Five Sisters Zoo

Last updated
Five Sisters Zoo
Five-sisters-zoo-logo.png
Five Sisters Zoo
55°51′49.67″N03°33′33.94″W / 55.8637972°N 3.5594278°W / 55.8637972; -3.5594278
Date opened2005 (2005)
Location West Calder, West Lothian
Land area20 acres (2014)
No. of species160 (2024)
MembershipsBritish and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)
Website fivesisterszoo.co.uk

Five Sisters Zoo is a privately owned zoological park located in Polbeth, West Calder. The zoo was founded by Brian and Shirley Curran and originally operated as an attraction within their garden centre on the same site. The zoo officially opened in 2005 when it was granted a licence to display wild animals to the public.

Contents

The zoo is named after the Five Sisters shale bings located to the north of West Calder.

Since 2012, the zoo has worked with Belgian rescue shelter Natuurhulpcentrum to rehome rescued animals including brown bears, lions and an asiatic black bear. [1]

The zoo was named the ‘Best Family Day Out’ at the 2024 Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards. [2]

The zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).

History

Five Sisters Zoo originally began as an attraction in the garden centre owned by founders Brian and Shirley Curran. The couple had placed a rabbit enclosure inside the centre to entertain children while their parents shopped. [3] The couple are passionate about animals and began to accept rescued animals for the public and zoos. Early arrivals including a hedgehog, a 28 year old ring tailed lemur from Edinburgh Zoo, animals from Gorgie City Farm, wallabies and an emu that were rescued from an animal sanctuary in Fife and a number of African spurred tortoises seized by customs inspectors. [3] The zoo officially began in 2005 when it was granted a licence to display wild animals to the public.

The zoo's expansion was supported by donations from local supporters and substantial fundraising campaigns, which have funded the construction of new enclosures for larger rescue animals. Notable additions to the zoo include a £150,000 fundraising appeal in 2015 to create a habitat for four male lions rescued from a Belgian circus.

The zoo suffered a tragic fire in April 2013 which destroyed the reptile house and spread to adjacent enclosures. Animals of 48 species were killed including almost all the insects, snakes, lizards and tortoises housed in the building as well as 11 meerkats and an otter. The fire was brought under control by fire crews from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service with five fire engines and six specialist appliances involved. [4] The fire is suspected to have been started by a heating element in the reptile house with no suspicious circumstances indicated.

Animals and exhibits

Lions

The zoo has housed lions since 2015 when it rescued four male lions were seized from a circus in Belgium. The construction of the two-acre lion enclosure, featuring rock, a waterfall, pool and platform areas and a large, heated indoor den was supported by a £150,000 funding appeal. [5]

Asiatic black bear

In January 2024 the zoo re-homed Yampil, a 12-year-old Asiatic black bear that was rescued from a zoo in Donetsk province after being injured by shelling during the Russian invasion. [6] Yampil was one of only seven survivors from the nearly 200 animals at the zoo and was discovered by Ukrainian soldiers when they recaptured the area in 2022. The zoo created a £200,0000 appeal was created to fund the construction of a new enclosure for the bear. Yampil died following an anaesthetic procedure in July 2024 during treatment for ongoing health problems. [7]

Related Research Articles

London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, the animals of the Tower of London menagerie were transferred to the zoo's collection. It was opened to the public in 1847. As of December 2022, it houses a collection of 14,926 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Zoo</span> Zoo in Bristol, United Kingdom

Bristol Zoo was a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission was to "maintain and defend" biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Zoo</span> Zoo situated in Mandai, Singapore

The Singapore Zoo, formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens or Mandai Zoo, is a 28 hectares zoo located on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir within Singapore's heavily forested central catchment area. It is operated by the Mandai Wildlife Group, which also manages the neighbouring Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise as well as the forthcoming Rainforest Wild Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whipsnade Zoo</span> Zoo near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England

Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo and safari park located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos that are owned by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo</span> Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, is the only Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)–accredited zoo in the state of Connecticut. The zoo includes one of the few carousels in the state. The zoo has around 500 animals, from over 100 species, and welcomes about 280,000 visitors a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Zoo</span> Zoo in Oakland, California, United States

The Oakland Zoo is a zoo located in the Grass Valley neighborhood of Oakland, California, United States. Established on June 6, 1922, it is managed by the Conservation Society of California, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife both locally and globally. The zoo is home to more than 850 native and exotic animals and is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Zoo</span> Zoo in San Francisco, California

