Pandas recovering from illness

Jan 30 2012

The UK's only giant pandas have gone back on public display after a bout of illness.

The male, Yang Guang, was removed from public viewing earlier this month because he had colic.

Tian Tian, the female panda, was taken off show on Saturday with the same condition.

Edinburgh Zoo vet Romain Pizzi said Yang Guang is "recovering steadily" and Tian Tian is much better.

He said: "I am delighted to advise that both Tian Tian and Yang Guang are back on show. Tian Tian is much brighter after having been a little under the weather this weekend and both I and panda keeper Alison Maclean are happy with her.

"As previously advised, colic is not uncommon in giant pandas and is not a great cause for concern. Pandas have sensitive digestive systems and it is likely Tian Tian and Yang Guang are simply adapting to eating slightly different bamboo. All normal and to be expected."

Yang Guang, whose name means Sunshine, and Tian Tian (Sweetie) arrived in Edinburgh from the Ya'an reserve in Chengdu, China on December 4.

They went on show to zoo visitors for the first time on December 16 after acclimatising to their new surroundings away from the public glare.

Yang Guang started feeling ill less than a month after the pair went on display at their new home.

Iain Valentine, director of research and conservation at Edinburgh Zoo, said: "It would be incorrect to speculate that their recent bout of being under the weather would affect our pandas' chance of producing a cub. Also, the panda breeding season is dictated by light levels so, without getting too technical, we do not expect the breeding season to start here until daylight lengths start to increase around the mid-March to April time."