Calgary Herald

ZOO’S PANDAS IN QUARANTINE TO PREPARE FOR RETURN TO CHINA

- Kristen Anderson

Although they don’t have airline tickets yet, the giant pandas at the Calgary Zoo are in quarantine and preparing for their trip back to China.

Er Shun and Da Mao have been in Calgary since March 2018 and were expected to remain through 2024 as part of a 10-year agreement between China and Canada.

However, because of a lack of flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been issues with shipments of high quality bamboo imported from China to feed them and the zoo was forced to send them home early.

“We’re working super hard to get the permitting,” said Calgary Zoo spokespers­on Alison Archambaul­t. “Because we don’t know their travel dates, we needed to take extra precaution­s to get them quarantini­ng early. We’ll be sharing videos and photos closer to their departure because we know our visitors locally and around the world, just like our staff, are going to miss them.”

The Calgary Zoo reopens on Saturday for the first time since shutting its doors because of the global health crisis. However, the panda exhibit remains closed to the public.

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