Scots zoo celebrates baby boom following arrival of several new residents
Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder has welcomed a flurry of new life across a number of species.
A Humboldt penguin chick has hatched and is thriving under the watchful eyes of its proud parents.
Meanwhile, baby Parma wallabies have made their first appearances from the safety of their mothers' pouches, delighting guests with glimpses of their tiny faces. Five Sisters Zoo Baby Parma wallaby Five Sisters Zoo
Two emperor tamarin babies, known for their striking moustache-like facial hair, are clinging closely to their parents in the tropical enclosure.
Elsewhere, a playful group of prairie dog pups has emerged from their burrows, already entertaining visitors with their antics. Five Sisters Zoo prairie dog pup Five Sisters Zoo
'This baby boom is a wonderful reflection of the positive, healthy environments we've created for our animals,' said a spokesperson at Five Sisters Zoo.
'While some of the births are part of planned breeding programs, others are simply a natural outcome of animals feeling safe, settled, and well cared for — and every arrival is worth celebrating.'
Each birth is part of the zoo's ongoing commitment to conservation and education, with many species playing a role in breeding programs designed to help safeguard vulnerable populations. Five Sisters Zoo A Humboldt penguin chick Five Sisters Zoo
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
13 hours ago
- STV News
Zoo celebrates arrival of 'rare and charismatic' baby monkey
Fife Zoo is celebrating the birth of a 'rare and charismatic' endangered primate. The baby De Brazza's monkey, which is a species native to Central Africa, was born at the zoo near Ladybank two weeks ago. The new arrival marks an important milestone for the zoo's conservation efforts, as De Brazza's monkeys are part of a European breeding programme aimed at safeguarding the future of the lesser-known but ecologically vital species. This is the third baby born at the zoo to parents Nut and Dusty. Supplied The endangered primate was born two weeks ago. Supplied 'We're absolutely thrilled to welcome this little one to our primate family,' said Michael Knight, zoo director at Fife Zoo. 'Mum and baby are both doing very well, and it's been a joy to watch the youngster grow more curious and confident each day.' The sex of the De Brazza's monkey has not been confirmed, however, it is currently clinging closely to its mother and beginning to explore its surroundings under her watchful eye. 'This birth is a wonderful reminder of why our conservation work matters,' added Matt Hartley, director of Fife Zoo. 'We're proud to contribute to the conservation of this species and to offer our visitors the chance to connect with wildlife in a meaningful way.' The public has been encouraged to come and see the growing monkey family, but guests have been urged to keep noise to a minimum around the habitat. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
13 hours ago
- The National
7000-year-old neolithic festival site found at future football pitches
Experts from GUARD Archaeologists discovered the remains of the early Neolithic settlement — which they believed was a focal point for where Scotland's first farming communities gathered for large festivities — during archaeological excavations at the construction site of Carnoustie High School's new pitches. "The Carnoustie excavation produced exceptional results, the traces of the largest early Neolithic timber hall ever discovered in Scotland dating from near 4000 BC," said Alan Hunter Blair, who directed the fieldwork. "This was a permanent structure 35 meters long and 9 meters wide, built of oak with opposed doorways near one end of the building. Its large roof was supported by paired massive timber posts. Its walls were wattle and daub panels supported by posts that were partly protected by its over-hanging roof. And its internal space was sub-divided by more postholes and narrow channels marking partitions." READ MORE: 239-year-old island inn with beer garden hits the market One of the co-authors of a newly published report on the discovery, Beverley Ballin Smith,, added: "This monumental timber hall, completely alien to the culture and landscape of the preceding Mesolithic era, was erected by one of the very first groups of farmers to colonise Scotland, in a clearing within the remains of natural woodland. "It was fully formed, architecturally sophisticated, large, complex and required skills of design, planning, execution