Zoo builds love nest in bid to help pandas mate

Zoo officials have created a private love nest for Britain's only pair of giant pandas in hope the fertility-challenged animals will mate.

Keepers at Edinburgh Zoo have opened a "love tunnel" between the enclosures of male Yang Guang and female Tian Tian in a bid to encourage mating, and have turned off the "panda cam" that allows people to watch the pandas online.

Giant pandas have difficulty breeding, with females fertile for only two or three days a year.

Zookeepers brought the pair together Tuesday after tests showed Tian Tian had ovulated. The zoo says that despite "encouraging" signs and some wrestling, they had not mated.

They are due to meet again Wednesday.

The eight-year-old animals — whose names mean Sunshine and Sweetie — arrived from China in December.