Zoo wields the axe as 16 jobs go to save money

ZOO bosses have made 16 staff redundant as part of a cost- cutting drive, it emerged today.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which operates the zoo, said it was "regrettable" that the staff, a mixture of part and full-time, had been laid off.

At one stage it was feared that up to a quarter of the zoo's 200 employees would be laid off, and while management say they are relieved the figure is not higher, they could not rule out further job losses in the future.

The cutbacks, which come ahead of the arrival of the money-spinning Giant Pandas later this year, have already seen the Rainbow Landings attraction axed and plans to build a new state-of-the-art vet centre put on hold.

Zoo bosses are also considering finding a new home for the popular sea lions, as the zoo is unlikely to be able to afford to make the necessary 2 million worth of repairs a report deemed crucial.

The attraction's financial struggle has been linked to its inability to sell surplus land, which was originally worth 15-18m.

James Stewart, director of resources, said: "After an extensive process, 16 full and part-time jobs were lost across Edinburgh Zoo. This marks an eight per cent reduction in staffing levels.

"Although the individual loss of any job is always regrettable, we are pleased to announce that the number is much less than early reports indicated."

He added: "Our priority has always been to limit the impact on staff and this now marks the end of any existing plans to review staffing requirements.

"While recognising the Scottish economy continues to face difficult times, Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park have many exciting plans for 2011, which we believe will attract more visitors and maintain our status as one of the leading visitor attractions in Scotland, as well as safeguarding the vital conservation, education and research work that we do."

The arrival of the two Chinese pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, is expected to provide a much-needed boost for the institution, which has been hit hard by falling visitor numbers.

The zoo's managers had hoped to see visitors numbers increase to 632,000 in 2010, but it is thought the year's final total was around 570,000.

Around 200,000 worth of renovations are under way to transform the old gorilla pen into a homely habitat for the pair of pandas.

The enclosure is being enlarged to twice the size of the old pen, with high climbing frames and mature trees to make sure conditions mirror the pandas' original setting in their homeland.

The introduction of pandas to Adelaide Zoo in Australia saw visitor numbers soar by 70 per cent, while in Taipei zoo bosses recorded increases of half a million visitors, from 3.2m to 3.7m in 2009.