and carpentry." What makes Carnoustie unlike other Neolithic halls in Scotland, which were all discrete solitary structures within the virgin farmland of early neolithic Scotland, a smaller companion timber hall existed alongside it. This was still a substantial structure almost 20m long and more than 8m wide. The excavation of the smaller hall revealed a large hearth with charred cereal grains and hazel nutshells consistent with a domestic function. The larger hall yielded evidence for the deliberate deposition of stone artefacts, which arachnologists consider are traces of the beliefs and rituals of the community that built and used it. "The Carnoustie halls, elevated and prominent in the landscape, were probably close to routeways where people may have congregated naturally at various seasons of the year," said Ballin Smith. "The availability of hazel nuts in autumn is a strong indicator that that season was an important one for meeting, feasting and celebrating. The Carnoustie timber halls may have been a focal point, their significance great enough to attract people from a much wider area. "We know from the materials found in the Carnoustie buildings that some artefacts came from distant places and represent deliberate deposition, such as fragments of Arran pitchstone, an axe of garnet-albite-schist and a piece of smoky quartz from the Highlands, while other materials were found more locally such as agate, quartz and chalcedony." READ MORE: Work to begin on £8 million Gaelic cultural centre on Scottish island After about 200 years, the halls were dismantled and a smaller hall built within the footprint of the larger hall around 3800-3700 BC, but this too continued to receive deliberate deposits of stone tools until about 3600 BC. The site continued to be revisited with evidence of people camping and gathering outside where the buildings once stood, carrying on the seasonal round of activities until around 2500 BC. "When Angus Council approved the development of two outdoor football pitches on land at Balmachie Road in Carnoustie, no one imagined the process would reveal one of the most remarkable and internationally significant archaeological discoveries in Scotland," said Kathryn Lindsay, chief executive of Angus Council. "'Many current residents in the area may not have imagined life during this period of history, right on their doorstep! The building of two football pitches at this site has provided an inadvertent but invaluable opportunity to learn more about how people in Angus lived in the Neolithic and Bronze Age." A rare and well-preserved metalwork hoard of a sword within its wooden scabbard, a spearhead with a gold decorative band around its socket and a bronze sunflower-headed swan's neck pin were also found wrapped in the remains of woollen cloth and sheep-skin. Hunter Blair explained: "This small hoard had been deliberately buried in a pit within the midst of a late Bronze Age settlement sometime between 1118 - 924 BC." At around 1400 BC, during the Bronze Age, people had returned to this same site at Carnoustie. A settlement was established, comprising a single roundhouse, much smaller than the previous Neolithic halls, and replaced three or more times over the following centuries until around 800 BC. The best preserved of these Bronze Age roundhouses was positioned over part of the foundations of the large Neolithic timber hall. Like the other buildings it had an entrance facing south-east and during the course of its life it was used as a domestic dwelling, a workshop and also a byre. Near this building, the hoard of precious weapons and jewellery was buried. Co-author of the report Warren Bailie said: "If any object was a direct import, it would be the sunflower pin. The sword was a viable weapon that from the pattern of notches and rebound marks along its blades had probably seen some use in combat, but there was weakness in the core of the spearhead that would have made it vulnerable in use." The team discovered that the last occupant of the Carnoustie site was a small field mouse. Investigation of the contents of the spearhead's socket revealed a considerable amount of fresh-looking grass stems stained by the copper, suggesting that a small rodent (such as a field mouse) had set up house during the fairly recent past in the socket itself. The archaeological work was funded by Angus Council and was required as a condition of planning consent by Angus Council who are advised on archaeological matters by the Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service.
