30 November 2023 , 11:34
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Edinburgh Zoo's beloved pandas - the only ones in the UK - are set to return to China.
Yang Guang and Tian Tian have been a major attraction since their arrival in 2011 as part of a 10-year agreement between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo is preparing for their departure, with access to the panda enclosure closing from 3.30pm on Thursday.
The pandas will head back to China in early December after their stay in Scotland was extended by two years. In 2011, crowds gathered on Corstorphine Road outside the zoo to welcome the pandas to the city. Despite hopes that Tian Tian and Yang Guang would breed during their time at Edinburgh Zoo, they sadly produced no offspring.
Yang Guang is pictured at popular attraction Edinburgh Zoo (RZSS/PA Wire)David Field, RZSS chief executive, told Daily Record: "With more than a million species at risk of extinction and our natural world in crisis, Yang Guang and Tian Tian have had an incredible impact by inspiring millions of people to care about nature.
He added: "That added interest in the pandas' departure this year has allowed us to connect many more people with the conservation causes that RZSS is actively involved with, and with nature more generally.
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"Through scientific research by our expert veterinary and keeper teams, working alongside the University of Edinburgh, we have made a significant contribution to our understanding around giant panda fertility, husbandry, and veterinary care which has been of real benefit to efforts to protect this amazing species in China. It is encouraging that in recent years the outlook for giant pandas in the wild has improved, which gives real hope for the future."
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