Tian Tian, the only female panda in the UK, may be pregnant, Edinburgh Zoo officials said. Rob Mcdougall / FOR CHINA DAILY
UK
Tian Tian and Yang Guang, who moved to Britain in 2011, were the only two giant pandas in the UK. Their arrival brought a new impetus to the local economy in Scotland. The annual income of Edinburgh Zoo has risen from 5 million pounds ($6 million) to 15 million pounds ($18 million) since the pandas' arrival, with a 51% increase in visitors. The zoo even installed a panda cam for people to view the pandas' daily life through the internet.
One key issue that concerned most British during the Scotland Independence Referendum is who the two pandas would belong to. As a gift to the UK, they would be moved to England if Scotland became independent, which angered the Scottish, whose rallying cry was "Keep your hands off our pandas".
