The Latest Breaking News from Tian Tian

Three pandas were recently returned to China from Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington

The departure of Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji at the National Zoo means the only giant pandas left in the United States are at the Atlanta Zoo. The first live panda seen in the United States arrived at Brookfield Zoo in 1937.

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have been on loan to US from China for more than two decades and are being transported with their cub

EDINBURGH Zoo's giant pandas will return to China in December, it has been confirmed.

Yang Guang and Tian Tian were brought to Scotland in 2011 as part of an initial 10-year agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

Watch as keepers at the National Zoo in Washington DC present a birthday cake and other goodies to their giant panda, Mei Xiang, on her 25th birthday.

The facility will stage farewell events and experiences ahead of Yang Guang and Tian Tian’s departure.

The Chinese pandas arrived in December 2011 and have cost around £640,000 a year to rent - that is without the cost of food, veterinary care and their enclosures.

The giant pandas quickly became the star attraction of the zoo when they were first welcomed back in December 2011 - but they are likely to be split up soon.

The then eight-year-old Tian Tian (which translates as Sweetie) and her proposed mate Yang Guang (Sunshine) drew huge crowds when they arrived in Edinburgh

Several lucky winners will be gifted the once in a lifetime opportunity to get close and personal with one of the zoo's giant pandas before they depart the capital to return to China later in the year