Edinburgh Zoo volunteer has head shaved to raise money for her favourite attraction

EDINBURGH Zoo volunteer Joan Furmage has had her head shaved to raise much-needed funds for the attraction which had to borrow millions to make up for lost income during the Covid lockdown.

The shave gets under way

Joan – whose favourite animal at the zoo is the red panda – said the zoo had been part of her life since before she could remember.

"When I was a youngster, we used to come regularly on a Sunday morning. When I was a mum, I not only brought my own two children but helped run a zoo club, where we brought about 50 children to the zoo every month.”

She later became a volunteer as her parents had been before her – her mother was a volunteer until she was 90.

Joan shows what it's all about

“This year has been incredibly difficult and I wanted to do what I can. I can't run a marathon, but a sponsored head shave is something I can do.

“I have a great love of animals, but it’s not just the animals I want to support, it’s also the fantastic people who work here. Not just the incredible keepers, but education, admission, offices, cleaners, catering, gardeners and vet team to name just a few. Who wouldn't be inspired by their work for the conservation of animals and the planet?”

Joan’s headshave has already raised over £1,000.

David Field, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: "As a charity with no government funding, we rely on support from animal lovers like Joan. She has been an amazing supporter of RZSS for most of her life and we’re so grateful she decided to take on this challenge.”

Joan's new look

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