Our two pandas arrived from China amid a fanfare of tartan one year ago tomorrow. The year has passed without the pitter pattering of any baby panda paws, but the pair have become the rock star animals envisaged by the zoo. Visitor numbers have increased, and now half a million people have been to visit Tian Tian and Yang Guang at their purpose built enclosure on Corstorphine Road.
Darren McGarry, Head of Animals at Edinburgh Zoo, said:-
“I can’t quite get over just how quickly this year seems to have gone by, it seems like only yesterday that all systems were go and we were getting ready to welcome Tian Tian and Yang Guang to their new home, here at Edinburgh Zoo.
“It’s been altogether a year like no other, welcoming giant pandas to our animal collection, experiencing their very first breeding season and getting to know them as individual animals, has really been a unique privilege. Their first year at their new home has been wonderful in so many different ways and, as with any animal that you haven’t cared for before, we have learnt so much about them. They are entirely different characters and personalities, and we’ve been able to adapt and tailor how we care for them as they have settled in. We now know that they each have their own preferences for particular species of bamboo, that Yang Guang doesn’t like noise so much, and that Tian Tian has a preference for panda cake!
“There have been so many special moments over the last year, too many to mention, it certainly has been an unforgettable year.”
Here are a few panda facts for you:-
Photos Rob McDougall
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
