The UK's only giant pandas have left Edinburgh Zoo after 12 years.
On Monday (December 4), Tian Tian and Yang Guang started their long journey back to China, where they will live in a sanctuary in Chengdu.
Also known as Sweetie and Sunshine, the rare animals have made a huge impact on Scotland. They have brought millions of visitors to see the species up close, and their black and white faces have become synonymous with Edinburgh Zoo.
Read more: Why the giant pandas are leaving Edinburgh Zoo
But it's not been a smooth road for the pandas. Hopes the pair would breed and help the future of their species did not come to fruition.
Meanwhile, the shy animals' captivity and the obsession around breeding has drawn criticism of exploitation from animal rights groups over the years, something the zoo has strongly denied.
As we say goodbye to Tian Tian and Yang Guang, let's look back on the giant pandas' time in Scotland.
When did the giant pandas arrive at Edinburgh Zoo?
The giant panda pair arrived in Edinburgh from China on December 4, 2011.
It was part of a 10-year agreement between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which was later extended by two years due to the Covid pandemic.
The deal was part of a process known unofficially as "panda diplomacy", where the Beijing Government previously gifted the animals to other nations between 1941 and 1984, but have since leased them.
Read more: The pandas at Edinburgh Zoo: Did we do the right thing?
It was hoped the arrangement would help overturn the fortunes of Edinburgh Zoo, which had been struggling with a decline in visitors and income at the time.
The loan arrangement took five years to negotiate, and it is understood Edinburgh Zoo agreed to pay a fee of $1 million (around £790,000) a year for the pair.
The pandas' arrival was met with enormous excitement and anticipation in Scotland, with the pair compared to rock stars.
It was the first time in 17 years since there had been a giant panda in a British zoo, after London Zoo's Ming Ming left in 1994.
Edinburgh Zoo made a huge fanfare about the new arrivals, with merchandise, banners and panda cuddly toys. They became the face of the zoo, with their English names Sunshine and Sweetie trademarked.
A former gorilla enclosure was transformed into separate forest-inspired dens for Yang Guang and Tian Tian at the estimated cost of around £250,000.
The zoo reportedly paid £70,000 a year to feed the pandas bamboo which was grown in the Netherlands.
Why didn't the giant pandas have a cub?
There was hope Tian Tian and Yang Guang would bring new panda life into the world, helping to preserve the species.
However, this was not to be, despite several attempts. The giant pandas arrived at Edinburgh Zoo both aged eight, having both had cubs previously with other partners.
It appeared the pair got along through their separate enclosures, which sparked hopes they might mate naturally.
However, female pandas have an extremely short fertility window of just 36 hours once a year.
Read more: Edinburgh pandas return home, but zoo has a lot of work to do
When Tian Tian's time came in April 2012, keepers opened a "love tunnel" gate between the two enclosures. The pair played, wrestled, and eventually tried to mate, but Tian Tian's tail got in the way.
In 2013, natural breeding was attempted again alongside artificial insemination of sperm samples taken from both Yang Guang and a German panda named Bao Bao, whose sperm was frozen before his death.
Tian Tian became pregnant from artificial insemination but sadly lost the baby. The same happened the following year.
Read more: Edinburgh Zoo pandas may have missed home too much to produce cub
Throughout the giant pandas' time at the zoo, there were eight unsuccessful attempts of artificial insemination, with the most recent taking place in 2021.
Meanwhile, Yang Guang was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2018, for which he was castrated.
Professor Simon Girling, head of veterinary services at RZSS, said: "It’s sad that Tian Tian hasn’t bred here, we would obviously really have liked her to have done so, but this is not unusual with giant pandas, they are difficult to breed, there is a reason why they’re endangered."
Did the giant pandas help Edinburgh Zoo?
Despite being unlucky in love, the giant pandas brought record-breaking visitor numbers and income to Edinburgh Zoo.
The number of visitors reportedly jumped by 51% following the arrival of Yang Guang and Tian Tian.
Edinbrgh Zoo had reported a £1.2 million deficit before the pandas arrived. However, the RZSS said its overall income rocketed from £5 million to £15 million in 2012.
That year, the charity reported at surplus of £2.4 million, and it recorded a similar surplus in 2013.
Criticism from animal rights groups
Not everyone was overjoyed with the giant pandas' stay at Edinburgh Zoo.
Animal rights charity PETA said the shy animals were treated as a commodity and "suffered" by being put on display.
Speaking to the Herald back in 2013, senior programme manager Yvonne Taylor said: "The zoo community’s exploitation of one of the world’s most 'aww'-inspiring animals has been a marketing bonanza.
"Since the launch of the 'rent-a-panda' programme in the 1970s, the public has been manipulated into believing that they must see this specific species.
Read more: Pandas are hapless victims of the zoo community's exploitation
"Zoos barter, beg and negotiate to display pandas and their babies, which bring in millions of paying visitors. The original intent of the programme – habitat preservation in China – has become an afterthought.
"Pandas are sensitive and shy animals which, if left alone, shun contact with humans. Their soulful eyes disguise the suffering they endure when they are carted around from zoo to zoo as profitable marketing tools."
Meanwhile, Edinburgh animal rights charity OneKind said it hoped to never see pandas in Scotland again, criticising captivity and the artificial insemination of Tian Tian.
Campaigner Eve Massie Bishop said: "There is no good reason to keep pandas captive in zoos. It is generally not possible to meet the needs of wild animals in a captive environment. It also cannot be said confining the pandas to enclosures, simply for people to look at them, is in the best interests of these animals.
“Conservation of species is used to defend the existence of zoos, but this often means ‘preservation' where the animal remains at a zoo for life. Conservation of species is most likely to succeed when carried out in the animals’ native habitat.
Read more: The giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo: Did we do the right thing?
“During her captivity at Edinburgh Zoo, female panda Tian Tian was also repeatedly subjected to invasive artificial insemination procedures in a bid for her to produce a panda cub for the zoo. Unlike a human mother who makes a choice to undergo these procedures, Tian Tian had no choice.
“Even if Tian Tian had produced cubs, these individuals would never have returned to the wild, nor strengthened the numbers of the wild population.”
Edinburgh Zoo response to animal rights criticism
The RZSS has defended Edinburgh Zoo's captivity of the giant pandas, arguing that conservation efforts have helped the animal move from endangered to threatened status in the wild.
The wildlife conservation charity also said the pandas helped millions of people "connect with nature" and made important research possible to preserve the future of the species.
RZSS CEO David Field said: "We have had many successes over the past twelve years in terms of technique exchanges, scientific research and public engagement - Yang Guang and Tian Tian have helped millions of people connect with nature.
"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 real benefit to international efforts to protect the species."
Read more: Edinburgh Zoo welcomes six Asian small-clawed otter pups
As well as being important for the international giant panda breeding programme, Mr Field said giving Tian Tian the opportunity to go through pregnancy provided her with a "vital opportunity" to express natural behaviours which he said is "fantastic" for her overall welfare.
The CEO said: "Our planet is facing a biodiversity crisis and it is vital that we expand our work to protect more endangered animals around the world."
The RZSS has pledged to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2030 and it plans to convert the giant panda habitat at the zoo to a new species in the future.
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