Posted: Tuesday 21 February 2012
You are my sunshine
One of my missions when I was in the role of Chief Executive of Morton Fraser, which continues in my role as Chairman, was and is to ensure that we are well connected to the business community and public sector which we serve. Being one of the firm’s sets of eyes and ears, to bring back news of what is going on in the world of our clients and prospective clients, has involved me in a wide range of activities, but I confess to many of them revolving around food, whether lunches, canapes with drinks or dinners.
Whilst I could wax lyrical about the variety of food I have consumed over the years, for me the most fascinating aspect of ‘eating out’ as an ambassador for the business has been the people I have met and with whom I’ve had the pleasure to share time, and often a meal. Aside from the negative impact on waistline, the positive impact of that biblical ‘breaking bread’ is that it’s a great setting in which to get to know people.
To date, my dinner dates of whom I can boast range from Prime Ministers to rock stars (Annie Lennox was a particular high point – thank you Oxfam Scotland for that date) but last Thursday’s date has eclipsed them all.
Last Thursday I was a member of a hugely privileged group of senior folk from business, politics and education in Scotland who were invited to dine as guests of the Royal Zoological Society of Edinburgh at the Mansion House in Edinburgh Zoo. As a throw away line to the invitation to hear about the work of the Society, we were promised an introduction to the Zoo’s most famous recent arrivals, the giant pandas.
Before dinner, we were taken to the panda enclosure and heard Iain Valentine, the Director of Animal Conservation and Research talk about the giant panda, their evolution, life in the wild and the particular challenges of the arrival of the two pandas to Edinburgh. We saw the female panda, Tian Tian (Sweetie), in her enclosure before she moved into more private surroundings to settle down for the night. We heard about the testing which is underway to try to optimise the possibility of the pandas breeding. For more information see http://rzss.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/testing-testing/
We were then shown into the rear of the male giant panda’s compound, away from the public viewing area. Yang Guang (Sunshine) quickly appeared when he heard voices and more importantly, the rattle of food on a metal tray. Most people will have heard the stories of the pandas’ vast consumption of bamboo – they can almost eat their bodyweight in a day, but it turns out they like treats too, including carrot sticks. We were allowed to feed Yang Guang through the bars. Tian Tian has a great relationship with her keeper but is more wary of other humans. Yang Guang, is quite different and is very relaxed around people, perhaps willing to be sociable in return for the treat of the carrot sticks.
After munching through the supply of carrot sticks, Yang Guang turned his attention to his bamboo supply and demonstrated the efficiency of eating style which allows him to power through such large quantities of the staple diet. It’s difficult to pinpoint quite why these animals are so endearing, but sufficient to say that Yang Guang reduced a group of particularly bright, articulate people to a cooing, fawning fan club within minutes. I’ve used the word ‘privileged’ already, but it was the word which resounded as we departed from the compound.
Our own dinner was rather more appetising, to us, than carrot sticks and bamboo, but more importantly, we were also given food for thought. Iain Valentine and Hugh Roberts, the Chief Executive of the RZSS explained the importance of the Giant Panda Project, not just in terms of raising the profile of Edinburgh Zoo but in the way that it demonstrates the reputation which RZSS has around the world in the field of conservation and the importance of their work in that field. They also explained the cultural significance of the links which the project is allowing to be built between Scotland and China. As they were careful to point out, it’s not just about pandas.
The evening helped all of those attending to see the Society in a different light with the undoubted star of the show being Yang Guang. If you have not already been to visit the giant pandas, I would recommend you do so very soon, but also take a moment to find out more about the wider work of the RZSS.
If you do visit, send my love to Yang Guang, who, just as his name suggests, certainly spread a little sunshine in my direction last week.
Watch this short youtube video to see Sunshine exploring his new home - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHxdRkYiSeQ&feature=youtu.be
