Tartan fit for a panda in Scotland

January 24, 2012

A model poses wearing a tartan designed in the honour of the two giant panda's recently acquired by Edinburgh Zoo

Enlarge

A handout picture released by the The Royal Zoological Society Of Scotland shows a model posing wearing a tartan designed in the honour of the two giant panda's recently acquired by Edinburgh Zoo in front of an enclosure housing one of the panda's Tian Tian.

Two pandas gifted to Edinburgh zoo by China received the ultimate Scottish honour on Tuesday when a special tartan designed for them was unveiled.

Yang Guang and Tian Tian have already attracted thousands of visitors to the zoo since they arrived on December 4 under a deal agreed after five years of high-level political and diplomatic negotiations.

The tartan features black, white and grey to reflect the colour of the pandas' and three red lines to represent China,

It was unveiled to tie in with Chinese New Year on Monday and Burns Night on Wednesday, an important date for Scots.

Hugh Roberts, chief executive of Edinburgh , said he was delighted with the panda tartan, designed by local firm Kinloch Anderson.

"This significant and highly exciting project symbolically demonstrates the coming together of Scotland and China's heritage and culture -- making it the perfect way to commemorate the gift of two giant that China bestowed upon Scotland.

"Its unveiling on the overlap of two separate culturally significant days for both and Scotland feels very appropriate and auspicious timing."

The pandas, an eight-year-old breeding pair, are expected to stay in Edinburgh for at least a decade.

(c) 2012 AFP


Rank 2 /5 (1 vote)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Manufacturing genes to attack flu virus

An international research team has manufactured a new protein that can combat deadly flu epidemics.

Biology / Biotechnology

created 6 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history

(AP) -- Richard Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history. Not that the avowed atheist has any doubts himself.

Biology / Evolution

created May 26, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (20) | comments 89

More plant species responding to global warming than previously thought

(Phys.org) -- Far more wild plant species may be responding to global warming than previous large-scale estimates have suggested.

Biology / Ecology

created May 22, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (14) | comments 18 | with audio podcast

For monogamous sparrows, it doesn't pay to stray (but they do it anyway)

It's quite common for a female song sparrow to stray from her breeding partner and mate with the male next door, but a new study shows that sleeping around can be costly.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Thousands of shellfish found dead in Peru

Thousands of crustaceans were found dead off the coast of Lima following the mystery mass death of dolphins and pelicans, the Peruvian Navy said Friday.

Biology / Ecology

created May 26, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (7) | comments 7


Stunning image of smallest possible five-ringed structure

Scientists have created and imaged the smallest possible five-ringed structure – about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair – and you'll probably recognise its shape.

'Unzipped' carbon nanotubes could help energize fuel cells, batteries

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at ...

Change in developmental timing was crucial in the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds: study

At first glance, it's hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that ...

Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture

When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.

T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, study shows

By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement ...

Land and sea species differ in climate change response: study

(Phys.org) -- Marine and terrestrial species will likely differ in their responses to climate warming, new research by Simon Fraser University and Australia’s University of Tasmania has found.