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Female panda Ke Ke eats bamboo at Dujiangyan base of the CCRC for Giant Panda in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, September 10, 2024. /CFP
Ke Ke climbs a tree at Dujiangyan base of the CCRC for Giant Panda in Dujiangyan, September 10, 2024. /CFP
Male panda An An eats a carrot at Dujiangyan base of the CCRC for Giant Panda, September 10, 2024. /CFP
An An, September 10, 2024. /CFP
A pair of giant pandas, An An and Ke Ke, arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Thursday. The new pair represents the third pair of pandas sent to Hong Kong to commemorate the 27th anniversary of its return to China.
A welcome ceremony was held for the pandas, which HKSAR Chief Executive Chan Kwok-ki and other government officials attended.
The pandas departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan Province and are expected to settle at Ocean Park Hong Kong, joining four others already residing there.
After their arrival, the pandas will undergo a 30-day quarantine to help them acclimate to their new surroundings. They are expected to be ready to greet the public by December.
To aid their transition, Ocean Park staff have been in contact with the pandas since July, facilitating familiarity through care training and sensory exposure. Male panda An An and female panda Ke Ke were both born in June 2019 and have distinct personalities: An An is playful and agile, while Ke Ke is gentle and skilled at climbing.
The two pandas are in good health, according to Cheng Yanxi, a veterinarian at the China Conservation and Research Center (CCRC) for the Giant Panda in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, who accompanied them on Thursday. Cheng is expected to stay in Hong Kong for two to three months to help the pandas fully adapt to their new environment.
Staff at Dujiangyan base transfer giant panda An An to a special cage for transportation, September 26, 2024. /CFP
A farewell ceremony was held in Dujiangyan before their departure, during which panda care archives were officially transferred to Ocean Park. Paulo Pong Kin-yee, chairman of Ocean Park, expressed enthusiasm about accompanying the pandas on their journey. Meanwhile, keeper Dong Li from the CCRC for the Giant Panda ensured their travel comfort with a selection of their favorite foods.
Dong said they had prepared their favorites – carrots, apples and bamboo from the pandas' hometown – for the flight.
Experts from Sichuan and the Ocean Park prepared for the pandas' dietary transition, providing bamboo from Guangzhou to help them adjust. Fresh bamboo from Sichuan will also be provided periodically to maintain their appetite during their adjustment phase.
One of the two pandas arrive at Hong Kong International Airport, September 26, 2024. /CFP
With the arrival of An An and Ke Ke, Hong Kong now hosts a total of six pandas, including Ying Ying and Le Le, who already reside at Ocean Park, along with the newly born twins.
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR government is set to host a local naming competition for the new pandas in October, inviting the public to suggest meaningful names. The names currently assigned to the two pandas are provisional.
(With input from Xinhua)