Analysis: I instantly knew what all the fuss was about

MY PANDA experience began in half darkness outside Edinburgh at 8:30am, waiting for the doors to open among panda obsessives who were up early for a day they had anticipated for months.

The idea that animals whose main activities are sleeping, eating,and scratching themselves could have such appeal to the 10,000 who pre-booked tickets seemed, at least at this moment, faintly absurd.

At 9am on the dot we were ushered into the zoo, and a scrum of photographers lugging giant pieces of equipment entered the viewing area for female Tian Tian – but she was nowhere to be seen.

As the cold began to grip my extremities, the eagerness of the figures I had seen outside seemed all the more ridiculous. Here was an empty enclosure scattered with rocks and bamboo, devoid of meaning without its resident.

Finally, she emerged and quickly began to pad her way towards us, feet slightly pointed in like a child, her smooth fur gleaming as she moved. It was only then that I understood why people travel hundreds of miles for the briefest glimpse of these animals.

One woman described them as graceful, but in fact their slight awkwardness and heavy gait is what made them so charming.

Tian Tian made circuits in her enclosure, stepping carefully over rocks and avoiding getting wet in her pool. She looked ahead at all times, either deliberately avoiding eye contact with the crowd (she is know for her shyness) or perhaps just very focused on her morning stroll.

The male, Yang Guang, was next. When we entered the male bear’s inner enclosure, where he was being kept for the day, the 196kg panda was sprawled over a raised platform, head hanging over the side, arms out, staring at the floor.

This alarming pose, which frankly made him look like he had recently expired, quickly changed to a more playful state as he rolled on to his back and stretched, revealing the soft fur of his belly.

Suddenly aware that he had guests, Yang Guang then stood up and peered out of his room through the glass screen that separated us from him. Being stared down by a panda – especially one of this heft – is unnerving.

Yang Guang acts like a typical human teenager, stomping, scratching and sleeping without much patience for the kind of proactive approach to waking up in the morning of his companion.

There is something inherently amusing about the way he moves across a space, quite carefree, in stark comparison to Tian Tian’s cautious steps.

Tian Tian and Yang Guang seemed well settled into their new homes, although pandas are known for their resilience and adaptability.

I, for one, am converted.