That the Parliament commemorates the centenary of Edinburgh Zoo, which was opened by Thomas Gillespie, founder of The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) in July 1913 and which remains, to this day, the only zoological park in the United Kingdom to have a Royal Charter; notes the varied programme of events planned to commemorate the centenary year, including exhibitions, lectures and interactive events for children and adults; considers that the legacy of Thomas Gillespie has been continued into the 21st century, with Edinburgh Zoo a world-recognised centre of conservation for threatened domestic and international species, undertaking projects such as the Scottish Beaver Trial, the Pantanal Conservation and Research Initiative, the Cairngorm Wildcat Project Nyungwe Ecology Project, African Wild Dog Conservation, Water Vole Conservation, the Budongo Conservation Field Station and the Henderson Island Restoration Project; commends the in-the-field research and what is considered the highly significant international conservation work that the RZSS undertakes, most notably, the China/UK Giant Panda Project, a world-first research project to reintroduce giant pandas into the wild; considers that Edinburgh Zoo has a particular focus on education and has, as such, garnered an international reputation for excellence in the study of animals and their environments both in captivity and in the wild, with teams of experts working at the vanguard of scientific research to further investigate Applied Conservation Genetics, population management, veterinary science, animal behaviour, ecology and nutrition, and understands that the design of the animal enclosures, which were originally based on the idea of the open zoo at Hamburg designed by Carl Hagenbeck, are constantly evolving in line with the continually expanding knowledge of physical and psychological animal welfare.