Behind The Photographs

The Joke Goes Like This

The joke goes something like: Name five famous Belgians – and of course no one can. It’s supposed to prove that Belgium is boring.

It’s not true – at least as far as Brussels is concerned. After spending a week there, we suspect that Belgium has just had bad PR – and that the Belgians don’t mind that at all. In fact we heard that they kind of like being overlooked so they can get on with the business of living.

Getting There

Brussels: the capital of Belgium. It’s on the same latitude as Brighton on the south coast of England, just a hop, skip, and a jump across the channel – or under the Channel via Eurostar, with a route that terminates at Gare du Midi in the middle of the city.

Of course from Edinburgh where we live, it was cheaper to fly – and we had lots of Avios airmiles to our credit, which made it even cheaper.

Brussels – Isn’t That Where The European Parliament Is?

Yes, the seat or permanent home of the European Union Parliament is in Brussels, but it wasn’t fixed until quite recently in the history of the European Union.

For years there was a provisional arrangement under which the Parliament was located in Strasbourg, while the European Commission (the executive body of the EU) and the Council (the heads of state of the member countries) had their seats in Brussels.

Then in 1985 the Parliament had a second chamber built in Brussels so it would be near the Commission and the Council.

1997 Treaty Of Amsterdam

That ‘temporary’ situation was regularised by the 1997 Treaty Of Amsterdam under which Brussels became the workaday home of the Parliament under an arrangement whereby the Parliament also kept its seat in Strasbourg and would hold twelve sessions a year there.

Apparently, there is still some ill feeling between certain of the member states about the location of the Parliament in Belgium.

For Brussels it means that there is an EU quarter with new glass, steel, and concrete buildings – stretching onwards and upwards for block after block.

The Grande Place

Lined all around with such fine buildings, the Grand Place or main square in Brussels doesn’t disappoint. It is crammed to the corners with gold-leaf covered buildings. Take away the tourists and the odd sign here and there, and we could be back in the heyday of Flemish ascendance.

Belgian Independence

Belgium has only been independent since 1830, when it seceded from the Netherlands. There’s a painting in the Royal Art Museum of the moment of revolution in July 1830.

The painting shows a skirmish in the park opposite the museum when crowd in the street, protesting unfair representation in the Netherlands parliament, met with the well-to-do who were leaving the opera.

The theme of the opera performance was the overthrow of a regime, so everyone was in similar mood.

The Netherlands took the kind course of granting the Belgians’ wish to secede and the secession passed peacefully enough with a guiding hand from the French.

Historically, it was out of this mix that Belgium gained its status as a neutral country, the invasion of which by Germany was the match that lit the fuse that brought Britain into the First World War.

Musee Royaux Des Beaux-Arts

The rooms of the Musee Royaux Des Beaux-Arts (Royal Art Museum) that house modern art are closed for renovations (due to reopen next year).

The earlier art that is on show is wonderful, with several Breugels, Bosch, and at least one Rembrandt.

The outside of the building has seen better days, and the fact that it isn’t in tip-top condition may say something about how much money there is (or isn’t) floating around in the public coffers.

We did hear that a lot of money comes into Brussels because of the European Union having its institutions here. But for a capital city the state of its pavements (sidewalks) is pretty bad, with small up-tipped paving stones everywhere. (Not that we’re grumbling or grouchy or anything…)

The Comic Strip Center

The photo below is of the foyer of the Comic Strip Center, which is located in the former Waucquez Warehouse, an Art Nouveau building designed by the architect Victor Horta (1906).

Typical of Horta’s style, the structural elements are left on show rather than being hidden behind decoration. In fact, the decoration is purposely made to seem like decoration.

You can see this in the closeup in the second photo below, with the comparison between the stubby square sections of raw steel above the ‘classical Greek’ decoration that sits in ‘mid air’ partway up the columns.

Boule & Bill

A red Citroen 2CV features in the comic strip Boule & Bill. It’s the invention of the artist Jean Roba, who died in 2006 and who has a small room in the Comic Strip Center dedicated to his work.

The car in the foyer of the museum was given to Roba when he published his 1000th Boule & Bill cartoon, and it has been signed and dedicated with sketches by many popular and pioneer artists who were friends with Roba.

