Giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang, who landed in Scotland Sunday, are the first to live in the United Kingdom in 17 years. They are also expected to be a big source of tourism in Edinburgh, the Daily Mail reported.
The eight-year-old pandas, whose names translate to Sweetie and Sunshine, were flown from the Chinese province of Sichuan to Scotland on a specially chartered FedEx flight dubbed the "Panda Express." They will live in the UK for 10 years in the hopes that they will breed, reports the Associated Press.
According to Reuters, the duo was welcomed at the Edinburgh zoo by approximately 450 people waving Chinese and Scottish flags. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will oversee the pandas' care while in the country.
"We are working now on getting them into a routine after their first night. But they are frolicking around in their new inside enclosure and it's so far, so good," a zoo spokesman told the Daily Mail.
Tian Tian and Yang Guang's new homes cost 275,000 pounds ($430,238) and were designed by animal psychologists. Each bear will have a climbing frame from which they can see one another. Or, they can meet in the so called "love tunnel."
According to the Daily Mail, Scottish Government and tourism officials hope the animals will boost the Scottish economy and grow visitor numbers. Zoo visitors are expected to grow by 70 percent in the pandas' first year -- even more if they produce a cub.
Last week the zoo's ticket website crashed due to the huge demand.
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