Two giant pandas destined for the Toronto Zoo have arrived in the city.
A cargo plane carrying the pandas touched down at Pearson International Airport at around 11 a.m.
The two enclosures carrying the pandas were then lowered onto the runway a short time later, giving a number of zoo officials and dignitaries their first glimpse at one of the magnificent animals through a plexiglass panel.
The pandas, which weigh about 370 kilograms each, were then taken by motorcade to their new home at the zoo, where they will be placed into quarantine for at least 30 days.
“I want to offer my sincere thanks to the government of China for sharing these two pandas, symbols of peace and friendship, with all Canadians,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said. “These pandas will help us learn more about one and other while serving as a reminder of our deepening relationship, a relationship based on mutual respect and growing collaboration. It is truly an honour to be entrusted with their care.”
When the bears, named Er Shun and Da Mao, go on public display on May 18, it will be the first time in almost 30 years that pandas have been featured at the Toronto Zoo.
The breeding pair is on loan as part of a conservation partnership signed by the Chinese and Canadian governments.
The pandas are expected to remain in Canada for 10 years, spending five years at Toronto Zoo before moving on to Calgary Zoo.
“China and Canada are doing the right thing by joining hands together in protecting this endangered species,” Chinese ambassador to Canada Zhang Junsai said. “I’m pretty sure that Er Shun and Da Mao will live happy here together and I hope they will soon produce some junior pandas.”
A number of dignitaries were on hand for the arrival of the pandas, including Harper, Mayor Rob Ford and a number of senators and MPs.
Pandas fly in style
The pandas arrived in Toronto aboard a custom made FedEx cargo plane called the “Panda Express.”
The plane usually carries about 197,000 lbs of freight, but just the pandas, a veterinarian, two attendants and plenty of bamboo were on board for the 15-hour journey from Chengdu in southwestern China.
"They are being treated with 50 kilograms of apples, 200 kilograms of bamboo and all the toys they need," FedEx Spokesperson Adrian Grundy told CP24 early Monday morning. "It’s a comfortable and smooth flight for them. It’s business class all the way."
Native to mountain ranges in central China, the giant panda is an endangered species that has been forced out of lowland areas due to farming, deforestation and human encroachment.
According to the Toronto Zoo, there are about 1,600 left in the wild, and nearly 300 live in zoos and breeding centres around the world, but mostly in China.
"It has been a buzz over the last year," Maria Franke, curator of mammals at the zoo, told CP24 Monday morning. "We have had staff flying all over the place, keeper training, vet training, we have been dealing with a lot of permits and testing and we are just so excited."
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