The staff at the museum explained all this when they kindly emailed this page from the cartoon strip to us.

A Load Of Waffles

And now to the most important part of Belgian culture, outranking even Belgian chocolate (which is world famous): Namely waffles.

You will find waffles in any small food shop, in little kiosks, and you will definitely find them in the screaming yellow vans strategically located in busy squares around the city.

Doused in chocolate, covered in cream, or just plain – take your pick.

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, delicious.

Trams

We took a tram ride to a meeting one evening – on #92 out to the terminus stop at Fort Jaco. When we finished our meeting, we got back on the tram and waited.

The driver came on board and before settling into his seat to begin the journey, he started to pour sand into little metal boxes at strategic points along the inside of the tram.

We asked him what he was doing and he said it was for the brakes. How interesting. How seemingly old fashioned. We guess the dribble of sand helps to make contact between the metal wheels and the metal tramlines.

Trams are a big feature in Brussels. They glide along while people dodge across the tramlines in front of them.

People have also made a speciality of deciding at the last moment that a different tram is the one for them – and they sprint to another stop to catch an approaching tram.

It was quite disconcerting the first time we saw it, with people suddenly running away from the tram stop at which we were standing.

One a more decorative note, even when the trams are nowhere is sight there is a tracery of overhead tram wires to set off the scene.

A Final Word On The Grand Place

The Grand Place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and here is a photo of one of the buildings that flank it. It is the town hall, started in 1402 and completed in 1410.

It was here that the provisional government met in 1830 to set the seal on the secession from the Netherlands and the founding of the country of Belgium.

Look out for Part II of this look at Brussels, when we will give the lowdown on the Horta House – the wonderfully intact and renovated Art Nouveau house that Victor Horta designed.

Living In Edinburgh

We came to live in Edinburgh about eighteen months ago, and like anyone newly arrived in a place, we notice things that are different to where we have lived before.

Here are a few of the things Tamara and I have noticed.

The Long, Long Streets In The Centre Of The City

Edinburgh is split in two by the valley that separates the Old Town from the New Town.

Here is a view looking from Princes Street in the New Town, across the valley to Edinburgh Castle that sits high on the hill at the top end of the Royal Mile in the Old Town.

The castle is the destination for thousands of tourists and it is where the annual Edinburgh Tattoo takes place each summer.

The castle looks attractive seen from across the valley, but what it means is that the main shopping area on this side of the valley runs in a very long strip along the north bank of this gouge in the landscape.

And when I am standing at one end of Princes Street (named after George III’s sons), I keep noticing just how long the street is.

I will be standing at one end of and realise that the shop I want to go to is way, way, down the other end of the street.

Do it once and it’s OK. Do it for the fiftieth time and it starts to wear. Thankfully, there are buses that run along Princes Street.

I kept my thoughts on the subject to myself until quite recently when it came out in conversation with a native-born Edinburgher.

That’s when I learned that this sinking of the spirits at the thought of yet again walking the length of the street is not one that only newly-arrived people feel. 😉

Independent Shops Means Variety

Once you get away from the centre of the city, there are lots of independently run shops.

It’s very noticeable compared to the cities and towns of England, where national chains have taken over every spot. Seeing the same names in every high street in every small town is depressing – like being caught in an episode of The Prisoner.

So seeing variety in Edinburgh is a real treat.

Off the top of my head I can think of several independent coffee shops, a shop selling specialist teas, independent pharmacists, bookshops, craft shops, art shops, card shops, boutiques, ironmongers…

[For our American readers – an ironmonger sells household goods.]

And the coffee shops have made a proud art of coffee making. Here in Edinburgh, I have drunk the best coffee I have ever drunk. Artisan Coffee in Bruntsfield stands out, as does Blackwood Coffee in Morningside.

When I enthusiastically tell local people how wonderful it is to see so many independent shops, they look at me sadly and shake their heads. They explain that I am seeing the death of independent shops and that the city centre itself used to be full of independent shops not that long ago.

Oh! I hadn’t realised that it is such a time of transition for Edinburgh.

And when I look in the windows of so many shops, I can see shopkeepers sitting or standing in shops empty of people. The recession has hit Edinburgh just like it has hit everywhere else.

