Giant panda pair arrives in Austria for 10-year stay
新闻台署名 来源：新华社、《黎明报》、《阿拉伯新闻》、阿纳多卢通讯社与《分钟镜报》。由 GSRRA 编辑部翻译并节选。
The pandas will be introduced to the public after completing a period of quarantine and acclimatization.
Two giant pandas from southwest China’s Sichuan Province arrived at Vienna’s Schoenbrunn Zoo on Wednesday, marking the start of a decade-long stay as symbols of friendship between China and Austria.
The pandas – male He Feng and female Lan Yun – were both born in 2020. According to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, He Feng is energetic, while Lan Yun is known for her gentle nature. Their names refer to the freshness of lotus flowers and the fragrance of orchids, reflecting traditional Chinese symbolism.
The pandas will be introduced to the public after completing a period of quarantine and acclimatization. Their arrival will be celebrated in an official ceremony, and the zoo’s newly designed panda enclosure will be reopened.
“We are very proud to be committed to the protection and preservation of the giant panda and its habitat,” said zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck. “We are delighted that the new pair will now act as ambassadors for their endangered wild counterparts.”
Ahead of the transfer, two Austrian keepers traveled to China to study the pandas’ behavior and dietary needs. A Chinese keeper and veterinarian have also accompanied the animals to Austria and will remain on-site to assist with their adjustment to the new environment.
This latest exchange builds on more than two decades of cooperation between China and Austria. Since 2003, the two nations have collaborated on panda conservation, achieving progress in breeding, disease control, staff training, and public education.
Giant pandas enjoy food at China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya’an, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sept. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Xue Chen)
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20250424/2569a7a5904a418ab26327b29def8aa5/c.html
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
