Pandas: Delicate creatures despite size

DESPITE their vast size, pandas are actually very delicate creatures. On the long plane journey from China to Edinburgh, experts monitored them closely for any sign of distress – as anxiety or slight physical discomfort can set them back for days.

During the trip, they were fed apples, carrots, panda cake and mineral water, as well as bamboo, but Tian Tian was still said to have been slightly traumatised by her journey – taking far longer to unload from her crate into the specially-built zoo enclosure than expected.

Their stomachs and digestive systems are particularly vulnerable. Weeks after their arrival in Scotland, first Yang Guang, then Tian Tian succumbed to colic – essentially a tummy upset – and were taken off public display for a time to allow them to recover.

Digestive ailments are among the most common illnesses suffered by pandas. Like in human babies and other mammals, colic is not an illness in itself, but a symptom of stomach discomfort caused by gas or a blockage.

The male giant panda at Paris zoo had a history of colic-related ailments for the last 16 years of his life, while other pandas living in captivity have also suffered from a wide range of serious stomach ailments, according to David Wildt in his book Giant Pandas: Biology, Veterinary Medicine and Management.