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Panda Travel / Edinburgh Travel / Animals / Scotland Travel / Zoos / Zoo Travel / Nature Travel / → All Tags

Why All Eyes are on Edinburgh Zoo's Frisky Panda Pals

Yang Guang limbers up

Maybe Edinburgh is that kinda town, because it wasn’t just Richard Branson getting frisky in Scotland last week; bumping Little Red’s arrival down the news agenda were the two pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, whose slow and steady journey to mating season has been vicariously lapped up by the British press.

Not because they’re creeps, see; but because a panda pregnancy will be a feat against all the odds—the female is in season for just 48 hours. Also, the couple have only known each other for just over a year, so although it’s not quite celebrity speed, it’s pretty quick. Last year, they tried to breed unsuccessfully. This year, we were told when we visited last week, Tian Tian has been calling to Yang Guang with “much more urgency,” making the scientists think they might just hit the jackpot.

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Volunteer Travel / China Travel / Panda Travel / Animals / Voluntourism / → All Tags

The Voluntourism Trip That'll Have You Hugging Pandas

If you can't get enough of San Diego Zoo's newly-named, 15-week-old giant panda cub Xiao Liwu, there is a voluntourism program that helps panda lovers like you make a real difference in these animals lives.

Pandas are cute, but they're also endangered as their Chinese habitats shrink and they are hunted by poachers. IFRE Volunteers Abroad, which has worked to make voluntourism more affordable and accessible for everyone, has partnered with the Ya’an Panda Conservation Center near the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China to allow volunteers to assist with their panda conservation efforts.

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