The man in the art shop told me that they will be able to ride out the recession, but he knows of many other small businesses that are going to the wall.

I like independent shops – I like to see things that surprise me. I like to see an independent-thinking buyer’s hand at work – seeing things that he or she has sourced that are not just like one can see everywhere else.

A Word About Books

Waterstones is now the only major book retailer on the high streets of any town in the UK. There are two Waterstones branches in the centre of Edinburgh, but oh it would be good if another bookseller could enter the market.

Maybe local Amazon bookshops? (Wash my mouth out with soap and water.)

There is The Edinburgh Bookshop an independent bookshop in Brunstfield in the south of Edinburgh – one that the writer Alexander McCall Smith called the best independent bookshop in Edinburgh.

And there is a veritable treasure house of second-hand bookshops on Westport, a street close to the centre of Edinburgh.

Acres Of White Hair

I keep noticing acres of white hair. I notice it on the bus and in cafes – anywhere there is a minor concentration of middle-aged people. I have never seen so many grey and white-haired men and women anywhere.

Is there a genetic predisposition to white hair among the people of Scotland?

If it were just the women, I would say that perhaps they simply don’t dye their hair here. But it’s the men too, and surely men south of the border in England don’t dye their hair, do they?

I wonder why middle-aged women here don’t dye their hair like women do elsewhere?

The women often wear their hair cut quite short. Not stylishly so like in Paris – just short in a no-nonsense style.

Scottish DNA – Faces And Bodies

There is a preponderance of people with little turned-up Scandinavian noses and squarish faces. And there are some very tall women with big frames. Not fat, just big. I’m over six feet tall, and I am sure some of the women are near my height.

Perhaps there is a race of Nordic Amazons in the population.

People Talk

It is easy to strike up a conversation with people. And they listen – and they are interested. And they are not in a mad rush to get on with too-busy lives.

Take a look in any restaurant or cafe and you will see people eating together as a group – perhaps 10 or so people at one table – and all talking together.

It great to see.

And there is often a busy chatter on the buses – except when the weather is miserable.

When the weather is bad, everyone looks ahead, just putting up with things. But that’s OK too.

Dogs And Cats

There are people with dogs everywhere and there are lots of different breeds of dogs – many quite exotic. Of course, there are lots of Westies (West Highland terriers).

Very few cats.

Beggars

There are a lot of beggars on the street. Or is it that the police do not move them on as they do in the towns and cities of England?

There has been something in the newspapers recently about beggars in the city centre, but until yesterday, I hadn’t the heart to read about it.

It turns out the Essential Edinburgh, a company that promotes tourism for the city of Edinburgh, has asked the Council to pass a bylaw prohibiting beggars from begging in the city centre.

I asked a beggar about the situation and he told me that there is a King’s charter entitling beggars to beg in Edinburgh and that is why they are there and cannot be moved on.

He said that Essential Edinburgh estimated that there are 30 beggars in the city centre, but that he thought there were perhaps more than that.

He also said that Essential Edinburgh wanted the Council to offer jobs to the beggars in an attempt to get them off the streets – but in the current economic climate that is a political hot potato.

What council wants to be accused of offering jobs to beggars when the unemployment figures are so high?

We talked about the attitude of people in Edinburgh and he said that people were mostly fine. He said he had been in London for a while, and it was the loneliest place he had ever been.

He said he loved London for its buzz, but he would much rather be in Edinburgh. I asked, ‘Even with the winter weather?’ – and he said yes, even with the weather.

Winter in Edinburgh must be tough for anyone sleeping rough. It gets very, very cold.

Wee, Zeros, And Double Letters

People do say ‘wee’ when they mean ‘small’ or ‘short’ – as in ‘Stay a wee while’ and ‘The doctor will be a wee minute.’

Unlike in England, people use ‘zero’ rather than ‘oh’ when saying telephone numbers.

And also, unlike in England people say letters singly. They say, for example, n, n, rather than double n

I Have A Problem With ‘No Problem’

When I make a mistake, I say sorry.

When someone else makes a mistake and I point it out to them, I don’t think it is appropriate for them to say ‘No problem.’

It happens all the time. Maybe someone hands me the wrong item, or the soup is stone cold, or whatever it is… and they say ‘No problem.’ Huh?

