Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo News 2023

[Tim May]

I saw an exhibit for them at London Zoo's reptile house in 1996 but they were off show for breeding. It was one of the biggest tanks at the far end from where you go in.

I'm sorry but you're mistaken and must be getting marine iguanas confused with something else. London Zoo certainly never had marine iguanas in 1996.

Lord Moyne presented four marine iguanas (together with a Galapagos flightless cormorant) to London Zoo on 20th December 1932. Sadly the longest-lived of London Zoo’s marine iguanas survived for only one year and five months; it died on 27th May 1934.

 

[Alwaysevergreen]

I personally found it very interesting watching on the national news yesterday about the Pandas departing, 12 years to the day they arrived.

It got me thinking about how much an effect will this have on Edinburgh. I'm sure many people wont care for statistics or so on, but I can't help feel that Edinburgh will struggle to replace them.

Whilst there has been talk of the financial implications of housing Pandas and the rental fee of $1,000,000 a year (£790,000), it should be analysed just how much they actually cost the zoo.

Edinburgh Zoo costs around £25 to visit, and I would say, in the last 10-12 years, a significant reason to visit was the only Giant Pandas in the UK. Whilst Edinburgh is no doubt a city of culture, and tourism is always high, I wonder just how many people whilst on holiday up in Scotland, paid a visit to Edinburgh Zoo to see them.

If 100 people a day visit Edinburgh Zoo to see the Pandas, that means the Pandas generated income of circa £2,500 a day. When you take the zoo is open 364 days a year, this equates to £910,000, which more than covers the Pandas loan. People will argue cost of keeping them etc, but this stands with any animal, no animal is free to keep.

Now the 100 visitors a day may be miles out, but I take a view, that during the summer, there are at least 1000 visitors a day, and mainly tourists, and I am not talking hardcore zoo fanatics, but the general public.

I've looked back on my spreadsheets and noticed than from the time I started to be interested in Zoos and exotic animals back in 2014, I made the following visits to Edinburgh;

2014 - 2 (living in Lancashire)
2015 - 4 (living in Lancashire)
2016 - 9 (living in Lancashire)
2017 - 6 (living in Somerset)
2018 - 4 (Living in Somerset & Suffolk)
2019 - 2 (Living in Soffolk)
2022 - 5 (Living in Somerset)
2023 - 4 (Living in the West Midlands)

Only in 2019, 2022, and 2023 did I have annual membership and 3 of those visits were for experiences.

I can honestly say, the main reason for visiting in 2014-2018 was definitely the Pandas, and this year was again for the Pandas, and I suspect most people when asked what is the first thing they think of when you think of Edinburgh Zoo would have replied Giant Panda.

For me, what is now the draw of Edinburgh Zoo? For me, perhaps a Chinese Goral, but that's for a Zoo nerd and not a reason to visit multiple times a year.

In the early years and certainly over the last year, there was queues to see them, at one stage time slots. The public love a Panda, even if they are a money making machine for the Chinese authorities.

The next 12-18 months will see their old exhibit house Koalas, and Geladas (at separate times) as improvements are made on their own exhibits, with maybe a new species coming to the zoo in 2025/26. But what can Edinburgh do to keep the visitors.

Merchandise has been ever popular, experiences and tours sold out in minutes, and I fail to believe that the income generated because of Pandas didn't outweigh the outlay.

When I met Yang Guang in March, I asked the senior keeper if they had tried to keep them and she said that management did want to extend, but the Chinese authorities want all Pandas to come home to retire and pass away on Chinese soil. They also felt that the light cycles in Scotland were a huge reason as to why the Pandas never successfully bred, so it would appear, that even if RZSS saw them as viable to house, the Chinese didn't see Edinburgh as viable to hold them.

There had been talk when I was there, that Asiatic Black Bears could join, and was mentioned there was an urgent rescue of one needed, so this was being considered. Now, that bear seems to be on it's way to Five Sisters, so is it opportunity missed by Edinburgh? or would a Black Bear not really appeal to the public as a replacement to Pandas.

I like Edinburgh Zoo, except the hills! Getting older and podgy doesn't mix well with hills! But every time I go, it feels like a collection that is dwindling and I wonder what they can do to revamp it. I had heard talk of them looking to breed Indian Rhino, but surely this would need a new exhibit, as the current bachelor one is very small, and since Covid, things visitors enjoy like the Penguin Parade have been removed.

