and staff through this restructuring process.

This involved the development and implementation of a new behavioural competency framework, which reflects the thoughts of our staff on what behaviours they believe are required for RZSS to achieve its mission and vision.

We also completed a review and update of our role profiles, which provided clear definition of an individual’s role including experience, skills and the behaviours required. In addition we reviewed our learning and development opportunities, and developed 11 internal manager workshops to cover a range of management requirements.

A new HR system was implemented which has improved the management information available and ultimately the service we can provide.

At the peak of 2014, there were 330 people employed by RZSS. During the year, we undertook 68 recruitment campaigns and we are currently looking at introducing an online recruitment process.

Finance andResources

Finance, IT,

Property & Estates, Plants

Highland Wildlife Park

Business Operations, Visitor Services,

Living Collections

Society structure

Scientific Advisory Committee

Edinburgh Zoo

Audit & Risk Management Committee

Highland Wildlife Park

Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Business Advisory Committee

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Board

Chief Executive Officer

Managing Director

Conservation

Field & Science,Community

Conservation, Policy & Advocacy,

Giant Pandas, Sustainability

Living Collections EZ

Animals, Animal

Presentations,Veterinary & Nutritionfunctions

Business Operations & Visitor Experience

Visitor Experience, Admissions and

Retail, Buying &

Merchandising,Contract

Management,Events

Communications& Partnership

Marketing, PR,

Social Media/Website,

Sponsorship &Fundraising, Membership

HR

Recruitment, Training,

Employment Relations,

Occupational, Health & Safety


BOARD, FELLOWS AND PATRONS

President

John Spence CBE, DL

Board

Prof Jeremy A Peat OBE, BA, MSc, FRSE (Chair)

Sandy Batho MA, FCIPD

George Brechin OBE, BSc, CIHM

Peter Budd

Karen CarltonMA, D.Univ, FCIPD (until May 2014)

Ken Dalton BSc (Hons) CEng MCIBSE(until May 2014)

John Fitzgerald B.Sc. (Hons), Assoc CIPD

Professor Colin Galbraith BSc, PhD (Vice-Chair)

Douglas Hutchison BVMS, MRCVS(until October 2014)

Tessa McGregor MA

Dr Thomas Mitchell CA (Honorary Treasurer)

Christine PatchMA, MCIPR

Peter Quinn BSc, MSc, MBA

Professor Roger Wheater OBE, FRSE

Professor Natalie Waran BSc (Hons) PhD

Dr Karen Jervis BSc, PhD, MBA(Elected May 2014)

Kerry FalconerFCIBS, MBE(Co-opted July 2014)

Professor Andrea Nolan OBE(Co-opted November 2014)

Honorary Members

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT

Royal Patron

HRH The Princess Royal KG, KT

Civic Patrons

The Rt Hon Donald Wilson Lord Provost of the City ofEdinburgh Council

Patrons

Malcolm and Kira BowiePeter BrownKate DuthieSir Gerald and Lady ElliotJohn FitzgeraldAlun GrassickJonathan GrayRoger and Jean MillerAlan and Fiona MorrisonNatalie NickelsonMargaret PeggieJason T RossBoyd Tunnock CBE8 anonymous

Honorary Fellows

Professor Ian Aitken OBE

Dr Jean Balfour CBE, FIC (FOR), JP, DSc, BSc, FIBiol, FRSA, FRSE

Dick BalharryMBE

Lady Christine Brown

Sir Ewan Brown CBE

Keith Chalmers Watson

Roy Dennis MBE

Sir Gerald Elliot

Lady Margaret ElliotMBE, MA

Henry Elliot BA (Hons)

Dr John Francis ARCS, PhD, DSc, FRSG, FRSE

Thomas Huxley

Alexander Kerr

Dr Andrew Kitchener BSc, PhD

James McCarthyBSc (For)

Jimmie MacGregorMBE

Walter MacLellanBSc, MRCVS

Dr Peter Maitland BSc,PhD, FRSE

Professor Aubrey Manning OBE, Dphil RSE

Captain Harald Misund

John Mitchell MA (Hons), Cbiol

Robert Ollason MBE

Mary Patterson DipEd

Dr Miranda Stevenson BA, MBA, PhD

Michael Tomkies

Professor Roger Wheater OBE, FRSE


ABOUT US Senior management as of last quarter 2014

Chief Executive OfficerChris West

Managing DirectorBarbara Smith

Director of ConservationRob Ogden

Director of FinanceJames Stewart

Director of Human ResourcesLindsay Macpherson

Director of Giant Panda ProjectIain Valentine

Director of Community ConservationLeigh Morris

Head of Conservation ProgrammesSarah Robinson

Head of Communications and PartnershipsChris Fancy

Head of Business Operations and Visitor ServicesDeborah Newman

Head of Living Collections, Edinburgh ZooDarren McGarry

Head of Living Collections, Highland Wildlife ParkDouglas Richardson

Head of Business Operations and Visitor Services, Highland Wildlife ParkDaska Mackintosh

About us

The aims of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland are to:

Maintain a commercially successful organisation which will enable us to achieve our mission through innovative and dynamic management.

Create for our visitors an exciting and inspiring experience, by ensuring excellence in the presentation of our animals and the highest quality in our visitor facilities and services in a pleasant, safe and stimulating environment.

Value all our staff as our most important resource, regardless of age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation or beliefs, by encouraging communications and engagement at all levels and by ensuring development through appraisal and learning opportunities in line with our business objectives and the individual’s needs.

Support and promote the needs of species conservation in the wild.

Promote through formal, non-formal and informal education activities, an understanding of the inter-dependence of all living things and a concern for the fragility of ecosystems and threatened species.

Ensure the highest standards of animal welfare through excellence in animal husbandry and enrichment of the animals’ environment.

Maintain groups of species with high conservation and educational importance and participate in managed conservation programmes for threatened species.

Encourage and enable research to increase our knowledge and understanding of animal science, for the benefit of both captive and wild animals.

Strive for environmental sustainability in all our activities and ensure energy efficiency.

Photography credits

Ivon BartholomewGiant Armadillo Project Peter CairnsOliver DaviesMaria DorianGavrielle Kirk-CohenPako MeraJon-Paul OrsiKatie PatonPhillip PriceThomas RabeilAlex RiddellPaul Shillabeer

This brochure is printed on Cyclus, the world’s most environmentally friendly paper. Cyclus is comprehensively certified: Blue Angel eco-label, EU Ecolabel, ISO 14001 and EMAS. Using waste paper rather than timber to manufacture pulp/raw paper reduces energy consumption by 80%. The energy used to produce Cyclus comes from biomass (woodchip), which is burned in a boiler to produce steam and electricity. The biomass is utilised as green energy. Biofuel greatly reduces CO2 emissions during production. ECCM calculates that Cyclus Print has a CO2 footprint of 428kg CO2 per ton, which includes all CO2 values from raw material manufacture, up to and including distribution of the finished product.

Rica the baby three banded armadillo

rzss.org.ukedinburghzoo.org.ukhighlandwildlifepark.org.uk

“The past year has been all about review and renewal for RZSS, with a key focus on the business side of the Society to help ensure the organisation continues to thrive for the next 100 years.”Chris WestChief Executive Officer

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Documents

ANNUAL REVIEW 2014failed to carry her pregnancy to full term, there was still much to celebrate in 2014, including the 100 year celebrations of our penguins at the Zoo, the building