Chinese animals you can see in Scotland
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) owns Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park as well as supporting a wide variety of research and conservation projects around the world.
The most famous of the Chinese animals, the Giant Panda, is found at Edinburgh Zoo but there are also many other animals from China at both our parks. Visiting either site and taking part in the ‘Beyond the Panda’ programme, which is not just about giant pandas, but includes resources and sessions about China, its language, culture, geography and other Chinese wildlife is a great way to enhance your Mandarin learning.
I’m sure you have heard about the Red Panda. Although this animal shares a common name with the giant panda, they are not related. Giant pandas are bears but red pandas are unique and have a family all to themselves! There are some similarities between the two species and that is why they share the name of panda. Red Pandas can be found at both our sites.
Another familiar animal is the tiger. There is actually only one species of tiger but 6 different subspecies and not all are found in China. The Amur tiger, known in China as 东北虎(dōngběi hǔ), translating to northeast tiger is at the Highland Wildlife Park. At this time of writing, three cubs have been born contributing to the conservation breeding programme of this very endangered species.
What about camels with two humps? The Bactrian camel 双峰驼 (shuāng fēng tuó) has two humps and found in the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts. Again you can see these magnificent camels by visiting Highland Wildlife Park.
Then there are animals you probably haven’t even heard of: the takin 羚牛(língniú) and binturong 熊狸(xiónglí), for example. A current list of RZSS Chinese animals, with their Chinese name and fact files can be found on the Beyond the Panda website in the China/Scotland section and includes which park they are located. This website also contains a wealth of information for Mandarin learning - beyondthepanda.org.uk
Click for direct link to the RZSS Chinese animals fact files
Information on visiting the sites:
Further information and contact:
Sandie Robb, RZSS Language Project Coordinator srobb@rzss.org.uk
Photos ©RZSS