No hi-vis please, our pandas are trying to mate!
IT has been seven long years for bosses at Edinburgh Zoo as they anxiously hoped for the patter of tiny paws.
But nothing has persuaded giant pandas Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yang Guang (Sunshine) to successfully breed since their arrival in 2011.
Now workers at the zoo have been asked not to wear hi-vis clothing amid concerns it might disturb the animals there – perhaps ruining their romantic mood.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which operates the zoo, said: ‘Animals can be sensitive to noise, vibrations and anything visual which may be out of the ordinary, such as hi-vis clothing.’
Interserve, the firm responsible for cleaning and waste services at the zoo since 2013, said its staff had stopped wearing hi-vis gear and adopted other measures to cut potential disturbance, including removing its diesel vehicles from the 82-acre site.
RZSS would not comment on which animals the measures were introduced to help. The zoo pays China £640,000 a year to keep the two pandas and spends a further £2million annually on their upkeep. They are due to be returned in 2021.
The panda breeding programme was suspended earlier this year after a failed attempt at natural breeding in 2012 and ‘invasive’ artificial insemination procedures each year since 2013.
The lack of a baby panda has resulted in a number of theories about the bears’ reluctance to mate, including noise from military jets flying over the zoo during a crucial moment in Tian Tian’s failed pregnancy last year, and the Scottish climate.
In February, the man in charge of the panda breeding programme left his post at the zoo. Iain Valentine quit as director of giant pandas shortly after it was announced the breeding programme was suspended.
Jeff Flanagan of Interserve said: ‘The zoo holds a special place in many people’s hearts and we’re pleased to be extending our partnership with RZSS to ensure it continues to delight and educate people.
‘Our teams work in partnership with the zoo to meet customers’ high expectations while respecting the needs of animal residents.’