Edinburgh Zoo's Giraffe About Town trail sees herd of 8-foot sculptures arrive at Leith's Ocean Terminal

More than 40 giant giraffe sculptures have arrived at Leith’s Ocean Terminal ahead of the launch of an exciting new public art event in the Capital.
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The eight-foot-tall animals were welcomed by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) yesterday and will go on display across the Capital this summer as part of the zoo’s Giraffe About Town trail.

The trail is being run in partnership with Wild in Art and is designed to celebrate Edinburgh’s heritage and cultural diversity and to help the city recover after lockdown.

40 giraffe sculptures have arrived at Ocean Terminal ahead of the Giraffe About Town trail40 giraffe sculptures have arrived at Ocean Terminal ahead of the Giraffe About Town trail
40 giraffe sculptures have arrived at Ocean Terminal ahead of the Giraffe About Town trail
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Organisers also hope the event will be a way for the RZSS to say thank you to its supporters and animal lovers and that it will bring a “feel good factor” back to Edinburgh after a difficult couple of years.

It will see each giraffe, which will each have a different design, installed at throughout the Capital - at iconic locations and hidden gems.

Most of the models will be designed and decorated by local artists and community groups in a painting space at Ocean Terminal, in conjunction with Living Memory Association.

Following the trail, the giraffes will be auctioned off to raise vital funds to support RZSS wildlife conservation work in Scotland and around the world after the Covid-19 pandemic saw both Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park forced to close for five months - moves which cost the charity more than £1.5 million.

40 giraffe sculptures have arrived at Ocean Terminal ahead of the Giraffe About Town trail40 giraffe sculptures have arrived at Ocean Terminal ahead of the Giraffe About Town trail
40 giraffe sculptures have arrived at Ocean Terminal ahead of the Giraffe About Town trail
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The family-friendly trail will kick off on Friday, July 1 and will run until Monday, August 29.

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