‘No Problem’ is reserved for helping someone out, for assisting with someone else’s predicament. It is not for acknowledging that one needs to correct one’s own mistake.

I don’t think people are being rude when they say it. Rather, I think they simply are not conscious of what it implies.

But still… Grr!

Birds In The City

There are lots of birds in the city. I have seen countless dunnocks (hedge sparrows) and I’ve even seen a tree creeper climbing a wall in the city.

Five Pence Pieces

There are lots of five-pence pieces in circulation – quite unlike England. Considering that England is just down the road, so to speak, I wonder why there are so many here?

The Spoken Word

About words, here is one tidbit that I heard – people from Glasgow speak the fastest and use the greatest number of words per minute of all the dialects and regions in the UK.

The Edinburgh accent is attractive – but occasionally I hear an accent that I think comes from the islands of the coast of Scotland. It has the most delightful lilt and tone – it immediately makes me think of days gone by.

Bagpipes And Kilts

Yes, there are quite a lot of men wearing kilts and yes, there are bagpipe players on the streets. It is also common to see bagpipe players accompanying the wedding party at weddings in Edinburgh.

A few weeks ago, I saw groups of men wearing thick wool kilts. I asked one whether there was something going on. Yes, he said – Scotland were playing Ireland at Murrayfield.

I instantly had an image of rows of Scottish supporters at the match, turning their backs on the Irish supporters and ‘doing a Braveheart.’

Ediburgh Zoo

Did I mention that Edinburgh has a zoo? It’s a first-rate zoo as well.

We recently wrote about Giant Pandas At Edinburgh Zoo.

And it’s in the city itself; not miles away outside the city. In fact, it’s just a short bus ride from the city centre.

If you are interested in animals, then Edinburgh Zoo should definitely be on your list of places to visit.

Did I Mention The Weather

When it is overcast, it is miserable – and the bad weather goes on and on and on and on and on.

So it is a relief to be able to write that since the early days of April the sun has been shining and spring has arrived.

Actually, it has come and gone and come again like a phantom – one day of sun followed by days of overcast gloom, followed by…. Sun!!!

Because we are so far north, one thing that is very noticeable is the dramatic increase in the hours of daylight as spring draws on. From the short days of winter, the early evening stretches on and on now, and it’s a great treat for the soul.

[The famous/infamous Edinburgh Haar that sits on the face like a mist of fresh dew is worth reading about.]

Can’t Wrap Things Up Without A final Shot Of A Bagpiper

FedEx Panda Express Delivers The Goods

When a male and female Giant Panda arrived at the Edinburgh Zoo here in the city about 15 months ago via their specially chartered “FedEx Panda Express” flight after their nine-hour journey from China there was much fanfare as crowds gathered in the capital to welcome the pair.

After five years of negotiation with the Chinese government involving the China Wildlife Conservation Association (an organization that has been dedicated to giant panda conservation since 1983), the pair arrived from their home at the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Centre in China’s Sichuan Province.

Artwork And A Swanky New Home

On loan to the zoo for 10 years, the bears were accompanied by artwork and messages created by more than 1,000 Chinese children which wished them best of luck in their new home.

And what a new home they have: Consisting of two separate enclosures, the pandas’ new habitat cost a not-too-shabby £250,000.

Seeing ‘Ailuropoda melanoleuca’ At Last

So although my husband David and I are members of the zoo and we visit there regularly, the crowds were off-putting when the pair first arrived and so we had forgotten about the “Ailuropoda melanoleuca” (as their species in known in Latin) twosome.

However last week when the sun miraculously shone here in Edinburgh and the zoo was quiet save for some visiting school classes, we enthusiastically got our tickets to see the pair.

Sweetie and Sunshine

As we learned from the zoo employee who led our tour when we saw the pair, the female was born in August 2003 and she’s named ‘Tian Tian’ in Chinese.

This means ‘Sweetie’ in English, and she is characterized by her trainers as being mischievous by nature and quite the fussy lady when it comes to bamboo.

Tian Tian’s male companion Yang Guang, is only 10 days younger than she is. His name means ‘Sunshine’ in English, and his keepers describe him as even-tempered and gentle.

