位于上海世博會非洲聯合館內的肯尼亞館7日迎來了兩位特別“嘉賓”——來自非洲大草原的“獅子王”和“犀牛寶寶”。這是肯尼亞政府給上海世博會送來的兩份禮物：來自肯尼亞野生動物保護中心的成年雄獅標本和來自肯尼亞國家博物館的幼體犀牛標本。強壯、威武的獅子和只有小狗大小的犀牛寶寶并排“站”在肯尼亞館的金銀合歡樹下，制造出一種溫馨的戲劇效果。

此外，上海動物園里的10只活潑可愛，憨態可掬的“世博熊貓寶寶”以及塞舌爾向上海世博會捐贈的兩只亞達伯拉象龜也深受游客的喜愛。

A lion cub from Kenya are on display in the Joint Africa Pavilion on Monday. [China Daily]

Click for rhinoceros calf from Kenya

A lion cub and rhinoceros calf from Kenya will be on display in the Joint Africa Pavilion at the Expo Garden.

The two animals, both stuffed and about a month old, are making their first appearance at a World Expo. Before arriving in Shanghai, the lion cub was displayed at the National Museum of Kenya and the rhino at the Kenya Wildlife Service.

"The lion is a symbol of Kenya and the rhino is an endangered species that we need to pay more attention to," said Maurice O. Otieno, director of the Kenya Pavilion. "We brought animals to encourage all visitors to the Kenya Pavilion to think about the importance of wildlife protection in Africa."

There are 59 national wildlife parks and reservations in Kenya, which occupy about 11 percent of the country's land area.

"We encourage people who have never been to Kenya and experienced life in Africa to come to our pavilion," said Julius Sunkuli, Kenya's ambassador to China.

Meanwhile, outside the Expo Garden, 10 panda cubs that have been at the Shanghai Zoo since early January continue to thrive.

The cubs are from the Bifeng Gorge Base of Sichuan's Wolong Panda Protection Research Center in Ya'an city.

"The pandas are in good health, both mentally and physically," said Yang Jie, one of the four handlers of the cubs. The panda cubs will celebrate their second birthdays in July, August and September.

The panda cubs have attracted 450,000 visitors since February, according to Pan Xiuyun, director of the Shanghai Zoo.

In addition to the pandas, two Aldabra giant tortoises, presented to China by the Seychelles for the Expo 2010 Shanghai, are also proving popular among visitors.

The tortoises are among the largest in the world with a life expectancy of 250 years. The pair, in their early 30s, arrived in Shanghai in September 2009.

"I think learning about the animals of a country is a good start for learning about the culture of the country," said Yang Shihuai, a 17-year-old high school student from Changsha, Hunan province.

(China Daily)

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（中國日報網英語點津  Julie）