At the end of September, shortly before the national holiday, Hong Kong is set to receive a pair of pandas from Beijing. However, due to quarantine regulations, the public will not be able to see the animals during the holiday.
Two different sources told the SCMP on Tuesday that the arrival of the pandas is tentatively scheduled for September 26, with the final decision pending. The pandas will be transported by Cathay Pacific Airways’ cargo service.
According to a source, the pandas and their veterinary team would have to undergo a 30-day quarantine before leaving Sichuan province.
After arriving in Hong Kong, they will undergo another round of quarantine for about 30 days and will also be allowed to rest and get used to their new home in Ocean Park in the southern district.
“The goal is to bring the pandas to Hong Kong by the end of September,” one of the sources said.
Several sources confirmed that it was “impossible” for the pandas to be presented to the public before the national holiday on October 1.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu visited Sichuan in July with a delegation including tourism chief Kevin Yeung Yun-hung and Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong Kin-yee to coordinate preparations for the arrival of the pandas.
Well-preserved giant panda fossil discovered in Shaanxi, China
During his trip, Lee confirmed that a pair of young adult pandas aged between five and eight years had been arranged for Hong Kong.
He also said the government hoped the bears, a gift from Beijing to mark the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, could arrive by National Day on October 1.
Lee had described the two bears as “capable of reproduction” and hoped that they would eventually have a cub born in the city – a goal that Hong Kong has been unable to achieve for a quarter of a century.
Giant pandas reach adulthood at five years of age and sexual maturity at around 7.5 years of age, but are notoriously sex-shy.
Ying Ying and Le Le, the second pair of pandas brought to Hong Kong in 2007, have failed to produce offspring despite several rounds of natural mating since 2011 and artificial insemination in 2023.
The first pair, consisting of the male An An and the female Jia Jia, who arrived in 1999, died without being able to reproduce.
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