Pandas’ arrival brings out Dutch fans
The first Chinese giant pandas to travel to the Netherlands arrived this week, galvanizing the nation and delighting a crowd at the airport.
The two pandas, the male named Xing Ya (Elegant Star) and the female named Wu Wen (Beautiful Powerful Cloud), landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Wednesday night to the delight of a waiting crowd of more than 300 people. Among those watching were Dutch and Chinese dignitaries, journalists, and special guests.
Following 16 years of hard lobbying by Dutch animal lovers, China promised the pandas to the Netherlands while King Willem-Alexander was on a state visit to China in October 2015.
Seen as symbols of friendship between the two countries, the two Chinese panda cubs will be “loaned” for 15 years to the Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen, about 90 km from Amsterdam.
“It’s a small step for Xing Ya and Wu W en, but a big step for the history of Sino-Dutch relations,” said Wu Ken, Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands.
Their arrival “fully proves the high level of our bilateral relations, which are now at their best time”, Wu said, adding “this significant ‘panda moment’ marks the beginning of a new chapter in our relations”.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines cargo, which has transported giant pandas around the globe before, again handled the job, taking Xing Ya and Wu Wen from Chengdu, Sichuan province, to their new home.
“It is really a special occasion for our country to receive Chinese pandas for the first time, and wear every honored to be a part of the process, which has already caught great attention in the country,” said Marcel de Nooijer, executive vice-president of KLM cargo.
The level of attention has been intense, with the pandas seemingly the main topic of conversation, dominating Dutch newspapers, television shows and radio stations, De Nooijer said.
During a farewell ceremony in China this week, the pandas were offered a Schengen visa for most EU nations and each was given a bamboo bicycle in a nod to the Dutch cycling culture.
Upon their arrival, the animals were taken to the KLM Animal Hotel for customs clearance and health checks and then on to the zoo.
To celebrate the pandas’ arrival, the zoo commissioned Pandasia, a complex of buildings that will house Xing Ya and Wu Wen, and a Chinese restaurant was added on the floor above.
Zoo director Robin de Lange said he was expecting an increase in visitors.
The giant panda is an endangered species that is found in the wild only in China.
At last count, there were about 1,850 giant pandas in the wild.
It’s really a special occasion for our country to receive Chinese pandas for the first time.” Marcel de Nooijer, executive vice-president of KLM cargo, which transported the pandas from Chengdu