Some Facts And A Myth

And now to my Q&As to reveal some facts (and one myth) about the world of these gentle giants in general, and about Tian Tian and Yang Guang at the Edinburgh Zoo in particular.

Living Fossils
Q: Just how long has the giant panda been in existence?
A: Based on fossils that have been found, scientists have concluded that giant pandas have existed since the Pleistocene age approximately 3 million years ago – which is why they are referred to as a “living fossil”.

Ancient Folklore
Q: What is the ancient Chinese story that explains how the giant pandas got their distinctive markings?
A: There are several myths about this, and here is a recap of one of them featured on Animal Diversity Web: A young girl who was friendly with these bears died. The pandas felt great sorrow over her death, and so they wore black armbands as a sign of respect. At her funeral, they wept and wept, rubbing their eyes with their arms as their tears ran. The dye from the armbands flowed into their eyes, creating black splodges all around them.

Then the bears hugged one another, the black dye stained their ears, shoulders, hind legs and rumps with this same black color, resulting in the pattern of their black and white coloring that we see to this day.

The Modern Take On Those Blackened Eyes
Q: According to scientists these days, why do pandas have black, ringed patches of fur around their eyes?
A: Modern-day thought is that lucky giant pandas have built-in sunglasses: Those blacked patches encircling their eyes protect their eyes from the sun. (Pretty nifty, eh??).

Natural Habitat In Ancient Asia And China Today
Q: In the wild, where do giant pandas live?
A: Although they once roamed over a wide portion of Asia, they are found now only in a small area in southwestern China in the mountain forests of the central Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu.

Q: Did they ever live anywhere else?
A. During China’s Han dynasty (206 BC – 24 AD), these gentle creatures that were thought to have mystical powers graced the gardens of the emperors. In later centuries they also lived in lowland areas of China too. However in more modern times, due to forest clearings, increased farming, and other developments, now they only live in the mountains.

Q: What sort of forests do giant pandas live in today?
A: Broadleaf and coniferous forests that have a dense layer of bamboo vegetation.

Q: What sort of elevation and general weather conditions are we talking about?
A: The elevation is between 5,000 to 10,000 feet, (1,500 to 3,000 metres) and the temperature runs from cool to cold. These mountainous areas are generally covered in heavy clouds almost all of the time due to the dense mist and heavy rains and snow with about 30 to 40 inches (75 to 100 cm) falling yearly.

Size
Q: How big are giant pandas?
A: They’re about the size of an American black bear, standing between two and three feet tall at the shoulder (on all four legs), and they are four to six feet (1.2 to 1.8m) tall when they are standing on their hind legs.

The males are larger than the females, weighing up to 250 pounds (114kg). Females sometimes reach 220 pounds (100kg).

Diet
Q: What do they eat?
A: Different types of bamboo make up 99% of their diet.

According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC, the balance of a giant panda’s diet consists of other grasses and occasional small rodents or musk deer fawns. The National Zoo further explains that in captivity in zoos, giant pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.

About That Bamboo
Q: About how much bamboo does a giant panda eat every day?
A: They eat about 37 pounds (17kg) of bamboo stems per day, or about 22-31 pounds (10-14kg) of bamboo leaves, or about 88 pounds (40kg) of bamboo shoots.

Q: Since the nutritional level of bamboo is low, why have giant pandas evolved to depend so much on it?
A: Although bamboo is not great in the nutrition department, what is great about it is that it’s green all year ’round and easy to get in the bamboo forests in the giant pandas’ native environment. Importantly, there are fewer food competitors in the bamboo forests than elsewhere. So despite some of its nutritional deficiencies, bamboo does provide a stable and abundant food supply at any time of the year.

Q: It’s wonderful that bamboo is a stable and abundant food supply, but ultimately how do giant pandas get enough nutrition from it for 99% of their diet?
A: According to the Edinburgh Zoo, giant pandas use the following strategies regarding their intake of bamboo to meet their dietary needs: They eat bamboo in huge amounts, and they select the best variety and plant part according to season. For example, when available they take tender parts of the bamboo that have more nutrition and less fiber.

Q: How do giant pandas manage to eat enough to keep up their bulk?
A: They spend most of their day foraging and eating, that’s how they do it. The exact number of hours varies depending on which authority is talking about the subject, but the range is from 10 to 16 hours per day.

