According the news paper reports this morning the pandads are due to arrive nrxt week... cannot find anything online to confirm this tho.
DECEMBER 4TH Parts of the press are suggesting a week today for the arrival of the pandas, therefore, if correct they will be on display for christmas. Pandas to arrive in a week - Environment - Scotsman.com
Good question, does anyone know if there has been any commercial sponsership for this very costly venture?
CONFIRMED - The full press statement can be found here - Visiting the Giant Pandas The essentials seem to be as follows - as expected, you have to pre-book tickets to see the pandas in pre-determined 10 minute slots. The booking has to be made prior to your visit and is free - however there seems to be no provision made for booking the slot without also purchasing entry to the zoo at the same time, so people with free reciprocal membership via places such as Chester will be required to pay full entry if they want to see the pandas.
I think ticketing the Pandas for the first while is a great idea. It means people will actually get a chance to see them rather than the same people just being stood at the front all day.
Ooh, dilemma -do I pay around £15 to see my first Giant Panda(s)? Also, do I get a refund if they don't come out or part-refund if they're inert? Slightly more seriously, I hope this encourages Edinburgh to publish a new zoo guide (obviously with a Giant Panda on cover). I'm sure they'll make some extra cash by doing so (especially with anticipated extra visitors) and it's close to embarassing that one of the UK's best collection, and a "national" zoo at that, doesn't have a recent guide book.
On their FB it says; Thanks for your message, members of other zoos that are eligible for free entry will have to purchase their tickets on the day. A percentage of the available ticket allocation for a given day will be available to walk-in visitors on a first come basis. Availability cannot be guaranteed. So from that I am taking that reciprocal members will not have to pay in, but will have to get Panda tickets on the day which can't be guaranteed. I've emailed the zoo for clarification though so that we know properly.
It's just been said on the news that the pair are a "diplomatic gift". According to this [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panda_diplomacy]this[/ame] they are both a gift and a loan which is an interesting concept.
Yep that is exactly what they meant - Members of other zoos that share a reciprocal arrangement with us will still be given free entry. There will be a percentage of tickets held back each day for those who cannot or do not wish to book online. Therefore it is advised that you turn up early on your chosen day to ensure the best possible chance to get panda viewing ticket
They need to update the map on their website too as it has long been out of date and shows baboons where the pandas will be. I think the ticketed viewing slots is a good idea, it's done that way at major museum exhibitions and seems to work well.
FedEx are to fly the pandas over for nothing (except the massive publicity attached to carrying 2 of the world's most enigmatic animals hmmmmm) FedEx Panda Express
Apparently the FedEx plane is going to have a huge panda wrap skin. It'll get FedEx in every paper and news bulletin in Scotland (if not the UK and further).
Actually, you can - you'd be surprised how many airliner liveries and military aircraft markings are actually decals rather than painted on.. Our viewing tickets are booked for the 17th (School/Work days mean we can't attend the previews)! I just hope the Zoo makes sure this scheme is well publicised or there are likely to be a lot of disappointed members of the general public turning up and not being able to see the pandas as all the slots for that day will have gone. I wonder how long the viewing time slot scheme will run?
A good idea for museums maybe, but with that nothing's going to change. Imagine having your ticket booked, you go to Edinburgh to see the pandas (making a long journey in some cases) and then the pandas are asleep in a back corner and practically invisible? It will work well to stem the flow to start with, but if I was up there especially to see them and I'd travelled a good few hundred miles to do so, I would like the option of going back and too if they're hidden away for the first ten minutes.
Exactly, they are living creatures not static museum pieces, the whole thing to me sounds like a right clart on, would it not be easier to have marshals at the panda house keeping the anticipated crowds moving?
