Nicola Sturgeon intervened over new £2million den for Edinburgh Zoo pandas — insisting their welfare was ‘priority’
THE First Minister personally intervened over a new £2million den for Scotland’s pandas — insisting their welfare should be “the priority”, papers have revealed.
Nicola Sturgeon called for an urgent fix amid fears the racket from a building site next door could kill the bears.
NHS Lothian had sold its abandoned Corstorphine Hospital site to property developers - but the deal floundered after complaints from neighbouring Edinburgh Zoo.
A civil servant’s email, contained in documents released under freedom of information laws, said: “The First Minister has noted it is extremely important a resolution is found that ensures the protection of the pandas.”
Nats accused of secretly ‘syphoning off’ £2m in public cash for new panda den at Edinburgh Zoo
Another said the Nats chief considered the bears’ health a “priority”.
It read: “The First Minister’s instruction that the welfare of the pandas should be the priority meant we had to find a solution which worked for the pandas so we either called off the sale or found a new home for the pandas.
“Since the sale of the property was comfortably in excess of the cost of finding a new home for the pandas, the option to continue with the sale but find a new home was clearly the best solution.”
Labour’s Claire Baker called Ms Sturgeon’s involvement “astonishing."
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And she said: “Nicola Sturgeon must explain why she personally approved syphoning millions of pounds without doing any proper due diligence.
“We need a growing tourism industry but we also need transparent government in Holyrood.
"This was public money and the public have a right to know about how their taxes are being spent by the SNP.”
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