Like London, Edinburgh will still get it's tourism based visitors, but I can't help feel, that the loss of Pandas, is a loss of massive appeal. For me, I may visit once a year, as I like it there, but there isn't much now to draw me in, and I wonder if that's the same for most.

I guess for me, I was too young to remember Pandas at London, and for all my zoo visiting years, all I can remember is Giant Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, so for me it may feel stranger than most, but I personally don't see how them leaving is anything other than a big negative.

I've read how many people feel the Pandas were financially crippling and all this new money that would now be available to make changes and develop the zoo, but I would suggest, that there was a lot of money that came in through having the pandas that wont be there anymore.

Yesterday, at one point, the plane was being tracked by many thousands of people, this speaks volumes about what the Pandas meant to the general visitor.

For me, there is no bigger attraction to a zoo than an animal like a Panda. Now, to see one means a trip to Pairi Daiza or out to China for me.

For a normal visitor, they don't understand why they had to go back to China, get upset and disappointed about it, the same as they do when baby animals move on to new collections as part of breeding programmes. Very few zoos communicate these matters well on the whole and as a result, visitors get upset, they get attached to the animals they see. I was only at Chester last week, and a group of people were chatting to a volunteer, who said how next year, the Tiger Cubs would have to move on and this group of people were surprised, upset and were questioning why the zoo would do this. Obviously, not knowing about conservation and breeding programmes, so it is understandable that the general public will be more saddened by the loss of Pandas then most visitors who attend a lot of zoos.

I do find it sad, that the UK loses another iconic species, and I wonder if I'll see them again in the UK, in my lifetime.

 

[Cat-Man]

Chi Chi died in 1972 I think and the 1991 male panda was Bad Bao on loan from Berlin where he returned and died 20 plus years later. Not a criticism just thought this needed amending

I giant panda called ‘mao mao’ would be a bit on the nose, wouldn’t it

 

[GeeZee]

I personally found it very interesting watching on the national news yesterday about the Pandas departing, 12 years to the day they arrived.

It got me thinking about how much an effect will this have on Edinburgh. I'm sure many people wont care for statistics or so on, but I can't help feel that Edinburgh will struggle to replace them.

Whilst there has been talk of the financial implications of housing Pandas and the rental fee of $1,000,000 a year (£790,000), it should be analysed just how much they actually cost the zoo.

Edinburgh Zoo costs around £25 to visit, and I would say, in the last 10-12 years, a significant reason to visit was the only Giant Pandas in the UK. Whilst Edinburgh is no doubt a city of culture, and tourism is always high, I wonder just how many people whilst on holiday up in Scotland, paid a visit to Edinburgh Zoo to see them.

If 100 people a day visit Edinburgh Zoo to see the Pandas, that means the Pandas generated income of circa £2,500 a day. When you take the zoo is open 364 days a year, this equates to £910,000, which more than covers the Pandas loan. People will argue cost of keeping them etc, but this stands with any animal, no animal is free to keep.

Now the 100 visitors a day may be miles out, but I take a view, that during the summer, there are at least 1000 visitors a day, and mainly tourists, and I am not talking hardcore zoo fanatics, but the general public.

I've looked back on my spreadsheets and noticed than from the time I started to be interested in Zoos and exotic animals back in 2014, I made the following visits to Edinburgh;

2014 - 2 (living in Lancashire)
2015 - 4 (living in Lancashire)
2016 - 9 (living in Lancashire)
2017 - 6 (living in Somerset)
2018 - 4 (Living in Somerset & Suffolk)
2019 - 2 (Living in Soffolk)
2022 - 5 (Living in Somerset)
2023 - 4 (Living in the West Midlands)

Only in 2019, 2022, and 2023 did I have annual membership and 3 of those visits were for experiences.

I can honestly say, the main reason for visiting in 2014-2018 was definitely the Pandas, and this year was again for the Pandas, and I suspect most people when asked what is the first thing they think of when you think of Edinburgh Zoo would have replied Giant Panda.

For me, what is now the draw of Edinburgh Zoo? For me, perhaps a Chinese Goral, but that's for a Zoo nerd and not a reason to visit multiple times a year.

In the early years and certainly over the last year, there was queues to see them, at one stage time slots. The public love a Panda, even if they are a money making machine for the Chinese authorities.

The next 12-18 months will see their old exhibit house Koalas, and Geladas (at separate times) as improvements are made on their own exhibits, with maybe a new species coming to the zoo in 2025/26. But what can Edinburgh do to keep the visitors.

