Chinese panda enclosure fears see bill soar by £28k

THE cost of the new panda enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo has risen after Chinese officials ordered changes to the design, it emerged today.

Bosses at the zoo said modifications have had to be carried out to the panda kitchen, climbing frame, floor, and cages following an inspection by a Chinese delegation ahead of the arrival of Tian Tian and Yuang Guang. The work is set to see the cost of the 250,000 attraction increase by 28,000, although zoo bosses have moved quickly to dismiss rumours the bill could be even higher.

Changes to the enclosure were requested by a delegation from the Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Centre in China a few weeks ago.

The pandas are now set to arrive in Edinburgh by December with the project - which has been hit by planning delays - now said to be on track.

A final visit by the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) will take place in the autumn, and it is hoped that arrangements to hand over the bears will be made just weeks later.

Zoo chief executive Hugh Roberts told the Evening News: "We have altered the climbing frame to make it lower, the floor, which was soft, is now hard and three cages have been knocked into two. We expect this to cost 28,000.

"The Chinese premier has told us that the pandas will be here by the end of the year and the CWCA will visit in October."

The Evening News reported on Monday how that bullet-proof glass was being fitted to sections of the new enclosure.

The thick reinforced floor-to-ceiling glass will allow up to 600 spectators to view Tian Tian and Yuang Guang up close each hour.

As well as giving people the chance to get a detailed look at one of the world's most endearing species, the panda enclosure will provide a much needed boost to Edinburgh Zoo.

The attraction has been hit hard by declining visitor numbers, while income last year fell by 1.1 million and expenditure rose by 600,000.

The zoo has also been marred by a series of scandals uncovered by the Evening News, including the suspension of executives over false allegations of financial impropriety.

The animals are known as the "biggest crowd-pullers on earth", and the introduction of pandas to Adelaide Zoo in Australia saw visitor numbers soar by 70 per cent, while in Taipei zoo bosses recorded increases of half a million visitors, from 3.2m to 3.7m in 2009.