After 12 incredible years, Yang Guang and Tian Tian left the zoo on Monday 4 December. Our charity's teams were here to say goodbye to the pair and wave them off as they headed to the airport. We'll be sure to let everyone know how their journey goes.
We were thrilled to extend Yang Guang and Tian Tian’s stay here at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo until 2023, especially as the pandemic made it much harder for people to visit and would have prevented our giant panda keepers from travelling to China to help the pair settle into their new homes.
As the UK’s only giant pandas, they have been incredibly popular with visitors which has helped to connect millions of people with nature as well as raising vital funds for wildlife conservation.
Through new events and experiences we provided as many opportunities as possible for people to say goodbye and celebrate the tremendous impact these two charismatic bears have had on our communities, helping to create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved.
After 12 incredible years, Yang Guang and Tian Tian left the zoo on Monday 4 December. Our charity's teams were here to say goodbye to the pair and wave them off as they headed to the airport. We'll be sure to let everyone know how their journey goes.
We have been providing as many opportunities as possible for people to say goodbye and celebrate the tremendous impact these two charismatic bears have had on our communities, helping to create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved.
Yang Guang and Tian Tian arrived in Edinburgh in December 2011 as part of a 10-year arrangement between our charity and the China Wildlife Conservation Association which we were able to extend by two years.
Our planet is facing a biodiversity crisis and it is vital that we expand our work to protect more endangered animals around the world. RZSS has pledged to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2030 and we plan to convert the giant panda habitat at the zoo to welcome a new species in the future.
After the pandas leave, we will decide on a new species with a crucial factor being how we can support conservation in the wild.
Pandas are an amazing ambassador for a conservation success story. We are delighted that since their arrival, the IUCN status of giant pandas in the wild has been moved from endangered to vulnerable thanks to conservation efforts.
Like all the animals in our care, they have played a critically important role in attracting and engaging hundreds of thousands of visitors each year so they can learn about the threats animals face in the wild and the action they can take to help. Their power to connect people with nature and encourage behaviour change is invaluable.
Caring for Tian Tian and Yang Guang, including their food and overall healthcare, costs our charity £35,000 each month.
In addition, the extended agreement includes an annual payment of $500,000 (USD). This is often referred to as a loan payment when in fact this donation supports giant panda conservation, welfare and research in China.
No. Natural and artificial insemination breeding has not been successful and now is the time to move on and just enjoy having Yang Guang and Tian Tian with us before they leave.
We are very proud of the contribution we have made to giant panda breeding research alongside our partners at the University of Edinburgh and our findings have been of real benefit to international efforts to protect the species.
No. Our planet is facing a biodiversity crisis and it is vital that we expand our work to protect more endangered animals around the world.
RZSS has pledged to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2030 and we plan to convert the giant panda habitat at the zoo to welcome a new species in the future.
After the pandas leave, we will decide on a new species with a crucial factor being how we can support conservation in the wild.
It is encouraging that the status of giant pandas in the wild has been moved by the IUCN from endangered to vulnerable thanks to conservation efforts in China. However, their conservation still faces many challenges, so we will continue to make a substantial annual donation to support this work while Yang Guang and Tian Tian remain with us.
Our giant pandas were relocated due to construction work taking place at the former Corstorphine Hospital site nearby as they are particularly sensitive to noise and vibrations.
Before planning consent was granted, RZSS agreed with NHS, as the landowner, and ultimately the Scottish Government, that Yang Guang and Tian Tian needed to be relocated and that the costs to our charity of reinstating their habitat elsewhere within the zoo would be met.
This was a normal commercial transaction which freed up a public asset to be sold and should not be presenting as Scottish Government funding. It is entirely normal practice where one landowner’s development would damage the interests of an adjoining landowner.
When construction costs went over budget, RZSS also received a £500,000 loan from the Scottish Government to cover the additional costs incurred.
In 2021, we received a grant from the Scottish Government’s zoo and aquarium conservation fund to help protect native species.
The funds raised will help us to save wildlife from extinction, including species in Scotland such as the wildcat and pine hoverfly, chimpanzees in Uganda and giant armadillos in Brazil.
RZSS has pledged to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2030 and we intend to convert the zoo’s giant panda habitat to welcome a new species in the future.
Yang Guang and Tian Tian have been in Scotland for over 10 years, we understand that they have played a part in many people's lives, from lining the streets of Corstorphine on their arrival to special trips to visit them. We want to make sure as many people as possible get the opportunity to say farewell.
At RZSS, we are working with different communities and organisations to help identify and reduce barriers to accessing nature through outreach and on site at our zoos. Last year we worked with over 40 community groups throughout Scotland, helping to support connections with their audiences and our sites. It is exciting to be able to continue and expand this work in 2023, welcoming people to our outreach sessions, exploring our sites and discovering more amazing animals.
Other opportunities to be involved in our giant farewell will be announced throughout the coming months.
We believe it is vital for more people from more diverse backgrounds to be able to access nature if we hope to save wildlife and empower communities to better protect, value and love the world around us.
If you are part of a group that you believe would benefit from this support, or know of any organisations that might be able to help fund or otherwise support this work, please get in touch with our community team at community@rzss.org.uk.
RZSS is a wildlife conservation charity and every purchase helps to save wildlife and empower people in Scotland and around the world to protect, value and love nature. Find out more at rzss.org.uk/about.
The support of our charity’s members, patrons and giant panda adopters has been vital, especially in recent years and we are only able to offer an incredibly limited number of giant panda experiences before they return to China. Participants must be active members, patrons or giant panda adopters at the time of booking and on the date of their experience.
Our community outreach teams will be working with wider organisations to help people overcome barriers to accessing nature and make sure as many communities as possible have a chance to say goodbye to the pandas before they leave.
After 12 incredible years, Yang Guang and Tian Tian left the zoo on Monday 4 December. Our charity's teams were here to say goodbye to the pair and wave them off as they headed to the airport. We'll be sure to let everyone know how their journey goes.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a wildlife conservation charity and every purchase helps to save wildlife and empower people in Scotland and around the world to protect, value and love nature. Find out more at rzss.org.uk/about.
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