Pandas arrive to fanfare in Indonesia
Pair given a right royal welcome befitting ‘palace’ home
Giant pandas Cai Tao and Hu Chun arrived to fanfare in Indonesia where a new “palacelike” home that cost millions of dollars has been built for them.
The male and female pair landed at Jakarta’s international airport from Chengdu and will be quarantined at Taman Safari zoo outside the capital for about a month before the public can visit.
The zoo hopes the sevenyearolds will mate and add to the giant panda population.
It’s built a special enclosure and facilities that cost about 60 billion rupiah (RM18.6mil), Taman Safari president Tony Sumampouw said.
There are less than 1,900 giant pandas in their only wild habitats in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.
China gifts friendly nations with its national mascot in what is known as “panda diplomacy”.
Zoo spokesman Yulius Suprihardo said the living quarters for Cai Tao, the male, and Hu Chun, the female, resemble a threetier temple.
It’s on a hill surrounded by about 5,000 sq m of land and equipped with an elevator, sleeping area, medical facilities and indoor and outdoor play areas.
He said that after the quarantine period, a “soft launch” for public viewing could be held by late October or early November.
“During this time we can only see the adorable pandas from images, videos or television. In the near future, Indonesian people can see the pandas directly,” Suprihardo said.
“And we hope they can breed here, that’s part of our goal.” — AP