The UK’s only male giant panda, Yang Guang, turned 12 today (Friday August 14) and to celebrate keepers made him a large ice and bamboo cake to wish him a ‘bear-y’ happy birthday.
The keepers placed the large, green cake in Yang Guang’s outdoor enclosure so that he could wander out and look for his birthday surprise.
They also fashioned a large number ‘12’ out of bamboo.
Sharon Hatton, Senior Carnivore Keeper at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said: “This is Yang Guang’s third birthday at the Zoo. It’s the very first time we’ve made a cake out of ice for him and it was wonderful to see his instant reaction – he loved it!
“He was rolling the ice-cake around, throwing it into his pond, rubbing his cold paws over his face after touching it and there were even a few footy moves in there too.
“Obviously he doesn’t know it’s his birthday, that’s a very human thing, but enrichment is an important part of animal’s lives at it provides added psychological and physical stimulus.
“It’s also enjoyable for staff and visitors alike to see natural behaviours elicited in Yang Guang.”
Yang Guang was born in 2003 at the Bifenxia Panda Breeding Centre outside Ya’an, near the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
Yang Guang and his partner, Tian Tian, arrived at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo on 4 December 2011 and they are the first adult giant pandas to have ever come out of China.