Edinburgh Zoo boss refuses to stand down despite no-confidence vote

Published on Friday 13 May 2011 15:31

THE beleaguered chairman of Edinburgh Zoo is refusing to stand down immediately in the wake of a damning vote of no confidence at a crisis meeting of members.

Donald Emslie has been urged to quit as head of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland after the organisation was plunged into chaos by the suspension of two senior executives and the sacking of a third over mystery allegations.

But he is believed to be reluctant to go amid fears the cash-strapped organisation will be thrown into further turmoil by his resignation, with senior figures admitting the zoo's reputation has already been "significantly damaged".

Mr Emslie, former chief executive of the Scottish Media Group, also said the zoo had been the victim of "malicious leaking and unauthorised briefings". He has been responsible for overseeing investigations into the claims.

Although Mr Emslie said he had "fully respected" the views of the zoo's members, the stumbling block to his resignation is that the society is currently the subject of an investigation by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).

Mr Emslie has been condemned for his stewardship of the society during a prolonged crisis which has triggered fears that the attraction may lose out on the two giant pandas it is trying to bring from China.

The board of the zoo has insisted it is not automatic Mr Emslie will stand down, despite most of the 500 members backing a motion calling on him to go at an EGM at Murrayfield Stadium on Thursday. It has emerged that the zoo has finally found a replacement for former chief executive David Windmill, who announced he was retiring in September, but it is not ready to announce the appointment.

But although its director of business operations, Gary Wilson, who had been put in charge of the zoo after Mr Windmill's departure in November, has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the zoo's head of animals, Iain Valentine, is still suspended while a separate enquiry is ongoing.

Mr Emslie said: "Obviously I am disappointed by the outcome of our members vote and fully acknowledge that this has been an incredibly difficult time for our members and our staff.

"It has been very challenging for us to communicate the substance of what has been going on without compromising the on-going investigations, however we absolutely must take on board our members' request for increased communication.

"We as a society have also been affected by malicious leaking and unauthorised briefings undertaken by person (or persons) unknown whose own agendas run contrary to that of the RZSS as a whole. We also have to take into account the charity regulator OSCR's regulations. I have a duty of care to the RZSS - including both its members and staff."

Manus Fullerton, vice-chairman of the society, said: "I would hope the board will be able to meet over the over next few weeks to discuss what happens next. There is no doubt the reputation of the zoo has been significantly damaged by these allegations. Donald is still the chairman at the moment and is still in charge of the society."