CORSTORPHINE is the home of Edinburgh Zoo. Founded by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland in 1913, the zoo has more than 1,500 animals - by far the largest collection in Scotland - and is open to the public 365 days of the year. The entrance, in Corstorphine Road, is just over two miles from the city centre.
The zoo is beautifully situated in 80 acres of parkland on the slopes of Corstorphine Hill, and offers unrivalled views of the surrounding countryside.
There is a famous and very popular colony of penguins - gentoos, kings, macaronis and rockhoppers - which is the largest in Europe. They live in the biggest penguin enclosure to be found anywhere in the world. A suspension bridge gives visitors a superb aerial view of the penguin pool, while glass panels in the side of the pool also allow underwater viewing. Each afternoon in summer the penguins parade outside their enclosure, mingling with the public.
The zoo co-operates with other zoos abroad in the breeding of endangered species, and has an education department which runs guided tours on this aspect of its work, programmes for schools and animal-handling classes.
The principal art gallery in this part of the city is the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, in Belford Road. The gallery, housed in a classical building in its own grounds, has a collection that is repre- sentative of many of the most important modern masters, including Picasso, Matisse and Moore. There is also a fine collection of the best work of twentieth-century Scottish artists.
Penguins
at Edinburgh Zoo