Exit from Edinburgh zoo may signal end to era of panda diplomacy
Beijing’s strained relations with the west are less easily mollified by loans of cuddly endangered bears
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Beijing’s strained relations with the west are less easily mollified by loans of cuddly endangered bears
It’s the end of an era – the panda diplomacy era. The return posting of our last giant pandas symbolises the death of China’s soft power in Britain.
They arrived like rock stars 12 years ago and their love life was the source of endless speculation.
Scotland’s only two pandas will bid a sad farewell to their zoo when they return to China after a 12-year stay. Visitors have watched male Tian Tian and female Yang Guang grow since their arrival at Edinburgh Zoo in 2011. The pair arrived after an agreement between the two countries, but the giant pandas failed to produce a cub during their time in the Scottish capital. “Everyone is pleased that they’re fit and healthy and that they’re going back to China in a really good condition. But at the same time, sad that after 12 years we shan’t be seeing them in Edinburgh anymore,” said ...
Yang Guang and Tian Tian have lived at the zoo since 2011.