The San Francisco Zoo is a 100-acre (40 ha) zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway. The SF Zoo is a public institution, managed by the non-profit San Francisco Zoological Society, a 501(c)(3) organization. under a public-private partnership since 1993, receives $4.2 million annually from the city. As of 2016, the zoo housed more than one thousand individual animals, representing more than 250 species. It is noted as the birthplace of Koko the gorilla, and, from 1974 to 2016, the home of Elly, the oldest black rhinoceros in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zürich Zoologischer Garten</span> Zoo in Zurich

The Zoo Zürich is a zoo located in Zürich, Switzerland. It is considered one of the best zoos in Europe. Opened in 1929, it is the third oldest zoo in Switzerland and it accumulated a collection of 2,200 specimens of 300 species by its seventy-fifth year. It is located on Zürichbergstrasse, on the lower reaches of the Zürichberg in the Fluntern quarter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colchester Zoo</span> Zoo in Essex, England

Colchester Zoo is a zoological garden situated near Colchester, England. The zoo opened in 1963 and celebrated its 60th anniversary on 2 June 2023. The zoo is home to many rare and endangered species, including big cats, primates and birds as well as many invertebrates and fish species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh Zoo</span> Zoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Edinburgh Zoo, formerly the Scottish National Zoological Park, is an 82-acre (33 ha) non-profit zoological park in the Corstorphine area of Edinburgh, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nehru Zoological Park</span> Zoo in Telangana, India

Nehru Zoological Park is a zoo located near Mir Alam Tank in Bahadurpura, Telangana, India. It is one of the most visited destinations in Hyderabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noah's Ark Zoo Farm</span> Zoo and farm in England

Noah's Ark Zoo Farm is a 100-acre (40 ha) zoo developed on a working farm in Wraxall, North Somerset, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Bristol, England. It is home to the largest elephant facility in northern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Zoo</span> Zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast Zoological Gardens is a zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is in a relatively secluded location on the northeastern slope of Cavehill, overlooking Belfast's Antrim Road. Opened in 1934, it is the second-oldest zoo in Ireland, after Dublin Zoo, which opened in 1831.

Adwaita, also spelled Addwaita, was a male Aldabra giant tortoise that lived in the Alipore Zoological Gardens of Kolkata, India. At the time of his death in 2006, Adwaita was believed to be amongst the longest-living animals in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woburn Safari Park</span> Safari park in Bedfordshire, England

Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England. Visitors to the park can drive through exhibits, which contain species such as southern white rhino, elephants, tigers and black bears. It is part of the estates of the Duke of Bedford that also includes Woburn Abbey and its 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) deer park. The Safari Park itself covers 360 acres (150 ha).

The Greater Vancouver Zoo is a 49-hectare (120-acre) privately-run zoo located in Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada. The zoo was established in 1970 as the Vancouver Game Farm. Since then it has undergone two name changes, being briefly renamed as the Greater Vancouver Zoological Centre in 1995, before it adopted its present name in 1999. As of 2023, the zoo is home to 180 animals, representing over 100 different species, including several orphaned, rescued and otherwise non-releasable individuals. The zoo's mission statement is "to inspire appreciation of our ecosystems and support conservation efforts by engaging the community."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka</span> Zoo in Dehiwala, Colombo

National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka is a zoological garden in Dehiwala, Sri Lanka, founded in 1936. It is home to various birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians. The zoo not only exhibits animals from Sri Lanka, but also exhibits species from across Asian and other parts of the globe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barcelona Zoo</span> Zoo in Catalonia, Spain

Barcelona Zoo is a zoo in the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The zoo used to be internationally known as the home of Snowflake, the only known albino gorilla, who died in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Wildlife Park</span> Wildlife park in South Yorkshire, England

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a zoo, wildlife conservation and rehabilition centre and tourist attraction located in Branton, south-east of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It opened in 2009 on the site of Brockholes Farm, a former riding school and petting zoo, and features 500 animals of 100 species. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is an official member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curraghs Wildlife Park</span> Wildlife park in the Isle of Man

Curraghs Wildlife Park is a wildlife park in The Curraghs, an area of wetland in the north-west of the Isle of Man.

References

  1. "Rescue Animals at FSZ". Five Sisters Zoo. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  2. Hall, Debbie (2024-05-23). "Popular West Lothian zoo named 'best family day out in Scotland'". Daily Record. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  3. 1 2 Dick, Sandra (2014-10-08). "How Five Sisters Zoo became accidental sanctuary". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  4. "Five Sisters Zoo fire: Animals dead in blaze". BBC News. 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  5. "Rescued lions arrive at Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder". BBC News. 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  6. "Bear rescued in Ukraine shelling gets home in Five Sisters Zoo". BBC News. 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  7. "Bear rescued from Ukraine dies in West Lothian zoo". BBC News. 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-27.