EDINBURGH Zoo is in advanced negotiations to bring a pair of giant pandas from China to Scotland, The Scotsman can reveal.
Senior officials recently returned from China, where they visited a giant panda conservation centre and signed a letter of intent, signalling an initial commitment to take the iconic creatures in spring 2009, to coincide with the zoo's centenary.
The zoo plans to house a breeding pair of pandas aged two or three, which it hopes will have cubs in Scotland. Edinburgh would join just a handful of zoos outside south-east Asia to have giant pandas, and would be the first in the UK to keep the animals since London Zoo returned its panda to China 14 years ago. A final agreement could be signed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown during the Beijing Olympics in August.
David Windmill, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, who travelled to China along with Iain Valentine, head of animals and conservation, said: "We have met many of those involved and I believe we stand a strong chance of bringing giant pandas to Edinburgh Zoo in 2009."
Mr Windmill, who met directors of China's panda conservation programme at the Wolong Research Centre in Sichuan Province, said: "They're serious, and so are we. We believe there is a good chance it will happen, but some things are outside our control. Many zoos have tried and failed to obtain these animals."
Giant pandas, which have been described as "probably the biggest crowd-pullers on earth", are sought by zoos worldwide.
Giant pandas are seen as far more than just another species in China – and huge political, diplomatic, cultural and conservation hurdles must be overcome before any deal is finalised.
There are still fewer than 2,000 giant pandas in the world – an estimated 1,800 in the wild and around 200 in captivity – despite recent successes in breeding programmes, and the zoo stresses that conservation work is crucial in securing the deal. In return for the lease of the animals, the RZSS will provide financial aid and scientific expertise to help the Chinese with conservation of the animals in the wild and in captivity.
The project also depends on negotiations at the highest political level. The initial agreement must be approved by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Forestries. Giant pandas are considered "on loan", remaining the property of the Chinese government, which regards them as an extension of its captive breeding programme.
The plan also needs the backing of Holyrood and Westminster. Mr Windmill said: "These aren't animals as far as the Chinese are concerned; they are diplomatic gifts which reflect a good relationship between China and another country. We need the support of the Scottish and UK governments to make this project happen.
"The signing of the letter of intent creates a framework in which the RZSS, the Chinese authorities and the UK and Scottish governments can negotiate a more detailed agreement. That will cover how much money we have to pay, what science we're going to be offering to the conservation of the giant panda, what sort of enclosure we will build – all these issues."
He described the giant panda project as a "significant financial commitment" on the part of the RZSS, the charity which runs Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park in Inverness-shire, and said a major fundraising campaign would be launched soon. The zoo estimates visitor figures of around 750,000 per year could increase to more than one million if the pandas come to Scotland.
Mr Windmill added: "Having giant pandas would put this organisation on a worldwide platform along with a small number of zoos, universities and research institutions participating in this major conservation programme.
"We will be able to explain the issues around the conservation of giant pandas and other Chinese animals and the research we are doing to a much wider audience because these animals will be very popular.
"This is not just an issue for Edinburgh or even Scotland, people will come from all over the UK to see them."
The giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species, due to the destruction of its habitat and food supply, and hunting for its fur.
China runs an extensive captive breeding programme, boosted by recent advances in artificial insemination methods.
Sex and the single bear at root of issueBREEDING giant pandas in captivity has been notoriously difficult, but experts believe they are making progress.
With the help of experts from San Diego Zoo in the US, scientists in China have "cracked" the thorny question of artificial insemination.
This year, Sichuan's Wolong Research Centre has 13 cubs, double the figure from last year, and 20 pregnant females.
Even in the wild, panda breeding is something of a mystery. Giant pandas are normally solitary animals, with the female coming into season for only a few days a year. Successful breeding depends on coming into contact with a compatible partner of the right age in that narrow window.
Females usually have three cubs in their lifetime. At birth, the cubs are tiny, weighing about 4oz, and need constant attention from the mother. The pandas' diet of bamboo means the mother's milk lacks nutrition and growth is slow.
Since the 1960s, zoos have been trying to breed pandas in captivity, but the animals have shown little inclination, with some zoos resorting to "panda porn" – showing them film of other pandas mating – to get the animals interested.
The situation is improving, with a cub born in Vienna last year and pandas at Wolong also becoming pregnant naturally.
China's conservation programme aims to build a captive population of around 300, a number seen as necessary for a viable population with genetic diversity. This would act as a reserve in case the wild popu-lation continues to fall.
PANDAS: DID YOU KNOW?• THE Chinese name for panda, Xiongmao – thought to be a Nepalese word – means "large bear cat".
• Pandas date back two to three million years. Ancient Chinese history and writings abound with mentions of the panda. They were kept by emperors and their hides were highly valued. They carried a mystique and were believed to ward off evil spirits and disasters.
• Giant pandas are the world's most endangered species and found only in China, mostly in the south-west Sichuan province. Some 32 wildlife reserves have been established in China to ensure remaining wild pandas have adequate space to live without human interference.
• Males are larger than females, weighing up to 250lb in the wild. Females rarely reach 220lb.
Scientists don't know why pandas are black and white, but some think that the bold colouring provides camouflage in their shade-dappled snowy and rocky surroundings.
• Giant pandas have large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo. Although many see them as "cute" animals, giant pandas can be as dangerous as other bears.
• A wild giant panda's diet is almost exclusively bamboo. In zoos, they eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a high-fibre biscuit, carrots, apples and sweet potatoes.
• Giant pandas can live up to 30 years in captivity.
• Contrary to popular belief, they do not reproduce particularly slowly and female pandas usually have three cubs.
• Wild pandas appear to show little interest in sex. More than 60 per cent of males in captivity show no sexual desire at all. Babies are tiny, weighing about 4oz at birth.
The full article contains 1259 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
