Panda Express Arrives Safely in Edinburgh

Custom-built Panda Enclosure FedEx Used to Transport Pandas from China to Scotland

Tian Tian (Sweetie), an eight year-old female panda, and Yang Guang (Sunshine), an eight year-old male panda pictured in the enclosure above, arrived safely in Edinburgh, Scotland earlier today. Their special chartered Boeing 777, nicknamed the "Panda Express."', was stocked with plenty of bamboo, carrots, and apples for the long journey.

Yang Guang Munches Bamboo at Edinburgh Zoo

The FedEx crew that transported the pandas wore kilts for the occasion, which blended with those worn by the bagpipe players, who welcomed their guests.  Tian and Tian and Yang Guang will stay in their new home at the Edinburgh Zoo for ten years before returning to China.  Zoo officials negotiated for the loan of the pandas for five years before finalizing the deal this year.  The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will pay almost $1 million a year for the pair, a hefty amount in the eyes of skeptics.

Both pandas have parented previously, but never as a pair.  The Edinburgh Zoo hopes that Sweetie will mate with Sunshine and deliver at least one healthy cub while in residence.  The eight-year-old pair are the first breeding pandas Britain has hosted in seventeen years. They were raised at the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Ya'an, Sichuan Province and will be researched as part of a joint project between China and Scotland.

The giant pandas will have two weeks to settle in before the viewing public will be allowed to see them.  By nature, they are shy animals and will require that time to adjust to their new surroundings. Chinese efforts to save giant pandas from extinction have proved successful, and hopes are high that Sweetie and Sunshine will add to the panda population during their stay in Scotland.