Merchandise has been ever popular, experiences and tours sold out in minutes, and I fail to believe that the income generated because of Pandas didn't outweigh the outlay.

When I met Yang Guang in March, I asked the senior keeper if they had tried to keep them and she said that management did want to extend, but the Chinese authorities want all Pandas to come home to retire and pass away on Chinese soil. They also felt that the light cycles in Scotland were a huge reason as to why the Pandas never successfully bred, so it would appear, that even if RZSS saw them as viable to house, the Chinese didn't see Edinburgh as viable to hold them.

There had been talk when I was there, that Asiatic Black Bears could join, and was mentioned there was an urgent rescue of one needed, so this was being considered. Now, that bear seems to be on it's way to Five Sisters, so is it opportunity missed by Edinburgh? or would a Black Bear not really appeal to the public as a replacement to Pandas.

I like Edinburgh Zoo, except the hills! Getting older and podgy doesn't mix well with hills! But every time I go, it feels like a collection that is dwindling and I wonder what they can do to revamp it. I had heard talk of them looking to breed Indian Rhino, but surely this would need a new exhibit, as the current bachelor one is very small, and since Covid, things visitors enjoy like the Penguin Parade have been removed.

Like London, Edinburgh will still get it's tourism based visitors, but I can't help feel, that the loss of Pandas, is a loss of massive appeal. For me, I may visit once a year, as I like it there, but there isn't much now to draw me in, and I wonder if that's the same for most.

I guess for me, I was too young to remember Pandas at London, and for all my zoo visiting years, all I can remember is Giant Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, so for me it may feel stranger than most, but I personally don't see how them leaving is anything other than a big negative.

I've read how many people feel the Pandas were financially crippling and all this new money that would now be available to make changes and develop the zoo, but I would suggest, that there was a lot of money that came in through having the pandas that wont be there anymore.

Yesterday, at one point, the plane was being tracked by many thousands of people, this speaks volumes about what the Pandas meant to the general visitor.

For me, there is no bigger attraction to a zoo than an animal like a Panda. Now, to see one means a trip to Pairi Daiza or out to China for me.

For a normal visitor, they don't understand why they had to go back to China, get upset and disappointed about it, the same as they do when baby animals move on to new collections as part of breeding programmes. Very few zoos communicate these matters well on the whole and as a result, visitors get upset, they get attached to the animals they see. I was only at Chester last week, and a group of people were chatting to a volunteer, who said how next year, the Tiger Cubs would have to move on and this group of people were surprised, upset and were questioning why the zoo would do this. Obviously, not knowing about conservation and breeding programmes, so it is understandable that the general public will be more saddened by the loss of Pandas then most visitors who attend a lot of zoos.

I do find it sad, that the UK loses another iconic species, and I wonder if I'll see them again in the UK, in my lifetime.

Thanks so much for this, this is a lot well put than many articles I have seen written about them! I completely agree with you and like you , I too would of been too young to remember Pandas at London so for me Edinburgh is the only place I have ever seen them.

Perhaps its just me, and I do appreciate the diversity of opinions but I am somewhat surprised that on these forums the Pandas sometimes bring mixed reactions. I do think the cost of the Pandas is nothing compared to what they could bring to a Zoo, as you rightly point out - its not just the financial benefits but the wider engagement, even people who dont particularly like Zoos have visited Edinburgh, solely to see the UK's only Giant Pandas, and I feel that sometimes they dont get enough credit for it.

Was it Alison you spoke to? I am encouraged to hear that the management had hoped to keep them, I do genuinely believe that (while they did to a large extent) they could of almost capitalised on the animals a bit more (only giving a few examples here) such as offering more panda themed events (the ones they had sold out within less than 2 hours) or featuring them more widely on TV (Inside the Zoo only ran for 2 seasons) and I feel they could of made a series sooner and more indepth, perhaps like Secret Life of the Zoo, Animal Park or Monkey Business/life.

Regardless that is by the by, but I go back to my earlier paragraph, your post is the most articulate I've seen on here.

 

[Alwaysevergreen]

Thanks so much for this, this is a lot well put than many articles I have seen written about them! I completely agree with you and like you , I too would of been too young to remember Pandas at London so for me Edinburgh is the only place I have ever seen them.