Q: From where do giant pandas get the water that they need?
A: Bamboo is a grass whose contents is about 50% water, so in the wild they get most of the water that they need from this grass. In fact, new bamboo shoots are about 90 percent water.

Still, they need more water than what bamboo alone provides. So almost every day in the wild in China, these animals drink fresh water from rivers and streams fed by melting snowfall in high mountain peaks. As noted already in this article, the temperate forests of central China where giant pandas live have about 30 to 40 inches (75 to 100cm) of rain and snow a year.

In captivity, zookeepers provide water for these residents.

Q: Getting back to that bamboo – how does Edinburgh Zoo keep up with all the bamboo that Tian Tian and Yang Guang eat daily?
A: According to Edinburgh Zoo’s website post in November 2011, the pair’s menu includes just a bit under a whopping 20 tons (18,000 kgs) of bamboo per year composed of 25 different varieties. The article stated that one of Europe’s leading horticulture specialist firms, Reiner Winkendick, would provide 85% of the animals’ bamboo requirements for the first three years that the pair are in Edinburgh. Winkendick’s supply is grown in bamboo plantations at a nursery on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

The other 15% has been set to grow at special sites around Edinburgh Zoo itself, and in about 1 3/4 years at the end of the initial three years that the animals are in Edinburgh, the zoo’s home grown supply will be slowly increased.

The pandas’ specific dietary requirements have been challenging for gardening experts at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

Simon Jones, Gardens Manager, fleshed out just what this horticultural challenge entails:

“Our bamboo strategy is the result of more than three-years of research, planning and exhaustive negotiations with suppliers across the UK and Europe.

“Our starting point was to ensure a long-term supply of fresh bamboo that was both sustainable and cost-effective. Because bamboo forms such a fundamental part of the giant pandas’ diet, we also had to guarantee consistency of supply, and to ensure that the bamboo was of the highest possible quality while offering the variety of species required for their highly specialized needs.

“Our German supplier grows exclusively for zoos across Europe and has a proven track-record in the large-scale provision of specialist animal feed – including for giant pandas currently in captivity in Berlin and Vienna.

“But we also wanted to procure a supply nearer to home, which is why we have five growing sites spread across the zoo’s grounds. At any one time, our homegrown supply can provide up to three weeks bamboo, enough to cover any emergency situation. Our on-site nurseries will also form an essential part of the public’s understanding and engagement with the panda experience,” he said.

Getting Pregnant
Q: With Mother’s Day on the horizon this spring, how does it work with female giant pandas – how often can they get pregnant?
A: Female giant pandas enter what is known as ‘estrus’ in Latin (i.e., come into heat when they are ready to mate) only once a year, for an average of two to four days.

Estrus
Q: Now that we’re talking about estrus, what is the derivation of that word?
A: ‘Estrus’ in Latin means ‘frenzy’. It also means ‘gadfly’ in mythology. ‘Estrus’ is derived from a Greek word that means ‘gadfly, breeze, sting, mad impulse’. This all refers back to the gadfly that Hera sent to torment Io, whom Zeus had won in her heifer form.

Q: So at what age can giant pandas get in this ‘frenzy’?
A: In the wild, female giant pandas are sexually mature at 5 ½ to 6 ½ years and males at 6 to 7 years. In captivity, giant pandas mature about a year earlier due to better living conditions and nutrition.

Breeding Season
Q: In what season does this sexual drive hit the giant pandas?
A: Generally right around now during springtime. However, a panda’s estrus is also affected by the latitude and altitude as well as abnormal climate of their habitat.

Living Arrangements And Living With One Another
Q: Speaking of mating, do males and females live together all the time?
A: No, they prefer to live a solitary existence – except during mating.

Q: So what does this mean about their living arrangements at the Edinburgh Zoo?
A: Their £250,000 habitat (mentioned earlier in this article) has adjoining enclosures for the pair. There is a wall between them with just a small section where they can see one another. Their habitat was built this way because if there were a continuous long run of fencing from where they could see one another, they would get nervous.

Q: So if these animals are solitary, where do Edinburgh Zoo experts come into this process?
A: Through behavioral observation, chemical cues and signals plus hormone testing, zoo experts are able to predict when both giant pandas are ready to breed.

