Everything's black and white when it comes to the future of giant panda duo

For 12 years, the UK was home to giant pandas. But not anymore.

On Monday, the only pair in the country - Tian Tian and Yang Guang - left their home in Edinburgh Zoo and flew back to China. Workers at the zoo spent weeks preparing the animals for their journey, getting them used to spending time in crates that had been specially designed to transport them.

The pandas weren't flying alone. Senior animal keeper Michael Livingstone, who has taken care of them since they first arrived in Scotland, went along for the ride, looking after them during the long journey. He says Edinburgh Zoo won't be the same without the famous pair.

"It's sad for us that they're going back," he said. "It's always been one of these things that's just been in the future and then we're actually at the point where it's happening."

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Tian Tian and Yang Guang arrived in Edinburgh to great fanfare in 2011, touching down in a plane dubbed the 'FedEx Panda Express'. The zoo's owners paid China $1 million a year for the pandas. It proved to be a good investment. Within 12 months, the 'panda effect' pushed ticket sales up by 50 percent, as fans flocked to see the zoo's star attraction.

"Pandas are in storybooks when you're a kid," Livingstone said. "They're cuddly toys, they're such an iconic species for conservation. And they just get into the hearts of people, they have been so popular with visitors here. People come from all over the place, all over the world, to come and see them."

It was hoped the two pandas would mate and produce cubs. But after eight rounds of artificial insemination, the breeding program was shut down. "I think having panda cubs would have been an added bonus," Livingstone said. "It would have been amazing. But we can't take away from these two fantastic individuals that we have. They've been so great to look after."

The pandas were supposed to return home after 10 years but their stay was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tian Tian and Yang Guang spent most of November in quarantine and will be subject to a similar situation in China. After that, they'll be ready to start their new lives – and win over new fans – at an animal sanctuary in Chengdu.

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