Giant panda pair back to China from Britain

After concluding their tour in Britain, giant pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian arrived in the Sichuan Province in southwest China on Tuesday (Dec. 4) morning.

The pair touched down at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport at about 6:50 a.m., before being sent to the Bifengxia giant panda base in Ya'an for a month-long quarantine.

Yang Guang and Tian Tian, literally meaning Sunshine and Sweetie, arrived at Edinburgh Zoo in December 2011 on a 10-year loan, which was subsequently extended for an additional two years. As the sole pandas in Britain, they garnered significant attention, attracting a record number of visitors to the zoo.

They did not give birth to any cubs during their stay in Britain. There were several attempts to get Tian Tian pregnant but none of them were successful.

Edinburgh Zoo held training sessions prior to their departure in order to accustom the duo to their impending voyage. Additionally, new bamboo had been provided by the zoo for the pandas to eat throughout the flight.

According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Chinese pandas living in 23 institutions in 19 foreign countries are generally in good health condition, and international collaboration in this respect has been fruitful.