Canadian adventure for pandas
By Yang Jian |
March 19, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TWO giant pandas are being flown to Toronto next Monday on a 10-year loan to two Canadian zoos, the first time in more than two decades that such animals have gone to Canada.
Female Er Shun from Chongqing and male Da Mao from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province that borders Chongqing, will spend five years in Toronto and another five years in Calgary in southwest Canada.
The pandas will be brought together at Chengdu and put on a flight to Toronto along with a plentiful supply of fresh bamboo, FedEx Express, which is in charge of transportation, said yesterday.
Animal care experts will accompany them on the aircraft to ensure they have a safe and comfortable flight.
The loan is a part of the two countries' efforts to protect and increase the population of endangered giant pandas through investment in research and conservation efforts.
Canadians will have to wait a bit before they can see the pandas as they will spend a month in quarantine and then be given time to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings.
"The lending of this pair of pandas to Canada for joint research is an important outcome of the visit to China by Prime Minister (Stephen) Harper and Mrs (Laureen) Harper last year, and it serves as a true manifestation of the fast-developing relations between our two countries," Zhang Junsai, China's ambassador to Canada, said.
In the 1980s, giant pandas visited Canada on three separate occasions, attracting 1.9 million visitors during their three-month stays at Toronto Zoo, Zhang said.
An official at the zoo told reporters previously that the pandas were expected to attract 2.5 to 3 million people a year and end a decline in attendance.
Female Er Shun from Chongqing and male Da Mao from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province that borders Chongqing, will spend five years in Toronto and another five years in Calgary in southwest Canada.
The pandas will be brought together at Chengdu and put on a flight to Toronto along with a plentiful supply of fresh bamboo, FedEx Express, which is in charge of transportation, said yesterday.
Animal care experts will accompany them on the aircraft to ensure they have a safe and comfortable flight.
The loan is a part of the two countries' efforts to protect and increase the population of endangered giant pandas through investment in research and conservation efforts.
Canadians will have to wait a bit before they can see the pandas as they will spend a month in quarantine and then be given time to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings.
"The lending of this pair of pandas to Canada for joint research is an important outcome of the visit to China by Prime Minister (Stephen) Harper and Mrs (Laureen) Harper last year, and it serves as a true manifestation of the fast-developing relations between our two countries," Zhang Junsai, China's ambassador to Canada, said.
In the 1980s, giant pandas visited Canada on three separate occasions, attracting 1.9 million visitors during their three-month stays at Toronto Zoo, Zhang said.
An official at the zoo told reporters previously that the pandas were expected to attract 2.5 to 3 million people a year and end a decline in attendance.
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