For the last 12 years, Edinburgh Zoo has been home to the only giant pandas in the UK. But if you're thinking of paying them a visit, time is running out. Today's the final day people will get to see Tiantian and Yangguan before their closure is shut off and they prepare for their journey back home to China. Our Scotland correspondent, Lorna Gordon, has more.

All right, buddy. Ready to go through?

The morning wake-up call.

For Yang Juan. You ready? Good boy.

The pandas are creatures of habit, but Kirsty's been getting them up earlier as their day of departure draws near.

Yang Juan is partially handrier as a cub. So he greets the keepers when we come in the morning. He's much more people-focused, whereas Tian is much more wild in her attitude, which makes her a great fun to work with because she's always keeping us on our toes.

For the past 12 years, Scotland has been the two giant pandas home. Visitors fascinated by these rock star bears, watching as they sleep and eat bamboo, lots of it, 100 kilos between them.

Every day.

You have driven six.

Hours to get here.

Today for.

Your birthday? Yeah. Especially to see the pandas?

Yeah.

They're.

Lovely. They, aren't they?

I've grown to love them because he loves them. I just want to run and grab one and just hold it. Panda hat? -panda Hat? -panda Hat. -panda fan? A little bit.

Every time we come to Edinburgh.

We've.

Got to go to see the pandas. And there's a huge number of Pandor fans online too. The Pandor Cams soon to be switched off. A hit not just here, but around the world.

How serious are people who watch the Pandas?

People watch it 24 hours a day. We get phone calls to say, Yang Juan's not moved today. Is he all right? I've not seen the keepers go in and feed him at that time. And as I say, that's great. We've never ever minded that. We know that pandas are special.

Do you think some of the visitors, they might get a bit tearful.

I absolutely think there'll be a lot of tears for people when they last see them. And I can't guarantee that there won't be tears from some of my keepers when they wave them goodbye at the airport as well. That's the cage. That is the.

First panda crate.

The pandas hit the.

Headlines when they first arrived. The species is deemed vulnerable, with only around 2,000 left in the wild. Despite high hopes, the Edinburgh pairing never had a cub. Breeding is difficult as the solitary animals only come into heat once a year. Experts think Tian-Chian might have conceived, but never went full term.

It would be lovely to have had a pan of cub. Of course, it would have been. But that isn't the be all and end all. These two individuals are wonderful characters and wonderful ambassadors for the species. And so I think it's about engagement, it's about collaboration internationally, it's about conservation.

And sadly.

Our time with our giant pandas.

Is very sharply.

Drawn to a close.

The talks to visitors who come to view the pandas continue even as the pair's time here comes to an end. The zoo says Tian, Tian and Yang, Guan's welfare has always been their top priority, and a keeper and a vet will be with them as they travel back to China. For the two giant pandas, always ever only on loan to Scotland, a goodbye we always knew was coming. Lorna Gordon, BBC News at Edinburgh Zoo.

Oh, Lorna joins us now. Lorna, hello to you. They are still there, but not for long.

Not for long. And this, of course, is the final day that visitors to the zoo can guarantee seeing them out in their enclosures. We've seen Yang Juan come out a couple of times already. This morning, he's come out to eat a bit of bamboo, quite relaxed about the people watching him. Tian, Tian has a slightly different personality. She often just.

Has her back.

To the crowds. And it's quite subdued here today, actually. People are aware of the significance of this moment. It took 17 years. There was a gap of 17 years between the last pandas and Yang, Guan, and Tian, Tian coming to the UK. These pandas are soon to depart. And who knows when we will have pandas again? Because there is panda diplomacy. It is a very symbolic and significant gesture when China lends these out to countries. They put a lot of thought into where they go. And the countries that take them, the zoos that take them, it's not without some attached costs. They're on loan for a million dollars a year. They eat 35,000 pounds worth of bamboo every single month. But the zoo says it has been worth it. They haven't had that pandacub, the longed for pandacub, but in terms of conservation, in terms of informing the public here about the importance of these species that are very symbolic in the world of conservation, they say they've played a really significant role. So they're very glad they have the opportunity to have these pandas here, and this now is the countdown to goodbye.

Lorna, Gordon, at Edinburgh Zoo, thank you so much for bringing that sad news there that the pandas that have been there for over 10 years will be leaving today.