Seven-year old giant panda "Bing Xing" and four-year old "Hua
Zui Ba" is scheduled to leave Chengdu, capital of southwest China's
Sichuan Province, on September 8 for a
ten-year sojourn in Spain.
A chartered plane would carry the pandas, together with their
feeders to Spain, said a Madrid Zoo official, who was in Chengdu to
discuss the details with the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center on
how to ensure safe and comfortable flight for the animals.
Hua Zui Ba (below) and her
friend
China and Spain signed agreement on giant panda protection
cooperation in June 2007. Under the agreement, "Bing Xing", a
140-kg male and "Hua Zui Ba" a 93-kg female, will go to Madrid Zoo
for research, and will go on show to the public two weeks after
arrival if their conditions permit.
Any cubs born during their stay in Spain will belong to China,
according to the agreement.
The two pandas will have separate accommodation and activity
zones, with each living area equipped with 11 monitors.
Zhang Zhihe, director of the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding
Center, said both giant pandas were in good health.
Giant pandas are among the world's most endangered species.
State Forestry Administration figures show 1,590 pandas live in the
wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan and more than 210 live in
captivity.
(Xinhua News Agency August 4, 2007)
