Pair of pandas ready for trip to Finland zoo
A panda (above) is moved at the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan province on Wednesday. It was in preparation for the Thursday flight of two pandas from the base to Ahtari Zoo in Finland as part of a 15-year joint research program. Dong Jian (right), deputy mayor of Dujiangyan, presents Jarmo Pienimaki, mayor of Ahtari, with a painting on Wednesday.
A pair of giant pandas from Southwest China’s Sichuan province will reach Helsinki, Finland, at 10 am on Thursday local time for a 15-year joint research program.
On Wednesday morning, Hua Bao and Jin Baobao were transferred from their dens in the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan to Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan.
They will leave the airport at 6 am on Thursday and are expected to arrive in Helsinki at 10 am the same day local time.
“Pandas have a strong ability to adapt to the environment and I believe they will thrive in their new home in Finland,” said Zhang Hemin, executive director of the center.
The center has sent Huang Shan, a keeper, and Wu Honglin, a vet, to accompany the two pandas during their flight to Finland.
“We have taken 120 kilograms of bamboo and 30 kilograms of bamboo shoots as well as specially made buns and carrots onto the plane. The food is adequate for the pandas during the flight,” Huang said.
In case of an emergency, Wu also has medicine such as sleeping pills.
Before the two pandas left Sichuan, they were put in quarantine for a month.
On Jan 11, vets from the center and Finland and officials from the Sichuan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau carried out a physical checkup of the two pandas.
“We had a complete examination of their physique, blood, hair, fur and digestive systems and concluded that they are in good health,” said Li Desheng, an expert with the center.
The male panda, Hua Bao, was born in July 2013. He weighs 110 kilograms, is active and likes climbing trees. Born in September 2014, Jin Baobao is slow but has a tendency to damage things. During the quarantine, she destroyed almost all the trees outside their den, Huang said.
The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda has established ties for joint panda research with 15 zoos in 13 countries.