Scotsman
13 hours ago
- Scotsman
How Scotland's housing crisis is tearing families apart
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Access to adequate housing isn't a luxury, it's a fundamental right. Yet every week, my office hears from families in crisis, caught in a system that appears more focused on managing scarcity than delivering solutions. Across Edinburgh and the Lothians, families with young children are being forced to spend years in unsuitable temporary accommodation, often in distressing, overcrowded, and even unsafe conditions. These are not isolated incidents. This is a systemic failure. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On June 5, I raised this issue in the Scottish Parliament, asking the government for a clear update on efforts to reduce the time families spend in temporary housing. While the response highlighted funding schemes and affordable housing initiatives, these promises ring hollow for my constituents, families like Laura's, Stacey's and Sofiane's, who remain trapped with no end in sight. This is not just a local challenge; it is the direct result of years of under-investment and short-term thinking in national housing policy. The Scottish Government's inability to construct enough truly affordable homes has left councils overwhelmed and under resourced, forced to make impossible decisions and manage an emergency they did not create. Children need stable and secure places to call home (Picture by Colin Hattersley, posed by model, with parents' permission) | SoS license 'Left in limbo', 'utterly forgotten' Laura has lived in temporary accommodation in South Queensferry for nearly four years. Since March, her family has been battling an ongoing bed bug infestation that has destroyed their belongings and forced them to sleep in one room. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Despite contacting the City of Edinburgh Council, the managing agent, and others, no permanent solution has been provided. 'Despite doing everything asked of us… We have been left in limbo with no one taking full responsibility,' Laura wrote. Another constituent, Stacey, has been stuck in temporary accommodation in Drylaw for six years. Initially, she was told she would be moved into permanent housing within two years, but that promise was never fulfilled. Her mental health has deteriorated. Her youngest daughter, who is suspected to have ADHD and autism, struggles in an environment with no stability or privacy. Stacey hasn't even been allowed to hang proper curtains. 'I feel utterly forgotten by the system that was meant to help us,' she said. 'We all deserve a safe, secure, and stable home where we can finally begin to heal.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Facing homelessness Sofiane's story is another urgent reminder of how this housing crisis is tearing families apart. A father of three who lived in Scotland for over a decade without seeking public assistance, yet now he faces eviction, and his family is on the brink of homelessness. Despite exhausting every option to find private housing, he continues to struggle. Sofiane fears for his children's health, safety, and development. 'All I want is a secure, stable home where my children can grow up safely and with dignity,' he says. However, even that, in today's Edinburgh, feels heartbreakingly out of reach. These are not exceptions. It's a reflection of a system failing the very families it should protect. According to Shelter Scotland, the number of children trapped in temporary accommodation across the country has reached record levels. In many cases, families are being forced to move multiple times, uprooting children from their schools and support networks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad These frequent disruptions erode trust, destroy routine, and make it nearly impossible for parents to maintain employment or access consistent healthcare. Thousands in Edinburgh alone Edinburgh council's latest report to the housing, homelessness and fair work committee confirmed that, as of March 31, more than 5,400 households were living in temporary accommodation, with 3,155 of these households including children. Even more concerning is the fact that 970 of those households were placed in unsuitable temporary accommodation, in breach of legal standards, including 42 children under the age of 16. Alarmingly, we are seeing a growing number of families placed in bed and breakfasts or hostels, environments never intended for long-term living. These settings often lack privacy and the stability children need to grow and thrive. Councils are doing what they can with the limited means at their disposal, but they are being asked to manage an escalating crisis without the necessary resources, funding, or legislative backing to address the root causes and implement lasting solutions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Despite the clear harm, the SNP recently voted down amendments that would have required local authorities to consider the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child when allocating temporary housing. By rejecting these protections, the government is allowing children to remain in conditions far below acceptable standards of safety and dignity. People deserve dignity While initiatives like the Southeast Regional Delivery Alliance aim to accelerate homebuilding, progress is still slow. In north-west Edinburgh, the average waiting time for non-priority applicants can exceed more than 22 years. Even those with 'silver' priority can wait up to three-and-a-half years. That is not a waiting list, it is a sentence. Laura, Stacey and Sofiane are parents doing everything right, raising children in impossible circumstances. They deserve more than vague timelines; they deserve homes, dignity, and stability. The Scottish Government must stop shifting responsibility and act with urgency. That means properly funding councils, setting clear housing targets, and ensuring temporary accommodation is safe, suitable, and truly temporary. Without decisive intervention, this crisis will deepen, leaving a generation of children to grow up in limbo. That is not a legacy any government should be willing to accept. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As an MSP for Lothian, I will continue fighting for urgent change. Until we address the root causes of this crisis, families will continue to pay the price, with their health, hope, and futures put on hold. That is simply unacceptable.
