Plans have been unveiled to open a new animal care centre in the city.
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has announced a £350,000 refurbishment of the Mill of Craibstone at its Bucksburn campus in Aberdeen.
The college said the upcoming expansion will allow it to teach even more people, in turn providing organisations and businesses with much-needed skilled staff.
Animal care and veterinary courses are among its most popular, covering topics including dog grooming, applied poultry science, agriculture and countryside management.
Many of its students progress to careers in zoos, wildlife parks, boarding kennels and grooming salons.
Some of its graduates have also become dog handlers for the police, prison service and armed forces.
The move will also help the college collaborate with a wider range of partner organisations keen to work with animal care students.
The new centre will have areas for animals being cared for to roam in.
Indoor facilities are being built for all of the rabbits, ferrets, rodents, fish and reptiles living there, while a dedicated outdoor space will be set up for the ponies, sheep and birds.
Professor Caroline Argo, dean of the SRUC North Faculty, said: “SRUC is firmly committed to the Aberdeen area, and this new centre for animal care is part of our exciting plans for the region.
“This new home for animal care gives us the potential to expand in the future.
“We are already looking at ideas to create a centre of excellence unique to north-east of Scotland and I look forward to sharing more about this in the future.”
The college recently adopted animals which were living at the Codona’s Amusement Park petting zoo.
All the hutches, aquariums and aviaries on the site are now being packed up as the wide variety of creatures are scheduled to move in to their new homes in July.
