Pandas to Macao may come from Wolong

By Huang Zhiling in Chengdu and Zhang Jin in Macao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-12-20 15:22

The pair of giant pandas - the central government's gift to mark the 10th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland - are likely to be selected from Wolong Natural Reserve in Sichuan, the reserve's chief said.

"There is a 60 percent chance that the pandas to Macao are from our reserve," Zhang Heming told China Daily on Sunday. The reserve, the largest Panda breeding base in the world, has more than 60 white-and-black bears.

Hong Kong's four pandas - An An, Jia Jia, Ying Ying and Le Le - are all from the reserve, which also sent another pair – Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan - to Taiwan last year.

Zhang said Macao now lacks the facilities needed to keep the bears, but it is easy to build them under the instruction of panda experts.

Zhang Shanning, an official in charge of natural conservation at the State Administration of Forestry, said he has no idea about from which reserve the pandas will be chosen. He said he had no knowledge of gifting two pandas to Macao until President Hu Jintao announced that at the welcoming banquet in Macao on Saturday.

If not Wolong, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which has more than 40 pandas, is the most likely supplier. China has two more panda-keeping bases in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, but they are much smaller.

Macao has sent eight animal keepers to Sichuan to learn the skills, and local keepers have exchanged with Hong Kong and Taiwan on raising pandas, Macau Asia Satellite TV reported on Sunday.

The enclave does not have zoos, but there are several parks keeping some animals.

Macao to get two pandas as birthday gift