WITH their specially adapted plane, police escort, dedicated PR team and tailored diet – not to mention a yearly upkeep bill of around £800,000 – it's no wonder they've been dubbed "rock star animals".
And Edinburgh Zoo's giant pandas will today be one step closer to meeting their fans as they finally touch down in Scotland after five years of negotiations.
Tian Tian and Yang Guang – meaning "Sweetie" and "Sunshine" – are due to complete their 5000-mile journey from China around lunchtime today, when their FedEx plane (dubbed the "Panda Express") lands at Edinburgh Airport.
Though they won't be introduced to the paying public's gaze until December 16, the first snap of Britain's only giant pandas in their special perspex travelling crates as they are brought out onto the tarmac is likely to be as prized as that of a real rock star.
Reporters from China, Germany and France will be among press ready to meet them in what is expected be Scotland's biggest runway arrival since Elvis touched down at Prestwick.
On board will also be a vet and two animal handlers from the zoo and the Bifengxia Panda Base.
Hugh Roberts, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: "It will be a great welcome for them when the truck brings them from the airport. There are going to be children and spectators waving flags and banners, and a piper, so there will be a really nice sense of occasion about it."
The eight-year-old breeding pair will stay at the zoo for at least 10 years, with bosses paying £700,000 a year to China. Coupled with the £70,000-a-year cost of feeding them bamboo (most of it imported from Holland), plus the creation of a £250,000 enclosure, the total bill will near £8 million.
However, Edinburgh Zoo says it expects to attract at least a million extra visitors over the decade, and at £15.50 for an adult ticket and family tickets for between £33.70 and £57.60, it seems that the pandas will more than pay for themselves.
Roberts said 90% of the money given to China for the pandas will go to conservation and research.
He added: "Mostly [other zoos] have found in the first year that on average visitor numbers go up by 70%; in all our budgeting we have halved that figure."
And once they've settled in, as with all celebrity couples, the world will be waiting for the next instalment in the story: a baby.
Zoo bosses are hopeful that the pandas will breed. Tian Tian, the female of the pair, has successfully bred in the past with another panda; Yang Guang will be a first-time father if they manage to have cubs.
They will be the first giant pandas to live in the UK for 17 years and are already popular – 1500 tickets to see them were sold in 24 hours when their arrival date was announced.
However, animal welfare campaigners have criticised the move, suggesting it was not a credible way to save the giant panda.
Meanwhile, as the pandas made their way to Scotland, the First Minister was en route to China on a trade visit to strengthen business, cultural and government links.
Alex Salmond will lead a delegation in Beijing before travelling to Shandong, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. A Scottish food and drink strategy for Asia will also be launched during the First Minister's visit, with events to promote exports of Scottish produce.
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