Berlin Zoo says Chinese pandas will 'feel at home'

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Berlin Zoo is building a dream home in preparation for the arrival of two Chinese pandas, Jiao Qing and Meng Meng, the zoo's director Andreas Knieriem said on Wednesday.

The new villa covers an area of some 5,500 square meters with a vermilion archway and bamboo fences, and is in the last stage of interior decoration.

The old Chinese pavilion, damaged during World War Two, was also renovated on a high ground for visitors to watch the black-eyed bears more clearly.

"We will make our best efforts to make the pandas feel at home here," Knieriem told Xinhua.

He added that the zoo had sent its top experts to the pair's home in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan Province to study their life habits and breeding techniques.

The panda couple coming from China is expected to arrive in the German capital on June 24, 2017 / CFP Photo

It's not the first time for Berlin Zoo to receive pandas from China. In 1980, China sent Bao Bao and Tian Tian as a state gift for visiting German Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.

Bao Bao died in 2012 at the age of 34, making it one of the longest-lived ones in the species.

Knieriem said the Berlin Zoo had sought to invite and rent new pandas since 2014. A joint study project was agreed on by the two sides in 2015.

"In my eyes, pandas are a symbol of peace and friendship, and can remind people of the necessity for nature conservation," he noted.

Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, set to arrive in Berlin on Saturday, have brought about a panda fever in Germany. The zoo opened an online blog for them to brief the public on the everyday progress it made to greet the animals.

The zoo, reportedly the most popular one in Europe with more than 3.3 million visitors last year, expects the two pandas to become a highlight in the future and attract more tourists.

(Source: Xinhua)

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