Duke of Edinburgh visits future panda enclosure
Edinburgh Zoo welcomed a visit from His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh today (11 August 2011).
His Royal Highness mingled with visitors on a walkabout which took in the new panda enclosure under construction, the world’s biggest chimpanzee enclosure, the Budongo Trail, and the Sun Bears.
The Duke met some of the zoo staff creating the new panda enclosure and was fascinated to learn about all aspects of the Giant Panda Project – from the specialist elements included in the enclosure to make the bears feel at home, to the bamboo that forms 90 per cent of their diet. He also met representatives of the UK and Scottish Government and the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China – all of whom are working closely with RZSS and Edinburgh Zoo in formulating plans for Tian Tian and Yang Guang – the breeding pair which are being gifted by China to the UK – to arrive in Scotland later this year.
John Spence, President of RZSS, said: “The Duke of Edinburgh is obviously an animal lover and takes a keen interest in conservation, which is core to the work carried out by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. It was a pleasure to have the chance to showcase our work and our progress with the Giant Panda project and we hope very much he will come back to see the bears when they are settled into their new home.”
The giant pandas are expected to arrive at Edinburgh Zoo towards the end of this year.
Source: Edinburgh Zoo
