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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Gary Armstrong

Edinburgh Zoo hits back after angry tourist makes claim about animals during visit

Edinburgh Zoo staff have been forced to defend the famous capital landmark after a visitor claimed the animals were too 'elusive'.

The tourist - who visited the zoo this month - left a damming review on Tripadvisor and said a number of the animal enclosures were empty.

They also slammed the restaurant for serving cold meals and being overpriced, while criticising the number of dead and wilting flowers.

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However, they did cite pandas, koalas and the singular tigers as 'the only plus points'.

In response, the Edinburgh Zoo team hit back to say they have over 2,500 'amazing' animals throughout the site.

The 1 out of 5 star review, titled 'disappointed.com', said: "If this were an Ofsted inspection the award would have been requires improvement. A number of enclosures were empty, there were only one or two of each species in a number of cases - a large number of these proving to be elusive.

The visitor was impressed with a panda sighting however (RZSS/PA Wire)

"Whilst we appreciate the large swathes of weeds and wild flowers attract insects, there were a lot of sections that were dead or wilting.

"The main restaurant was over priced for what we received - one meal was virtually cold. The only plus points were the pandas, koalas and the singular tiger."

The communications officer at Edinburgh Zoo responded to say: "We're sorry to hear you were disappointed after your visit - our charity appreciates every single ticket as you have helped to save wildlife and empower people in Scotland and around the world to protect, value and love nature.

"In total, there are over 2,500 amazing animals living here at the zoo, with natural enclosures full of foliage to provide organic coverage, as well as private areas to give them more peace and quiet should they choose it. We always recommend visiting different areas of the zoo at different times to have the best chance of seeing particular animals.

"We're sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your meal, we will pass this feedback on. As a wildlife conservation charity, every ticket and purchase in our shops and cafes helps feed and care for our amazing animals and protect threatened species around the world."

Edinburgh Zoo remains one of the capital's most popular landmarks. From almost 9,000 votes cast, it has an average four out of five rating on the travel review website.

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