Final zoo inspection brings pandas closer

TWO pandas have moved a step closer to coming to Edinburgh after Chinese experts were invited to carry out a final inspection of their new home.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland formally invited the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association to visit Edinburgh Zoo this October to assess the facilities being created for the animals.

Breeding pair Tian Tian and Yang Guang are being brought to the UK under a historic agreement with China, but the zoo must have the association's approval before the Chinese government decides the date of the pandas' arrival.

A delegation from Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Centre in China visited the zoo in July to see the preparations being made for the pandas' move.