Founded in 1913, and owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), the zoo is involved in the conservation of endangered animals and scientific research. Every year, more than half a million people visit the historic institution.
Modelled on Hamburg’s Tierpark Hagenbeck Zoo in Germany, it has housed some of the world’s most loved animals over its history, with three king penguins arriving in 1914, supplied by the Christian Salvesen whaling expedition which docked in Leith.
In more recent times, the zoo was home to the UK’s only giant pandas before Yang Guang and Tian Tian returned to China earlier this month after 12 years in Scotland.
We’ve trawled through the picture archives to bring you some amazing pictures of Edinburgh Zoo from years gone by.
17. Giraffes - an animal set to return to the zoo this year
A little boy is held up to feed one of the giraffes at Edinburgh Zoo in 1963. The magnificent animals haven't been at the zoo in more than a decade but are set to return to a new enclosure this year. Photo: Contributed