So you hawk-eyed Edinburgh people. Where do these cows live? Answers to theedinburghreporter@gmail.com No prizes……
The Scottish Government are set to ask questions of the tram developer, tie, and its chief executive at The Public Audit Committee when it meets at Holyrood today, according to The Press Association. We must hope they are the right questions, and that the tram company does not hide behind the cloak of commercial confidentiality that it has constantly used in difficult situations.
A collection of photographs of two generations of The Royal Family as children is to open at the Queen’s Gallery in Holyrood Palace. The BBC explains that the photos were taken by Marcus Adams between 1926 and 1958.
The Evening News is fairly vitriolic about security in prisons, including Saughton, which it says is not strenuous enough to stop drugs and phones getting inside. But STV explains that Minister for Justice, Kenny McAskill, was at HMP Edinburgh yesterday morning, to launch a new hotline for neighbouring residents to report suspicious activity, such as items being thrown over the perimeter wall.
And sadly The Sun reports that former Edinburgh Zoo resident Mercedes, is suffering from osteoarthritis and may be put to sleep within months. Mercedes, the only polar bear in a UK zoo, had been resident at Edinburgh Zoo from 1984 until 2009, when she moved to the Highland Wildlife Park. She was rescued from her native Canada after she was scheduled to be shot. Unfortunately she began roaming into a nearby town in search of food and, as they are dangerous animals, this behaviour had to be discouraged. Initially, she was captured and the number ‘39’ was painted on her coat which allowed her to be tracked. On her third visit the decision was made to shoot her. Luckily, she was rescued and RZSS offered her a home at Edinburgh Zoo. It was one of RZSS’s life members who helped rescue Mercedes from Canada. She enlisted the help of her cousin, a former Minister of Fisheries in Canada, to find a new home for her. When Mercedes arrived at Edinburgh Zoo she was paired with a male polar bear called Barney. They produced two cubs, To-Nuik and Ohoto. Barney passed away 13 years ago, since then Mercedes has been on her own.
