The renovated Giant Panda Habitat in Hong Kong's Ocean Park
opened to the public on Sunday, where a pair of new-comer pandas
made their first public appearance.
The pair of young pandas -- Le Le and Ying Ying are the two
giant pandas presented by China's central government to the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as a gift to celebrate
the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.
Le Le, male, was born on August 8, 2005, and Ying Ying, female,
was born on Aug. 16 of the same year.
The panda couple, both born at the Wolong Center in Sichuan
province, came to Hong Kong on April 26, 2007. Since their arrival,
they have been staying at the Giant Panda Habitat, joining the two
other pandas, An An and Jia Jia, who have been living at Ocean Park
since 1999.
The refurbished habitat has a total activity area of 600 square
meters. Divided into three separate activity zones for the pandas,
each area is designed to reflect the ecological environment in
Sichuan, with a skylight roof allowing natural light through. In
the panda couple's room, extra climbing frames are stationed at
their enclosure, so they can be as active as they wish.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of Ocean Park Allan
Zeman said that he was delighted that the Giant Panda Habitat's
reopening coincided with the 10th anniversary celebration of Hong
Kong's return to China.
"It is the perfect way for us to share our joy and excitement
with the Hong Kong public," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2007)