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Giant panda wins international vote
Tian Tian at Edinburgh Zoo has been vote as favourite giant panda outside of China in the Giant Panda Zoo awards
Tian Tian at Edinburgh Zoo has been vote as favourite giant panda outside of China in the Giant Panda Zoo awards

Favourite panda award for Edinburgh's Tian Tian

A giant panda living at Edinburgh Zoo has won an international award. Tian Tian, also known as Sweetie, has won gold in the the Giant Panda Zoo Awards.

The awards saw panda enthusiasts from around the world vote for their favourite panda outside of China. Nearly a fifth of the votes went to Tian Tian.


It is only the second year in which the awards have  been held. The winners were name at a ceremony at Zoo Atlanta.

Tian Tian has already enjoyed the limelight. She was named in the 2011 BBC’s Women of the Year list alongside names like Pippa Middleton and Adele.

Edinburgh Zoo's male giant panda, Yang Guang, also known as Sunshine, won silver in last year's favourite panda outside of China category.

Alison Maclean, team Lleader for giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to accept the award on behalf of Tian Tian for Favourite Panda Outside of China. Of course, she is now on equal par with Yang Guang as he got silver last year for Favourite Panda Outside of China.

"We think it’s absolutely amazing that everybody feels the same way about our female panda as we do; it’s just great and thank you to everyone for voting for us.”

Image courtesy of Edinburgh Zoo

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.