Trouble at the zoo - 'An institution torn apart from within'

Last night's mass meeting of members of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) did not signal the new dawn for the city's zoo that its bosses would have wanted.

Many hoped the boil had been lanced two weeks ago when a stormy extraordinary general meeting led to the resignation of board chairman Donald Emslie.

But the annual general meeting at Murrayfield proved just as difficult for those left in charge.

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With members continuing to ask questions about the management of the zoo, trustees were forced to give details of the way two high-profile suspensions had been handled.

In doing so they painted a picture of an institution being torn apart from within. The tearful intervention of Iain Valentine, one of the suspended managers, summed up the disruption poignantly.

It is up to the new team in charge to turn around this difficult situation. Manus Fullerton has made a decent early impression after unexpectedly having to step up to the chair, but it is new interim chief executive Hugh Roberts who will be key.

While many are concerned at the RZSS's inability to make a permanent appointment, Mr Roberts should be in post for a full year in which important changes will occur at the zoo, most obviously the arrival of the pandas from China.

Moreover, while he has no expertise in this field, Mr Roberts has been brought in precisely because of his experience as a troubleshooter. Last night's meeting suggests that he will need to deploy all those skills in Corstorphine.

His first job is to get the zoo's dissenting factions working together as one for the common good.

Up for sail

The threat to the future of Port Edgar Marina will sadden many people who got their first taste of sailing under the shadow of the Forth Road Bridge.

Over the years thousands of teenagers seized the chance to try a sport there that they would otherwise never have to sampled.

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But times have changed dramatically since its heyday and the time is right for a rethink. Should a council which is slashing spending on schools continue to own and heavily subsidise a marina?

The answer surely has to be no, even if the marina was in good repair, which Port Edgar is not. That must be left now to the private sector, which will invest if it can see a demand waiting to be met.

Hopefully, the council's efforts to market the marina will lead to a buyer coming in who can see - and deliver - a bright future.