Edinburgh Zoo pandas begin last day in the spotlight

Visitors will get a chance to see Tian Tian and Yang Guang, the giant pandas kept at the Edinburgh Zoo, on Thursday before they are sent back to their home country of China.

The pandas were the first to reside in the UK for 17 years when they arrived in Scotland in 2011. For the bears, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland paid China a million dollars a year in exchange, and within a year, ticket sales increased by roughly fifty percent.

In their eight attempts at artificial insemination, Chinese veterinarians and zoo personnel in Scotland were unable to conceive a single cub. The giant panda breeding programme was discontinued following the final attempt in 2021.

The pandas are visible to visitors in their enclosure until 15:30, at which point they will disappear from view as carers get the bears ready for the long trip home. For security and safety reasons, the precise time and date of their departure have been kept secret; however, it is thought that they will be departing next week. Michael Livingston, a zookeeper, has been taking care of the bears, tending to their needs, and learning about their various personalities.