Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
World
Home / World / Asia-Pacific

Giant pandas back to China from Austria

Xinhua | Updated: 2024-09-15 08:37
Share
Share - WeChat
Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck, director of Schoenbrunn Zoo, Qi Mei, Chinese ambassador to Austria, Wolfgang Schuessel, former Austrian chancellor, Eva Landrichtinger, Austrian secretary-general of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy (from left to right), attend an event to send away giant pandas Yang Yang and Yuan Yuan at Schoenbrunn Zoo, Vienna, Austria, Sept 11, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

VIENNA - Giant pandas Yang Yang and Yuan Yuan left Austria on Friday and arrived in Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Saturday, according to Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo.

A cargo plane carrying the two pandas, who were among the most popular animal stars at the Schoenbrunn Zoo, departed the Vienna Airport on Friday night. The pandas' favorite snacks, including bamboo, sweet potatoes and carrots, were also on board.

When visiting the pandas at the Schoenbrunn Zoo on Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to Austria Qi Mei thanked the zoo and the Austrian side for taking care of the pandas. She said that the Austrian people will have more opportunities to see the beloved pandas with a new panda conservation agreement between the two countries.

In June, Schoenbrunn Zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) signed an agreement to strengthen their cooperation on giant panda protection and related research. Under the agreement, a new pair of pandas will be sent to the zoo under a 10-year project after Yang Yang and Yuan Yuan's return to China.

Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck, director of Schoenbrunn Zoo, said in a statement that visitors to the zoo will not wait too long for the giant pandas as "a young pair of pandas will be moving in the near future."

He added that the zoo will renovate its facilities to welcome the new panda pair.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US