Fans of a much-loved West Lothian Zoo flocked to praise the team after they apologised for traffic issues on New Year's Day.
With most stores and venues closed on January 1, there was not much to do for bored families, but the Five Sisters Zoo (FSZ) in West Calder, offered a free day out to help keep the kids entertained.
And it appears it proved more popular than they were expecting, and posting on their official Facebook page, they apologised to fans for traffic problems that occurred near the zoo on the day.
However, fans were quick to flock to the post to state that it was in no way the team's fault with many thanking them for opening and giving them a fun day out.
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The original post read: "We would like to apologise for the chaos today with the traffic to the zoo to both local residents and visitors caught up in the traffic jam.
"We offered a free walk around the zoo for donation only on New Years day over the last two years and the crowd numbers were not exceptionally heavy. Today for some reason it just became far too busy and the sheer number of cars was completely unexpected."
After thanking the team who gave up their free time to work on the day, they stated that they did not want to turn people away who had made the trip.
"The problem was not in the zoo itself, only the amount of cars on the approach roads which we could do nothing about," FSZ added. "We have never had anything like this in the near 20 years of running the zoo even on the busiest holidays."
Responding to the post, hundreds of visitors supported the FSZ team, with those who had made the journey on the day stating it wasn't the zoo's fault and that their parking teams were very helpful and did the best job they could.
One posted: "Yes the traffic was a nightmare but that is nothing to do with you. It was supposed to be open for a walk so really people should have been walking there not driving! We had a fab day out even if it was busy and we really appreciated the gesture."
While another added: "Yes it was a bit chaotic but I thought your staff did a great job of keeping things moving as best they could. You could not have forseen the amounts of people who would take up your very kind offer (I suppose it reflects the cost of living crisis and people taking advantage of a great family day out that they might not otherwise be able to experience). We had a lovely visit to the zoo today and will be back soon."
Others hoped that the huge numbers would have helped the zoo's team with some much needed donations.
"I do hope that your donation on entry reflected the numbers who came in," said one. "Although I do appreciate that it gave some families the opportunity to visit that maybe couldn’t manage the entry fee. A lovely gesture from FSZ."
The FSZ team also confirmed that from January 2, there is no need to book in advance to visit the zoo, with opening hours during January and February running from 10 am with the zoo closing at 4 pm, and the last entry/admittance will be 3 pm.
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