Edinburgh Zoo’s resident pandas will return to China after nearly a decade

Scotland’s two pandas will be returned to China this year after failing to produce any offspring because they “just don’t get along”.

David Field, executive director of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said female Tian Tian and male Yang Guang seemed a perfect match when they arrived from China in 2011.

Mr Field told the Telegraph the pandas had not been gelled in their new home at Edinburgh Zoo.

He said “maybe Tian Tian wouldn’t have swiped right” in reference to dating app Tinder.

The female Tian Tian, ​​also known as Sweetie, had given birth to twins before arriving in Scotland.

The male Yang Guang, also called Sunshine, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2018 and later neutered

The pandas, both 19 years old, will return to China later this year.

Numerous attempts have been made since 2013 to get the couple to mate – with keepers even resorting to artificial insemination.

Tian Tian, ​​also known as Sweetie, had fathered twins before arriving in Scotland.

Yang Guang, also known as Sunshine, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2018 and later spayed.

Mr Field told the newspaper: “It’s very disappointing. Panda babies are just beautiful. They’re exquisite, they’re adorable, they’re glorious.

Numerous attempts have been made since 2013 to get the couple to mate – with keepers even resorting to artificial insemination

“You are one of the most amazing ambassadors for people falling in love with nature again.

“But I think the biggest disappointment was for Tian Tian because that maternal cycle is really important to her as part of her natural behavioral repertoire — everything from all the hormonal cycles to nest building to rearing.”

He added: “Sometimes animals just don’t get along. Apparently, genetically they were a very good match, but if it had been Tinder, Tian Tian might not have swiped properly given the choice.

“They are highly symbolic, they are an icon for conservation and they make people smile with sheer devotion.”

The pandas were delivered to Scotland in 2011 as part of an initial ten-year agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

The RZSS announced in December 2021 that it had negotiated a two-year extension until the end of 2023, but officials now said the pandas could return to China as early as October.