Pandas

I'd ❤️ to.

No.

I am going to go in Feb for my sons 4th birthday (although it is not very far away for me to travel)

Yep!

I think a weekend trip to Edinburgh may well need to be on the cards next year.

I have a friend that works in the zoo and he posted this on the day they arrived. Very cute.

I heard they were being kept away from the public until they settled - any idea when they will be ready (can't find info on website)?

Would love to see them!

We're hoping to be in Edinburgh late Jan for a rugby match so might be able to combine the two.

The 16th os this month but you have to book a slot.

https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/

D'oh couldn't see that before.

Am unlikely to visit until spring next year so they should be more than ready by then

They are adorable! Edinburgh is a long way to go though.

Agree. But might be the only chance I get to see one!

ETA: actually, Edinburgh not *that* far from me, compared to you.

I don't like zoos so, no.

Don't know what it is, but there's something about caged lions/tigers* pacing up and down that makes me sad.

*Edit: Not just these animals.

They will be positively joyous at the prospect of our respective visits by then, I'm convinced!

By the time I visit at the end of the summer they may well be spelling out 'welcome' in bamboo.

Matey, they'll be playing a welcome tune on bamboo flutes!

In the wild, lions sleep for 80 % of their day and stand still for 10 % of it They pace before feeding sessions, like a dog jumping at your leg as you divvy out his food. I think it's very human to imagine that the pacing is frustration at being in captivity but there's little evidence to show it is - how could we know? Lions and tigers in captivity are better fed, have lower stress indicators (both behavioural and physiological) and live longer than their wild counterparts.

I'm not arguing that all animals should be captive, just that it's not always a bad thing. I guess the premise that you might be saving a species via a directed breeding programme is a strong argument for (hopefully temporary) captivity?

I now expect both.

If you ask Longleat they'll tell you that everyone complains that the lions look bored as they're alwasy lying down under a tree.

I'll not be rushing to Edinburgh just for the pandas, but if we're heading that way we'll work it in somehow.

I'd love to go anyway so H has promised we'll have a family road trip to Edinburgh at some point "soonishly".

I think it's because they *look* angry lol.

I suppose the bit that makes me sad is because I imagine how *I* would feel if I was whipped out of my home, taken to another country and bunged into a confined space, just for thousands of people every day to walk by and go "ooooh, look at her, isn't she pretty/ugly".

But then, I'm not an animal, so I imagine they don't have the same thoughts as me! lol.

Oh my god yes!!! I've been following this very closely for years and when they finally announced the date they were arriving I got very hot and flustered. I am trying to convince H that we should go for our wedding anniversary at the end of February. After all, it is cheaper than taking me to San Diego!

I am guessing that most of these animals were born into captivity so know no different.