The Edinburgh Reporter January 2022

9
Bear with us
Giant pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian stay for another two years How to stick to
By OLIVIA THOMAS
THE GIANT pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, Yang
Guang and Tian Tian will stay for another two
years - but there will be no possibility of panda
cubs being born in Scotland.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
(RZSS) has announced a new deal with the
China Wildlife Conservation Association which
means that the pandas will only return to China
at the end of 2023.
The pandas arrived with much fanfare in
December 2011 but sadly there has not been
any pitter patter of not so tiny panda paws to
date. There have been many attempts at
breeding over the years without success.
David Field, RZSS chief executive, said, “We
are thrilled that Yang Guang and Tian Tian will
be staying at Edinburgh Zoo for two more years.
“Through co-operation with our partners in
China, we have had many successes over the
past ten years in terms of technique exchanges,
scientific research and public engagement.
“Yang Guang and Tian Tian have helped
millions of people connect with nature, so it is
fantastic that they will be with us a little longer
before we say goodbye, especially as the
pandemic has made it much harder for people
to visit them.
“We also hope that international travel
restrictions will ease over the next two years,
meaning our giant panda keepers will be able to
travel with Yang Guang and Tian Tian to China
and help them settle into their new homes. This
will be ideal as they both have strong bonds
with our panda team.”
The charity has confirmed that breeding will
not be attempted during the final two years of
the giant pandas being in Edinburgh.
“A cub would have generated even more
interest in giant pandas and given Tian Tian a
wonderful opportunity to be a mother again,
after she gave birth in China.” said Field.
“However, natural and artificial insemination
breeding attempts have not been successful and
now is the time to move on and just enjoy
having Yang Guang and Tian Tian with us for
two more years.
“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
Giant panda Yang Guang
real benefit to international efforts to protect
the species.”
Plans will be made to convert the giant panda
habitat at the zoo for a new species to arrive.
“We are facing a biodiversity crisis and it is
vital that we expand our work to protect more
endangered animals around the world,”
Field said.
“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.
“Many other animals still face the threat of
extinction and we are excited about working
with a new species at the zoo. We will decide on
the species over the next year, with a crucial
factor being how we can support conservation
in the wild.”
fitness goals
IT’S EASY TO talk yourself out of staying
fit, so here are a few tips from Mikey
Meechan, Gym Instructor at the Royal
Commonwealth Pool on how to keep to
your fitness goals.
Be realistic and don’t run before you
can walk – Build up gradually with bouts /
intervals of intensity and rest. Get a feel
from your first few sessions then gauge
what can be increased or maintained.
Initially, set yourself small goals like weekly
targets, then monthly goals. Sign up to an
event or a challenge with a realistic
training programme.
Do it for you. It is you who will get the
results and the health and mental benefits
of physical activity.
Variety is the spice of life - Take part in
different activities like swim, aerobics /
circuit class, Yoga / Pilates, weights class or
an indoor cycle class. This helps work
different muscles, and staves off boredom
caused from doing the same thing.
Save the date. Diary your exercise and
keep to it as you would other
appointments – make this your time.
Buddy up and make it social - Share the
experience with a friend, member of family
or colleague. This creates an accountability
to you as well as your training partner.
Exercising in groups can be more inspiring
and motivating as well as social.
Use an app, exercise tracker such as
MyZone or diary to monitor. Recording
what you have done can motivate you
especially when you see the improvements
in the number of repetitions, distance
travelled or how close you are to achieving
the World Health Organization’s guide for
physical activity (150mins of moderate
intensity or 75 mins of high intensity
per week).
Ask for help – Ask gym staff to help
you plan a programme, to support you
on a 1-1 basis.
Reward and review – When you
reach your initial goal, set yourself a new
challenge by reviewing your programme
with one of the helpful gym staff.
Change is good and will ensure you
still to your goals.
Win a day out with Ian Rankin and explore the city’s literary heritage
FOREVER EDINBURGH has
launched a new competition
offering a pair of literature
lovers a once-in-a-lifetime
prize – the chance to explore
Edinburgh’s literary heritage
accompanied by one of
the city’s famous writers,
Ian Rankin, OBE.
Packed with character,
Edinburgh’s towering spires,
atmospheric Old Town and
closes have inspired some of the
world’s best-loved writers, from
Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir
Walter Scott to Irvine Welsh,
Alexander McCall Smith and J.K.
Rowling. Edinburgh became the
world’s first UNESCO City of
Literature in 2004.
As part of The Story Never
Ends campaign run by Forever
Edinburgh, the competition will
see the winners walk in the
footsteps of Edinburgh’s
world-class writers and enjoy a
unique ‘author’s-eye view’ of the
city in the company of Ian
Rankin, creator of the acclaimed
Inspector Rebus novels.
Having toured the city’s
literary hotspots with the Rebus
author, the winner and their
plus one will then join him for a
refreshment in his favourite
watering hole, the Oxford Bar.
The pub, well-known to
Inspector Rebus fans, is located
in the city’s New Town, an area
that dates back 250 years.
Travel, accommodation and
meals are included in the prize.
Enter until 9 January www.
edinburgh.org/competition