China group given RM2.54mil gift for Liang Liang’s cub

Star attraction: Dr Wan Junaidi watching the panda feeding on bamboo shoots during his visit to the Panda Conservation centre at National Zoo.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is forking out US$600,000 (RM2.54mil) as a token fee to a panda society in China for the birth of a cub here.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the “birthday gift” was stipulated under the Giant Panda International Conservation Cooperation Agreement Programme, through which the two giant pandas, Liang Liang and Xing Xing, were brought to Malaysia.