A pair of young lions is expected to leave their hometown Beijing for Kabul in May, taking the concern of the Chinese people to those in war-torn Afghanistan.

The lions, Zhuangzhuang and Canny, will both be three years old in two months, "They get along well and will hopefully produce offspring next spring," said a zoo keeper at the Badaling Wildlife Park, where the two lions were born and raised.

Zhuangzhuang and Canny were chosen from the 84 lions at the Badaling Wildlife Park because they were fed by humans before being put in with the other lions. "They are not afraid of human beings at all," said a zoo keeper, "On the other hand, they can survive without human care as they have learned to prey on small animals."

All animals are trained to fetch their own food at the wildlife park, and the two young lions have learned to prey on animals as big as sheep.

A symbol of bravery and China-Afghan friendship

Abdul Basir Hotak, charge d'affaires of the Afghan interim government to China, visited the two lions Tuesday afternoon with his two daughters and accepted the donation on behalf of the interim government.

The donation of the lions, which represents the friendship between the Chinese and Afghan peoples, will go down in history, Hotak told zoo keepers.

All the Afghan people respect lions as a symbol of bravery and the two lions will certainly enjoy the same happy life in Kabul as in Beijing, he said.

Zoo keepers from the Badaling Wildlife Park have wanted to donate a pair of lions to Afghanistan ever since the death of Marjan, the one-eyed lion in Kabul Zoo whose life was lived on the front line in the Afghan civil war.

Their idea was widely applauded by the Afghan people, and the interim government also said it hoped to receive the two lions at an early date, said Hotak.

Hotak will go to Kabul soon to investigate the situation at the zoo and to see what preparations are being made to accommodate the two lions.

An international organization has donated US$ 80,000 as an initial fund for reconstructing the Kabul Zoo. The same organization will donate more money in the future. These special purpose funds will help ensure good living conditions for the lions, said Hotak.

According to Zhao Shengli, an official from the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the two lions have to undergo a quarantine inspection, which takes about a month.

"If everything works out well, they will fly to Kabul at the end of April or in early May," Zhao says.

The Badaling Wildlife Park has also started to look for a new name for the lions - one which embodies the good wishes of the Chinese people.

( March 20, 2002)