Top-level welcome as 2 VIPs arrive ...
Source: Agencies |
March 27, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TWO VIPs from China have landed in Canada on a visit that will see them stay in the country for 10 years.
Two zoos will be home for the "Very Important Pandas," a designation given to the pair by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Junsa as the giant pandas arrived in Toronto on Monday.
Zhang recalled that when he arrived two years ago, he was greeted only by the Canadian director of protocol.
But the pandas, Er Shun, 5, and Da Mao, 4, merited a personal welcome from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who reached an agreement on the loan during a visit to China last year.
"I am very delighted to officially welcome to Canada ... a pair of China's national treasures," Harper said at the airport.
Officials hope that female Er Shun and Da Mao will mate during their five years in Toronto and five years in Calgary to produce the first Canadian-born panda cubs.
Any cubs would be the property of China, staying with Er Shun at least until they are one year old, and eventually going back to China.
First meeting
After the touched down, the pandas were driven to Toronto Zoo where they will be quarantined for 30 days.
This will not only allow them to adjust to their new surroundings but also to each other as they will be meeting for the first time.
With giant pandas known to be ambivalent about mating, the hope is that Er Shun and Da Mao will become more than friends.
"I'm pretty sure that Er Shun and Da Mao will live happily here and I also hope they will soon produce some junior Kung Fu Pandas," said Zhang.
The pandas are expected to make their first public appearance around May 18.
China frequently loans pandas to foreign zoos, in deals that can be lucrative to both sides. Fees paid by the host countries help fund panda research in China, but the zoos hope to recoup that and more in extra visitor numbers.
Other costs include the vast quantities of bamboo the two pandas will eat - they spend 10 to 16 hours a day eating. About 600 to 900 kilograms of bamboo will be flown in each week from the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee in the United States.
Two zoos will be home for the "Very Important Pandas," a designation given to the pair by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Junsa as the giant pandas arrived in Toronto on Monday.
Zhang recalled that when he arrived two years ago, he was greeted only by the Canadian director of protocol.
But the pandas, Er Shun, 5, and Da Mao, 4, merited a personal welcome from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who reached an agreement on the loan during a visit to China last year.
"I am very delighted to officially welcome to Canada ... a pair of China's national treasures," Harper said at the airport.
Officials hope that female Er Shun and Da Mao will mate during their five years in Toronto and five years in Calgary to produce the first Canadian-born panda cubs.
Any cubs would be the property of China, staying with Er Shun at least until they are one year old, and eventually going back to China.
First meeting
After the touched down, the pandas were driven to Toronto Zoo where they will be quarantined for 30 days.
This will not only allow them to adjust to their new surroundings but also to each other as they will be meeting for the first time.
With giant pandas known to be ambivalent about mating, the hope is that Er Shun and Da Mao will become more than friends.
"I'm pretty sure that Er Shun and Da Mao will live happily here and I also hope they will soon produce some junior Kung Fu Pandas," said Zhang.
The pandas are expected to make their first public appearance around May 18.
China frequently loans pandas to foreign zoos, in deals that can be lucrative to both sides. Fees paid by the host countries help fund panda research in China, but the zoos hope to recoup that and more in extra visitor numbers.
Other costs include the vast quantities of bamboo the two pandas will eat - they spend 10 to 16 hours a day eating. About 600 to 900 kilograms of bamboo will be flown in each week from the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee in the United States.
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