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Edinburgh home for panda pair
The new home for a pair of eight-year-old giant pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, is to be Edinburgh Zoo.
Tian Tian, which means 'sweetie', is the female. Yang Guang’s name means ‘sunshine’. They are currently located at Bifengxia panda breeding centre in the Sichuan Province of China.
The two pandas will feel very much at home in Edinburgh. Unlike other Zoos around the world where the environment for the giant pandas needs to be created, the climate in Edinburgh is very similar to their native habitat.
Keeper Alison Maclean, who will be in charge of taking care of the pandas once they arrive, has already spent time with them in China.
She said:
"They’re sensitive creatures, and I want to keep their daily routines when they come to Scotland as similar as possible to help them settle in.
"I’m delighted with the panda enclosure design. It’s perfect for both the pandas and the visitors. The outdoor enclosure has large trees for them to climb on – with nice big forks to drape themselves over – big ponds, caves for shade and lots of different textures like soil and gravel.
Video: Pandas meet their public at Edinburgh Zoo
"The visitors have huge viewing glass panels, both looking into the interior and exterior of the enclosures, to give them the best view possible. The glass is extremely thick as at the end of the day it’s a 300kg bear behind it, and it’s also virtually sound proof so the pandas don’t get disturbed. The wooden walkways with bamboo draped through the slats give a lovely effect for visitors."
Pandas around the world
Pandas can be found in zoos within Europe in Berlin, Vienna (+ 1 cub) and Madrid (+ 2 cubs). They can also be found in the US in San Diego, Atlanta, Washington and Memphis, in Japan in Kobe Oji and in Australia in Adelaide. Tian Tian and Yang Guang will be the first pandas in the UK for 17 years.
Edinburgh Zoo and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is one of Europe's foremost conservation organisations. It is this expertise and the research facilities available within Edinburgh that has helped secure this prestigious pair for the city and for the UK. Animal nutrition, genetics, embryology, immunology and veterinary medicine are now vital areas of research for giant pandas and Scotland has particular expertise in these areas. Progress in these could lead to the re-introduction of pandas into the wild in the next ten years.
Animals in captivity
The best chance of survival of the species is to have in place a carefully managed captive breeding programme while at the same time working with pandas in the wild and on the protection of their environment. RZSS support for the conservation plan for giant pandas, which the Chinese Authorities have established over many years, will do precisely this as the management of the pandas, which will be in specialist care and form part of the overall captive programme and the research plan, will have a direct impact on both the wild and captive populations.
The pandas will arrive in Edinburgh in December 2011.
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