Perhaps its just me, and I do appreciate the diversity of opinions but I am somewhat surprised that on these forums the Pandas sometimes bring mixed reactions. I do think the cost of the Pandas is nothing compared to what they could bring to a Zoo, as you rightly point out - its not just the financial benefits but the wider engagement, even people who dont particularly like Zoos have visited Edinburgh, solely to see the UK's only Giant Pandas, and I feel that sometimes they dont get enough credit for it.

Was it Alison you spoke to? I am encouraged to hear that the management had hoped to keep them, I do genuinely believe that (while they did to a large extent) they could of almost capitalised on the animals a bit more (only giving a few examples here) such as offering more panda themed events (the ones they had sold out within less than 2 hours) or featuring them more widely on TV (Inside the Zoo only ran for 2 seasons) and I feel they could of made a series sooner and more indepth, perhaps like Secret Life of the Zoo, Animal Park or Monkey Business/life.

Regardless that is by the by, but I go back to my earlier paragraph, your post is the most articulate I've seen on here

Thank you for your kind comment @GeeZee . Yes it was Alison, who hosted the Panda Experience. I had people critique at the time, it was a waste of money or it was too expensive. For me, it wasn't. The experience was only meant to be 30 minutes, and I was with a gentleman who was a regular zoo visitor, who had paid thousands to volunteer out in China at a Panda centre and he visited the Pandas at Edinburgh weekly and was an adopter.
The passion from both he and Alison was great to be around, and I learned so much about Panda's that morning. We spent 15-20 minutes learning all about them and their diets, their husbandry and I could have listened to Alison all day. She showed us how they done healthcare training and then we met Yang Guang.
I was so surprised at how small he was. I expected a Panda to be bigger. He was so chilled and just sat munching away on his Bamboo.
We were told all about his dietary needs and then gave him some strips of carrot, told that this was used for training as is apple, but due to their digestive system, they could only eat very small amounts or it could make them ill.
After 10 minutes feeding him, he was let out into the on show indoor area, with the experience done in his off show bedroom and here is where we had sort of a Q&A with Alison. Normally she would spend 5 minutes, but we had that many questions, that the experience which was meant to be 9am to 9.35am and then off for breakfast, ended up going all the way until just after 10am, and she hadn't even opened up the public area for the Pandas. Alison told us all about his cancer, and the night of the operation to save him and how close they were to losing him and how they were on the phone to China throughout the whole process and it was like experiencing a whole documentary in front of your eyes.

I left that experience, so glad I had done it, not because I met and fed a Panda, but because of what I learned about them, and the two at Edinburgh in particular and also the passion that beamed from Alison and Kirsty, the keepers who done the experience. Also, it gave me an appreciation for Pandas which I had never had before.

Inadvertently, from that experience, I went from, not really too bothered about the Pandas leaving, to being absolutely gutted. I felt that, that the one hour I had with them and their team, was so informative, eye-opening and amazing, that I had a whole new appreciation for them and it was a case of, you don't appreciate whats there until it's gone.

I was a little sad yesterday. Like many others I tracked the flights, was glued to the news, and read every article several times.

I appreciate, it may not be an opinion shared by all, but for me, yesterday was a very sad day in the history of UK Zoos.

 

[GeeZee]

Thank you for your kind comment @GeeZee . Yes it was Alison, who hosted the Panda Experience. I had people critique at the time, it was a waste of money or it was too expensive. For me, it wasn't. The experience was only meant to be 30 minutes, and I was with a gentleman who was a regular zoo visitor, who had paid thousands to volunteer out in China at a Panda centre and he visited the Pandas at Edinburgh weekly and was an adopter.
The passion from both he and Alison was great to be around, and I learned so much about Panda's that morning. We spent 15-20 minutes learning all about them and their diets, their husbandry and I could have listened to Alison all day. She showed us how they done healthcare training and then we met Yang Guang.
I was so surprised at how small he was. I expected a Panda to be bigger. He was so chilled and just sat munching away on his Bamboo.
We were told all about his dietary needs and then gave him some strips of carrot, told that this was used for training as is apple, but due to their digestive system, they could only eat very small amounts or it could make them ill.
After 10 minutes feeding him, he was let out into the on show indoor area, with the experience done in his off show bedroom and here is where we had sort of a Q&A with Alison. Normally she would spend 5 minutes, but we had that many questions, that the experience which was meant to be 9am to 9.35am and then off for breakfast, ended up going all the way until just after 10am, and she hadn't even opened up the public area for the Pandas. Alison told us all about his cancer, and the night of the operation to save him and how close they were to losing him and how they were on the phone to China throughout the whole process and it was like experiencing a whole documentary in front of your eyes.

