PETALING JAYA: Giant pandas Chen Xing and Xiao Yue have wasted no time embracing life at Zoo Negara, with keepers reporting the new residents are “happy and eating well” since their arrival nearly a week ago.
Zoo Negara deputy president Datuk Rosly Lana said the duo are moving about well and showing good appetite.
“I am delighted at their progress in settling down here. They look happy,” he said when contacted.
He added that the pandas have taken a liking to a local bamboo species.
“There are several types of bamboo.
“We were worried because we were not sure if Chen Xing and Xiao Yuen would eat any of them.
“Fortunately, they like the same bamboo species that the zoo’s former pandas, Xing Xing and Liang Liang, liked. Another good thing is that the bamboo is grown locally,” he said.
Rosly said two Chinese veterinarians will be here over the next three months to ensure the well-being of the animals, which are under a one-month quarantine before they can be introduced to the public.
Chen Xing and Xiao Yue arrived at the KL International Airport from Chengdu, China, on Tuesday.
On a separate matter, Rosly said Zoo Negara set a new record of almost 12,000 visitors a day yesterday, a figure last seen almost 20 years ago.
In 2014, Fu Wa and Feng Yi, who were renamed Xing Xing and Liang Liang, arrived in Malaysia and were housed at Zoo Negara as part of China’s panda loan programme.
They became firm favourites among Malaysians over the decade.
Their stay produced three cubs – Nuan Nuan, Yi Yi and Sheng Yi.
Malaysia’s longstanding panda loan programme with China was renewed under a 10-year agreement signed on April 16 during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malaysia.