Last year Tian Tian came into season on April 2nd. This year, however, zookeepers think she and Yang Guang will mate in March.

Q: How else does Edinburgh Zoo prepare for the mating season?
A: Last year the animals’ web cams were turned off, and the pair met in their indoor enclosures. When my husband David and I were at the zoo last week, the zoo guide explained that in order to prepare the animals for each other, zookeepers lock one of them out of its run and let the other in.

A current online post explains that zookeepers started enclosure swapping at the beginning of this February, so that both of the animals could explore each other’s territory.

This is vital since these normally solitary animals depend very much on scent marking as a means of communicating with one another. Zookeepers keep up and increase this enclosure swapping right until the peak of the mating season.

Also, Yang Guang’s appetite for bamboo is up. This is another sign that the mating season is arriving since added bulk will enhance his body size and keep him in the peak physical shape that is needed during breeding season.

In general, a male giant panda knows that a female is in estrus because her urine and the secretions from her glands are different.

Also, the pair start calling to one another, another behavior that starts around mating time.

Q: Assuming they are not preparing for the next Olympics, why do male giant panda bears do handstands?
A: Along with two classes of children visiting Edinburgh Zoo as we were last week, we were all amazed to see Yang Guang do an elaborate handstand in his living area.

We learned then that this is the male’s way of marking his territory as he urinates.

Yang Guang gave us a perfect demonstration of this, for which he got very high marks indeed from all of us watching him intently. While bracing himself by standing on his hands, he put his hind legs as far up a post as he could manage. Then he urinated in a big arc to mark his presence.

Q: How long can a female giant panda have cubs?
A: Giant pandas reach breeding maturity between four and eight years of age. They give birth between 95 and 160 days after mating, and they may be reproductive until about age 20.

Q: Do these statistics about mating work as nicely as they sound?
A: Unfortunately they do not.

As Erin McCarthy’s article on the Mental Floss website explains, in the wild there is the behavior that scientists hope for with intense competition for each female with the dominant male mating with her several times to safeguard success. This strategy works, and wild female pandas generally give birth every two years.

The reality for breeding pairs in captivity is much more difficult, however: Either the pandas lost interest in mating the natural way, or it seemed like they didn’t know how to go about it correctly. Scientists have theorized that the awkward fumbling that has occurred between captive pandas during mating may be that they were taken away from their mothers at too young an age, or perhaps they have never actually seen mating occur.

And lack of interest might happen because there is lack of competition for the female.

Scientists have experimented with dosing males with Viagra or showing a matched pair panda porn, McCarthy reported. But, as she explains, most of the time they rely on artificial insemination to get the job done.

Q: Back to our pair in Edinburgh Zoo – are zookeepers hopeful they will mate successfully this year?
A: Just three days ago, the Edinburgh Evening News reported although last year’s mating season ended in disappointment because the pair did not hit it off, this year they are hoping things will go smoother so that the first panda cub will be born in the UK.

Last year only Tian Tian’s hormones were tested every day but not Yang Guang’s. This year vets will test him as well to better understand male panda behavior.

Yang Guang’s handstands continue, Tian Tian has been heard calling to her prospective mate, and if these two don’t do the deed during the very short window of opportunity that they have – experts are being brought in from Berlin to perform artificial insemination on Tian Tian as a back-up.

Mother’s Day

So if things go off well between Tian Tian and Yang Guang shortly, maybe Tian Tian will join the ranks of females celebrating Mother’s Day next year, yes?

Just joking — but this allows me the opportunity to wish families a very happy Mother’s Day this spring. To brighten up a mother’s special day, you could send some of Quillcards virtual flowers including these:

We have plenty of other images to choose from our 1,500 or so ecards, many of which will dovetail well with our Mother’s Day greeting.

In fact, speaking of giant panda bears – our two images of Yang Guang are now the most recently added images in our Natural World’s ‘Animals’ category.

And if you like bears of a different nature too, you can show your mother just how much you love her by sending one of our ‘Inspiration’ quotation cards featuring our own trusty teddy here with this fitting quotation:

Here’s hoping that Tian Tian and Yang Guang would also approve of this fellow – even though he’s made from dashing imitation fur, squashy stuffing, and green satin ribbon!