Edinburgh Zoo Timeline

The most notable events in the history of Edinburgh Zoo ;

• 1909 — Royal Zoological Society of Scotland founded.
  
  
• 1913 — Incorporated by Royal Charter (the only zoo in Britain even today).
  
  
• 22 Jul 1913 — The zoo was opened to the public for the first time.
  
  
• 1914 — first three king penguins arrive.
  
  
• 1919 — first ever captive king penguin chick hatched at the zoo.
  
  
• 1929 — The ape house opened its doors.
  
  
• 1930 — First penguin pool was built.
  
  
• 1934 — First sea lion and beavers were born at the zoo.
  
  
• 1936 — The first chimpanzee was born.
  
  
• 1938 — Edinburgh Zoo had it’s first litter of wolves.
  
  
• c1940 — First orangutan was born.
  
  
• c1940 — Amazingly, a stray bomb kills a giraffe in the park.
  
  
• 1950 — ‘Penguin Parade’ begins after an escapee penguin spawns the idea.
  
  
• 1972 — The monkey house is opened to the public.
  
  
• 1980 — The zoo is used to house a captured Scottish cougar.
  
  
• 1984 — ‘Mercedes’ the polar bear is donated to zoo aged 3 years.
  
  
• 1992 — A second penguin pool is constructed.
  
  
• 1998 — An Asiatic lion dies of FSE(feline version of mad cow disease) at the zoo.
  
  
• 1999 — Several penguins die during an outbreak of avian malaria at the zoo.
  
  
• 1999 — A baby pygmy hippo dies after contracting E.coli.
  
  
• Early 2001 — The zoo is forced to close its doord for 5 weeks due to the UK foot and mouth scare, as a result financial problems arise.
  
  
• Apr 01 — Edinburgh Zoo receives £1.9m from a mystery donor.
  
  
• Jul 02 — First giraffe born at the zoo.
  
  
• Nov 02 — An Asiatic lioness dies of cancer.
  
  
• Feb 04 — Famous key-hole surgery operation saves the life of a giraffe.
  
  
• Jan 05 — Budungo chimp house construction finishes, along with the first primate behaviour centre in the UK.
  
  
• Aug 05 — Animal Liberation Front threaten action over polar bear enclosure.
  
  
• Aug 05 — Two male koalas arrive, they are the only ones in the UK.
  
  
• Apr 2006 — The zoo receives a honey bear.
  
  
• Jun 06 — Four Asiatic lion cubs are born at the zoo.
  
  
• Nov 06 — Edinburgh chimps are discovered using 'words'.
  
  
• Jul 07 — Snow monkeys arrive at the wildlife park.
  
  
• Late 07 — Mercedes the Polar Bear becomes the top attraction.
  
  
• 2008 – The zoo reveals details of its £58 million redevelopment plan, silencing rumours that the zoo would relocate closer to Glasgow.

Written by Shaun Flanagan