Pandas head to Russia for 15-year research project

Going places: The base has rolled out panda research programmes with 16 other countries and regions, including another 15-year project with denmark earlier this month.

CHENGDU: A pair of giant pandas will leave for Moscow, Russia for collaborative research, a panda research base in south-west China’s Sichuan province said.

Male Ru Yi, born in 2016, and female Ding Ding, born in 2017, are scheduled to depart Chengdu tomorrow and arrive in Moscow at 10pm Beijing time the same day, the research base said.

The pair of giant pandas will live in the Moscow Zoo for 15 years, according to the research project.

On Feb 28, the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Moscow Zoo signed an agreement on the protection and research cooperation of giant pandas.

The Moscow Zoo has sent full-time keepers and veterinarians to China in advance to learn about the breeding and medical care of giant pandas. — Xinhua