Keeper ready and willing to be pandas’ sleeping partner

The head keeper at Edinburgh Zoo has admitted she may have to sleep in the enclosure with the new giant pandas in a bid to encourage them to breed.

Alison McLean said she will have a bed in the panda exhibit which she could be called upon to use in the short two-day window every year when the female, Tian Tian, is fertile.

It is hoped the pair will breed while in Scotland. However, if a cub is born while the pandas are resident at Edinburgh Zoo, it will ultimately belong to China.

Breeding in captivity is a key part of the panda conservation programme, which is centred in China, but has many partners around the world. It is thought there are only 1,600 pandas remaining in the wild.

“I’m going to need to get to know the pair like they are my own children,” she said. “The smallest signal could mean the female is in season or perhaps even pregnant.

“Although they’ve both bred before, our two pandas haven’t met yet, so I’m looking forward to introducing them when the time is right. The pandas will be our guide here and will tell us when they’re ready.”

She added: “It’s great that Tian Tian has proven herself a good mum, so we’re hopeful for the future. I even have a bed in the panda exhibit in case I’m needed to oversee things overnight.”

The two animals will usually be kept in separate enclosures, but at the time when Tian Tian is on heat, they will be allowed to spend time together. Once a female is pregnant, the male has little to do with her and has no role in bringing up the cubs.

Ms McLean said she would be in close contact with experts in China. “The conservational implications of this ten-year project are huge,” she said. “It’s all about co-operation and sharing during the time the giant pandas are with us. We’ll all be working as one big team to share information and knowledge.”