A WILD year at the park

From the completion of Scotland’s Wildlife Discovery Centre to winning the big prize at the Scottish Thistle Awards this year has held plenty of excitement.  

In January, teams from the park and Saving Wildcats worked with Police Scotland to rescue four lynx abandoned in the Cairngorms. Over two nights in freezing temperatures our teams captured these animals who would not have survived on their own. Sadly, one lynx died overnight, while the three remaining girls travelled to Edinburgh Zoo to complete quarantine. After 30 days the girls returned to the park where they are now living happy, enriching lives.  

With spring came new arrivals, including Pari the snow leopard. She is so beautiful and has been getting on very well with Koshi. We also welcomed a slightly smaller cat with the birth of Tay the wildcat. Her name was chosen by People’s Postcode Lottery, whose players generously support our charity’s conservation work.

We were thrilled to welcome two takhi foals named Gegee and Shalbaa. This incredible species became extinct in the wild in the 1960s. Thanks to conservation efforts from zoos, a reintroduction programme has seen them return to their native Mongolian plains.

In May came the sad task of saying goodbye to Victoria, the UK’s oldest polar bear. At 28, she had been receiving geriatric care for some time. She leaves an incredible legacy through her cubs Brodie and Hamish who play an essential role in the European breeding programme, which ensures a healthy and genetically diverse population.

Speaking of Brodie, he has just left for his holiday to Yorkshire Wildlife Park while we do some work on our polar bear habitats. We’re looking forward to welcoming him and another male bear back to the park next year.

In the summer we celebrated the completion of the £1.6 million redevelopment of our visitor centre. A new shop, café and accessible facilities finished off the £7.6 million investment and complete Scotland’s Wildlife Discovery Centre.

2025 has been an incredible year for our native conservation projects. In spring a team led by RZSS released 400 dark bordered beauty moths at a specially selected site in the Cairngorms National Park. Later in the year the Pine Hoverfly Conservation Strategy was published by our partners Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms, providing a clear roadmap for improving the long-term prospects of this species. Meanwhile, we had a second successful breeding season with our medicinal leeches, welcoming 30 hatchlings and 12 cocoons.

Saving Wildcats, led by RZSS, has gone from strength to strength. We released a further 18 cats and new research confirmed the first year of the project was highly effective, with survival and reproduction rates exceeding expectations.

There was no better end to the year than RZSS’s double-win at the Scottish Thistle Awards. Edinburgh Zoo picked up the Climate Action Award, while Highland Wildlife Park was awarded the coveted Best Visitor Attraction. Winning this award is a celebration of our fantastic staff, volunteers, members, supporters and many partners.

While we may be the Best Visitor Attraction of 2025, we have no desire to rest on our laurels. We look forward to welcoming you in 2026 when we’ll have even more exciting (red panda shaped) developments to announce!

David Field

RZSS CEO