Culling at zoo - 'Many visitors will be upset and angry'

Zoo bosses stand firmly by their decision to humanely put down two Red River hog piglets which were deemed "surplus to requirements" for their captive breeding programme.

They point out that none of the staff involved in their care raised any concerns about the decision, which met the guidelines of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria's European Endangered Species Programme.

There is no doubt that the zoo followed the best practice as laid out by its peers.

That will not stop many of its visitors being upset and even angry.

For the professionals involved, culling is accepted as part of the job of breeding healthy populations of endangered species. Tiger and wolf cubs are among the healthy animals which have been put down by European zoos in recent years in pursuit of that goal. It remains, however, a rare event at Edinburgh Zoo.

Anyone who has ever kept a pet will understand that there are times when the most difficult of decisions has to be taken.

The problem for the zoo is that it does not appear to have acted in the best interests of the animals involved.

In making no attempt to rehome the piglets, it looks heartless. That can only damage its standing in the eyes of the public.

Building to solution

homeowners may be a little underwhelmed by the first step of the reforms to the way statutory repair orders are carried out in the Capital.

Their experience of the "customer care" offered by many private companies will probably make them cynical about what recruiting a team of such staff at the council can achieve.

But this is an important first step towards sorting out what has become a major problems for many households.

The extra staff and new guidelines should at least make the oblique system easier to follow for those who get caught up in it.

The more fundamental reform of the system that is needed to give homeowners real control over what happens to their property will hopefully follow in due course.