I found myself in the Highlands recently, watching a six-year-old named Brodie splash about in a muddy pool. He picked up a rubbery black disc between his teeth, flipped it over his head, then dived backwards after it, landing in the water with a satisfying splash — while his mother watched on with utter indifference. Not your average encounter in Kingussie, but then again Brodie is not your average six-year-old.
Brodie is the star attraction at Highland Wildlife Park and is, of course, a polar bear. He is also one of the most enchanting animals I have ever watched. However, his presence in the Cairngorms near Aviemore also sits a little uncomfortably today. Like the song Daddy’s Taking Us to the Zoo Tomorrow, housing Arctic bears behind security fencing in Scotland seems to belong to another era.
Zoos are having to reinvent themselves, even Highland Wildlife Park, which houses cold-climate species on a rugged 260-acre site. To that end the park has added three buildings this summer — the culmination of a £7 million project — and not one single animal will be housed inside them.
Instead, the new buildings present the hereto less visible side of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which runs the park and Edinburgh Zoo. Exhibitions in the new houses aim to inspire visitors to protect the environment better.
Jess Wise, the discovery and learning programme manager for RZSS, says: “My background is in conservation, but I am an advocate for good zoos. Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are windows through which you can experience conservation projects.”
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Signs outside of Brodie’s enclosure explain how climate change is threatening the survival of polar bears and what you the visitor can do to reduce global warming. Similarly, the Gateway building, near the café and shop, tells multiple mini stories about threats to animals, their habitat and the planet.
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With a dramatic lightning-shaped crack across the ceiling, a root pattern sprawling across the floor and a circle of trunks from the park’s “wolf wood”, the Gateway building is a magical space. “It should be an adventure coming through here,” Wise says.
Younger children can stand inside a giant, hand-carved pine cone and see the “squirrel gnaw marks” inside or test their hand-eye co-ordination in a “bash-a-bug” game, in which they can see if they are faster than a wildcat.
However, the exhibits also include a real, decommissioned, bright yellow gun with a sign that says “Many animals are still illegally hunted or caught by humans”. There are oil drums and plastic bottles on display. “Pollution from textiles factories and pesticides all pose serious threat to wetlands,” another information board reads.
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“We are not shying away from hard-hitting messages,” Wise says. “We are living in a crisis. We want to tell people what is going on and inspire them to do something about it. Kids are so on board.”
For Wise and RZSS, protecting the environment is “so much more” than recycling or turning the lights off. While there is no right way to tour the Gateway exhibition, she suggests it invites people to put themselves in the middle of the problems and see themselves as “change makers”.
Then they can spill out into the park, meet the animals and head up the hill to the second of the three hubs, the Conservation Den, which overlooks a site where RZSS breeds wildcats for release — a creature on the brink of extinction in Scotland.
RZSS has pledged to halt the decline of 50 species by 2030 and has 30 staff dedicated to conservation work running 23 different projects. Helen Taylor, the conservation programme manager, says these range from wildcats and beavers to medicinal leeches, the small scabious mining bee and the critically endangered pine hoverfly.
“If you want to look after the cute, fluffy animals like wildcats and beavers, then we need to look after the wee guys too. They are vital to the ecosystems that support the bigger species,” Taylor says. Starting with 25 larvae, the conservation team now breeds 8,000 hoverflies annually, before releasing them into the wild. In 2022 the first adult hoverfly was spotted in the Highlands — the first “wild” hoverfly seen in Britain for a decade.
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As you might expect, a green approach has been taken to construction in the Gateway and Conservation Den, as well as the Learning Hive, a centre for school visits and adult workshops. There is little to no plastic, sustainably sourced oak throughout and solar panels providing energy behind the hive.
Wise describes zoos as a “secret weapon” in the bid to spur action on climate change, echoing the words of David Field, chief executive of RZSS, that star attractions, such as polar bear, help draw visitors and fund the conservation work.
“We are entering an entirely new phase for Highland Wildlife Park,” Wise says, adding that people who would not usually think a zoo is for them might be surprised. “People such as birdwatchers might enjoy it,” she says by way of example, adding with a smile, “and actually people like myself.”
Helen Puttick was a guest of Highland Wildlife Park (£22.50 adult, £15.30 child, highlandwildlifepark.org.uk) and 50 The High Street (50thehighstreet.co.uk).
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While you’re in Kingussie…
Kingussie is eight minutes away by car and offers a quieter base away from the teeming streets of Aviemore. Large family groups should consider booking 50 The High Street, a pet-friendly townhouse with five bedrooms across three floors. A huge dining table and cosy living room make this great for big groups, while Victorian features and stunning views from back windows give this property character.
Details from £378 a night, 50thehighstreet.co.uk
Just along the road, Alvie and Dalraddy Estates host a range of outdoor activities, from ziplining to clay-pigeon shooting to farm tours. New to quad biking? The team ensure everyone has a good time by deploying enough staff to build the confidence of more nervous drivers while offering adrenaline junkies a faster, bumpier, off-piste ride. For those who prefer quieter activities, try to book the squirrel hide in the winter months and watch the Highland’s red squirrels at work.
Details highlandsselfcatering.co.uk
Drop into Ed Smith’s gallery on Kingussie High Street, where this award-winning photographer, who once represented Britain in white water kayaking, displays his breathtaking pictures. Smith goes to extremes to capture images of the Scottish landscape, trekking with his kit up precipices in the early hours of the morning and camping on summits. His shot of the aurora borealis is extraordinary.
Details edsmithphotography.com
Look out for the regular Storyland Sessions in Kincraig Church Hall, where local singers and storytellers perform. Their popular monthly events create nostalgia for an age where entertainment never involved a screen. Tickets are now available for their August 13 event, £11.37.
Details badenochstorylands.com/storylands-sessions