I left that experience, so glad I had done it, not because I met and fed a Panda, but because of what I learned about them, and the two at Edinburgh in particular and also the passion that beamed from Alison and Kirsty, the keepers who done the experience. Also, it gave me an appreciation for Pandas which I had never had before.

Inadvertently, from that experience, I went from, not really too bothered about the Pandas leaving, to being absolutely gutted. I felt that, that the one hour I had with them and their team, was so informative, eye-opening and amazing, that I had a whole new appreciation for them and it was a case of, you don't appreciate whats there until it's gone.

I was a little sad yesterday. Like many others I tracked the flights, was glued to the news, and read every article several times.

I appreciate, it may not be an opinion shared by all, but for me, yesterday was a very sad day in the history of UK Zoos.

Thanks for sharing your experience and I’m glad it had such a positive impact. I have been lucky enough to speak with Alison a number of times and Edinburgh Zoo is lucky to have such dedicated staff, I do feel they don’t get the praise that they deserve sometimes.

One time I visited on the day there was another panda magic moment and the person who I spoke to had come all the way from the south coast of England and she had won it in one of the Justgiving prize draws (from a single ticket!) and it was a very similar story to yours.

I was lucky enough to attend one of the Bamboo Brunches which was really great, it was nice to be at the zoo before it opened too and while I didn’t feed him unfortunately I did get to see Yang Guang eating a treat almost exclusively as the group was quite small and it was about 9.30am.

It’s stories like these that make pandas all the more special and unique.

 

[gentle lemur]

Edinburgh Zoo costs around £25 to visit, and I would say, in the last 10-12 years, a significant reason to visit was the only Giant Pandas in the UK. Whilst Edinburgh is no doubt a city of culture, and tourism is always high, I wonder just how many people whilst on holiday up in Scotland, paid a visit to Edinburgh Zoo to see them.
If 100 people a day visit Edinburgh Zoo to see the Pandas, that means the Pandas generated income of circa £2,500 a day. When you take the zoo is open 364 days a year, this equates to £910,000, which more than covers the Pandas loan. People will argue cost of keeping them etc, but this stands with any animal, no animal is free to keep.

I haven't quoted all the the other figures, but I have read the rest of the post. There are some other factors that are not mentioned which complicate the figures and muddy the waters a little, but ought to be considered. I expect that some people will have become members of the zoological society so that they could visit several times a year, which is probably a plus, but some of the nominal 100 will almost certainly be members of other zoos with reciprocal arrangements who will not have paid for entry. Then again pandas are expensive animals to feed, I seem to remember that their bamboo was initially flown in from the Netherlands (!) - although I hope that more local sources were eventually found. On the other hand, increased footfall will have increased catering income and I'm sure many thousands of cuddly panda toys found their way out of the zoo shop.
But it is noteworthy that no other British zoo has chosen to exhibit pandas, so their managers must have decided that the game of competing with Edinburgh was not worth candle.
Of course the whole situation would have changed if a panda cub had appeared . . .

 

[ZooNut23]

Has it really done Edinburgh much good in the long run? I'd argue the zoo and the collection as well as the number of stock have declined dramatically since the Pandas arrived. Now they've gone I can't see it carrying the same prestige it once had.

 

[GeeZee]

I haven't quoted all the the other figures, but I have read the rest of the post. There are some other factors that are not mentioned which complicate the figures and muddy the waters a little, but ought to be considered. I expect that some people will have become members of the zoological society so that they could visit several times a year, which is probably a plus, but some of the nominal 100 will almost certainly be members of other zoos with reciprocal arrangements who will not have paid for entry. Then again pandas are expensive animals to feed, I seem to remember that their bamboo was initially flown in from the Netherlands (!) - although I hope that more local sources were eventually found. On the other hand, increased footfall will have increased catering income and I'm sure many thousands of cuddly panda toys found their way out of the zoo shop.
But it is noteworthy that no other British zoo has chosen to exhibit pandas, so their managers must have decided that the game of competing with Edinburgh was not worth candle.
Of course the whole situation would have changed if a panda cub had appeared . . .

An interesting figure would be , before the pandas arrived in 2011 the membership was about 20,000, in the most recent RZSS report it is now double that at 40,000 which is quite phonomenal to be honest. When you visit several times a year like I do, membership is extremely good value.

