ADELAIDE, (Australia): Giant pandas Xingqiu and Yilan have arrived in Adelaide, capital of South Australia, early Sunday (Dec 15) morning, after flying for around 11 hours across approximately 8,800 km.
The two giant pandas departed Southwest China's Sichuan province for Australia on Saturday afternoon, kicking off a new round of China-Australia collaboration on giant panda conservation and research.
Xingqiu, a four-year-old male, and Yilan, a three-year-old female, both from the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, are set to settle at Adelaide Zoo for the next decade.
Li Dong, Chinese consul-general in Adelaide, said in an interview with Xinhua on Saturday that Chinese culture values that "joy alone is not as good as joy among all", and the Chinese people are willing to share their love of giant pandas with the Australian people.
Through the joint implementation of the responsibility to protect giant pandas, the people of China and Australia have become more interconnected, and it can be said that giant pandas have made a unique contribution to the development of the relationship between the two countries, said the Chinese diplomat.
Building on the success of past cooperation, the new partnership will further advance collaboration in areas such as breeding research, disease prevention, public education and cultural exchange. This initiative aims to strengthen research efforts and foster closer people-to-people ties between China and Australia.
Upon arrival at Adelaide Zoo, Xingqiu and Yilan will undergo quarantine. Adelaide Zoo has upgraded its facilities to welcome the new arrivals, ensuring an ample supply of food, and assigning an experienced care and research team to manage the pandas.
In 2009, two pandas, Wangwang and Funi, began their stay at Adelaide Zoo. As the only giant pandas in the Southern Hemisphere, they drew more than 5 million visitors in 15 years until this November when they returned to China. - Xinhua
