EDINBURGH Zoo will celebrate the season of love with a series of Valentine’s Day-themed events.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has announced the activities to help the wildlife conservation charity "create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved".
Visitors to the zoo in the February half-term will be able to paint pebbles that the penguins will use to build nests when their breeding season starts in March.
Artists can also be in with a chance to name a chick if their pebble is picked.
Other experiences include "Lovebirds Lunches", with lunch served at 1pm in the mansion house and a day at the zoo. Tickets for day entry and the two-course meal are £50, and £38 for RZSS members.
Lindsay Ross, events and experiences manager at RZSS, said: “Our new Valentine’s events offer a great opportunity for visitors to celebrate love in the animal kingdom, spend quality time together with their loved ones and support our wildlife conservation charity’s vital work to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2023.
“Penguin breeding season is always an exciting time at the zoo, and it will be even more special this year because our visitors will have the chance to be involved by decorating a pebble.
“Every year when keepers place the nest rings into Penguins Rock, we love to see the penguins dash off to pick out the perfect pebbles to woo their mate.
“The penguins are given a large selection of pebbles to choose from, but the gentoos will often steal the most appealing pebbles from their neighbours, which results in a fair bit of Penguins Rock drama.”
One of the more pricey events is "Beauty and the Beasties" where couples can enjoy a unique date night at the zoo. The evening will start with a cheeky “adults-only” talk and the chance to meet some of the zoo’s beauties and beasties in a close encounter.
After learning how animals show their love in the wild, visitors can enjoy a candlelit three-course dinner in the mansion accompanied with a bottle of wine. These tickets are £130 for two adults, or £117 for two RZSS members.
The Valentine’s events will run on select days from Saturday, February 11 until Wednesday, February 15.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here