I do believe that some bamboo is grown locally, and they recycle some of it for the zoo such as for toilet paper etc, if I recall.

 

[Crowthorne]

The panda webcam links are still visible, but clicking them automatically takes you to the Penguin camera. Was interesting to keep looking in on the empty enclosures yesterday, seeing some news items and interviews being filmed in Yang Guan's old house. Stayed up too to 'see' the plane landing on FlightRadar24, landed just before 11pm UK time; as the flight was both delayed at take-off and expected to be 12- to 13-hours duration, a 9-hour flight was surely a welcome bonus for all on board!

 

[GeeZee]

The panda webcam links are still visible, but clicking them automatically takes you to the Penguin camera. Was interesting to keep looking in on the empty enclosures yesterday, seeing some news items and interviews being filmed in Yang Guan's old house. Stayed up too to 'see' the plane landing on FlightRadar24, landed just before 11pm UK time; as the flight was both delayed at take-off and expected to be 12- to 13-hours duration, a 9-hour flight was surely a welcome bonus for all on board!

I thought that too, 9 hours was exceedingly quick!

 

[ZooTripper365]

I assumed they'd be playing highlights from the panda cam.

 

[Strathmorezoo]

I haven't quoted all the the other figures, but I have read the rest of the post. There are some other factors that are not mentioned which complicate the figures and muddy the waters a little, but ought to be considered. I expect that some people will have become members of the zoological society so that they could visit several times a year, which is probably a plus, but some of the nominal 100 will almost certainly be members of other zoos with reciprocal arrangements who will not have paid for entry. Then again pandas are expensive animals to feed, I seem to remember that their bamboo was initially flown in from the Netherlands (!) - although I hope that more local sources were eventually found. On the other hand, increased footfall will have increased catering income and I'm sure many thousands of cuddly panda toys found their way out of the zoo shop.
But it is noteworthy that no other British zoo has chosen to exhibit pandas, so their managers must have decided that the game of competing with Edinburgh was not worth candle.
Of course the whole situation would have changed if a panda cub had appeared . . .

If I remember correctly the bamboo that was fed to the London Zoo pandas in the early 1990s was harvested somewhere in Cornwall

 

[Cat-Man]

If I remember correctly the bamboo that was fed to the London Zoo pandas in the early 1990s was harvested somewhere in Cornwall

Yes, by a scout group. I believe a land owner responded to an open request from London zoo to provide bamboo for ChiChi, and he used the local scout group to harvest the bamboo, and it was sent up to London on the Sunday train. This continued for chia chia, ching ching and Ming Ming. Couldn’t imagine anything about that arrangement happening now!

 

[Strathmorezoo]

It's obviously been an upset for some members, and rightly so, but can you imagine the affect this situation has had on the zoo staff, particularly the ones closest to the pandas

 

[ZooTripper365]

Definitely not @Cat-Man ! Health and safety gone mad these days

 

[Strathmorezoo]

Chi Chi died in 1972 I think and the 1991 male panda was Bad Bao on loan from Berlin where he returned and died 20 plus years later. Not a criticism just thought this needed amending

Thanks for the subtle correction I have no idea where I got Mao Mao from, haha

 

[Crowthorne]

For anyone in the UK, a short little programme looking at the pandas in Edinburgh, but again no mention of Yang Guan's neutering which rarely seems to be mentioned, even though it saved his life

BBC iPlayer - The List - 10 Ups & Downs of the Panda Pair

 

[Scottish Wildcat]

Visited the day before the pandas left, thought it was surprisingly quiet, but then it was a weekday. I thought the vultures had moved out but from talk back in this thread they're still there? Did they move to the old eagle/lhoest's exhibit? It's the one part of the zoo I didn't really visit too!

 

[Pertinax]

Yes, by a scout group. I believe a land owner responded to an open request from London zoo to provide bamboo for ChiChi, and he used the local scout group to harvest the bamboo, and it was sent up to London on the Sunday train. This continued for chia chia, ching ching and Ming Ming. Couldn’t imagine anything about that arrangement happening now!

There is a pub in the village of Lanivet in Cornwall called(surprisingly) the Lanivet Inn. It has a Panda on the pub sign. This stems from 1937, when London Zoo acquired a group of (3) Pandas of which Ming became the most famous and a local landowner supplied London Zoo with bamboo from a local grove. This continued with the later pandas too. Easy to find a link.