Membership and Adoption Terms and Conditions
Thank you for joining the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) family. Your membership or adoption directly contributes to safeguarding threatened species and helps us create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved.
By purchasing any membership or adoption with RZSS you enter an agreement of specific terms and conditions. Please review the sections below for details.
Membership
Once purchased, memberships are strictly non-refundable and non-transferable
Standard membership is based on a 12-month contract and starts on the date of purchase unless otherwise specified at the point of sale
RZSS reserves the right to change the membership benefits at any time and without prior notice
RZSS membership allows the named cardholder to free admission to Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park, during their standard opening hours. Admission to both sites is subject to the standard terms and conditions of entry
RZSS reserves the right to refuse admission and/or cancel memberships without refund if anyone behaves in a threatening, inappropriate or abusive way to our staff, contractors, visitors or animals
RZSS is not responsible for mailings being lost in the post
Visited our parks recently? Sign up for membership within 14 days of your visit and have your tickets refunded. Contact the membership team for details. Please note that only standard day tickets that are purchased directly through RZSS can be refunded when upgrading to membership
We aim to process all memberships onto our system within 10 working days of us receiving the order. Please note that this may take longer during busier seasonal periods, however, this does not affect your ability to visit our parks
You can use your confirmation email, welcome letter or membership cards to gain entry to both RZSS parks. You will be required to show a form of ID along with your proof of membership
If you do not have proof of membership, please contact the membership team at least 24 hours before your planned visit to avoid admission charges
Membership cards cannot be used for educational school visits or for access to on-site events, unless specified
An adult must accompany any children aged 15 years or younger
Children who turn three years old during a parent or guardian’s membership year are subject to an entrance fee. Children can be added to a membership on a pro-rata basis by contacting the membership team
A date of birth for children must be provided to ensure they receive the correct membership and are addressed correctly within GDPR guidelines
A student is defined as an individual currently enrolled in a full-time course at an NUS registered University or College. A student membership can also be issued if the recipient is aged between 16 and 21 and hold a valid Young Scot card. Students must provide valid student/Young Scot identification if requesting a student membership
RZSS membership allows members admission to participating reciprocal zoos – Belfast, Chester*, Colchester, Curragh's Wildlife Park, Dublin, Fota Wildlife Park, Marwell*, Newquay*, Paignton*, Rotterdam, Twycross and Wild Place Project (*one visit per year). This is subject to the terms and conditions of the respective sites. Please check with the zoo you wish to visit for their terms of entry
RZSS members are encouraged to bring guest visitors to both of our parks. Members are entitled to receive 25% discount on individual admission ticket prices for up to six guests, per member, per visit. Additional member guests (over six guests) will be eligible to pay for full price entry
RZSS members are entitled to a 10% discount in our gift shops and at available catering outlets on presentation of a valid membership card. Discounts can be applied to all transactions with the exception of books, fair trade items, alcoholic beverages, previously discounted or multi-buy offers and special events
Membership loyalty catering scheme cards are only valid at Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park when presented with an active membership card. One stamp can be collected per purchased hot drink. One completed; stamp cards can be exchanged for one complimentary hot drink
Members can park for free at Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park. To claim free parking at Edinburgh Zoo, please take a ticket on entry and have it validated by our admissions team
Direct debit
Direct Debit membership is an annual product and will automatically renew each year until you inform RZSS of cancellation
We issue a courtesy renewal reminder via post each year and will contact you if your payment rate is due to change
We reserve the right to withdraw the offer of Direct Debit at any time
If paying by Direct Debit and you wish to cancel your membership, this can be done at the point of annual renewal. If you wish to cancel mid-term, please contact the membership team for details of any outstanding dues
RZSS membership is an annual product, therefore if a monthly Direct Debit is cancelled mid-term or an annual payment fails, you remain liable for the outstanding balance
Memberships being paid for via monthly direct debit will be cancelled if there are three missed payments within a 12-month period. It can be reinstated when the outstanding balance is settled
Any outstanding balance must be paid in one full payment prior to setting up a new direct debit membership
Animal adoption
Animal adoptions are non-refundable
We reserve the right to refuse admission and/or cancel adoptions without refund if anyone behaves in a threatening, inappropriate or abusive way to our staff, contractors, visitors or animals
RZSS reserves the right to change adoption benefits at any time and without prior notice
The content of animal adoption packs is subject to change at the discretion of RZSS
Adoption applies to an entire species at Edinburgh Zoo or Highland Wildlife Park and not an individual animal
Due to the nature of animal welfare, we cannot guarantee that the animal that you have adopted will be on show at the time of your visit
Our animal collection is always evolving, therefore if your adopted species is withdrawn from our collection, you will be given the opportunity to choose another species to support for the remainder of your adoption year
More than one person can be named on the adoption certificate, however only one adoption pack will be issued
We aim to process all adoption packs within 10 working days once an application has been received. Please note that this may take longer during busier seasonal periods and due to circumstances out with our control
RZSS is not responsible for adoption packs becoming lost in the post. If you do not inform us that your adoption pack has not arrived within eight weeks of your adoption start date, you will be subject to a £5 charge for all replacement packs
Names of adopters are listed at the animal enclosures for Silver, Gold and Platinum packages, unless the adoption recipient has opted-out
It may take up to 10 working days from the date the adoption pack is received for adopter names to appear on enclosures. Once a name is displayed on an enclosure, it will remain there for the duration of that adoption
Platinum adopters are entitled to one annual ‘meet the keeper’ session. This gives adopters the opportunity to talk about their chosen species with a keeper who cares for them. Agreed dates for meeting the keeper must be agreed upon with RZSS a minimum of three weeks prior to their visit. Some sessions may need to be rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances such as animal welfare or weather
Communications
We cannot send email updates to you without receiving consent at least every two years. Please sign up to receive emails by contacting us at membership@rzss.org.uk
Please note that if your membership or adoption is a gift for someone aged 16 or over, due to GDPR guidelines, we are unable to accept communication opt-ins on their behalf. If they would like to receive updates from us, please ask them to email us at membership@rzss.org.uk
If your membership or adoption is for someone under the age of 16, consent to be contacted must be provided by a legal parent or guardian
You are free to opt out from any of our communications at any time by emailing membership@rzss.org.uk
Please refer to our Privacy Policy for details on how we handle your data
