Pandas get to travel first-class from Scotland to China

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The chief executive of Edinburgh Zoo, where Yang Guang and Tian Tian had been residing, said the pair would have “first-class accommodation” on the 13-hour flight from Scotland. open image in gallery The pandas’ special crates were loaded onto a charter jet Dave Field, the zoo’s chief executive, described the crates as “first-class bedroom accommodation”, and said Yang Guang and Tian Tian would likely sleep for the majority of the journey. The crates were specially built for the animals by Rab Clark, Edinburgh Zoo’s blacksmith, and feature sliding padlock doors, urine trays and removable screens to ensure minders can monitor the animals during the flight. open image in gallery Yang Guang eats bamboo at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland The pair of pandas was initially loaned to Edinburgh Zoo as part of a 10-year agreement between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.