Relax - S'pore to receive two giant pandas from China

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S'pore to receive two giant pandas from China

AFP | Wed, Nov 11 2009

The pandas, a male and female, would arrive in 2011 and be housed at River Safari, a new attraction being built.

S'pore to receive two giant pandas from China

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zoo

panda

china

SINGAPORE - China will send two pandas to Singapore to mark next year's 20th anniversary of bilateral relations, the city-state's zoo operator said Wednesday.

The announcement was made Wednesday evening by President Hu Jintao during a meeting with Singapore President S. R. Nathan, Wildlife Reserves Singapore said in a statement.

It said the pandas, a male and female, would arrive in 2011 - a year after the 20th anniversary - and be housed at River Safari, a new attraction being built.

They will be loaned to Singapore for 10 years, a spokeswoman for the zoo operator told AFP.

Preliminary work for River Safari has begun and construction is due to be completed by mid-2011. Visitors will be able to see the pandas when River Safari opens its doors in early 2012.

China has used panda diplomacy worldwide since the days of the Cold War, most famously when it helped cement a rapprochement with the United States in the early 1970s by sending a pair of the animals.

More recently, it sent a pair of pandas to Taiwan late last year amid a thaw in relations between mainland China and the self-ruled island, which split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.

China normally demands enormous fees for its pandas.

The statement said the panda enclosure in hot and humid Singapore would be climate-controlled to approximate the cooler climes of mountainous southwestern China, the animals' natural habitat.

Habitat/ Exhibit

The two giant pandas will be housed at Wildlife Reserves Singapore's River Safari. The exhibit will be constructed according to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums standards. It will be fully air-conditioned and the humidity level kept low. The giant pandas will be housed in a 1600 m² climate-controlled enclosure, off-exhibit holding area, exercise yard and cubbing den. The entire habitat will be air-conditioned with temperature set between 18 to 22˚C and humidity controlled at 50 to 60% all year round. The ambient conditions will be adjusted to simulate the four seasons similar to their natural habitat

Diet

The Giant Panda’s diet consists mainly of bamboo, vegetables and special foliovore biscuits. It is estimated that a panda’s daily intake is about 20kg of bamboo browse per day. In preparation of the pandas’ arrival, Wildlife Reserves Singapore plans to cultivate six different bamboo species in its parks.

Conservation

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Giant Panda is endangered. The contraction of panda population is the result of logging and trees being removed to make way for farming. Conservation efforts include restoring panda habitats such as creating forest reserves and captive breeding programmes

Husbandry

A team of four dedicated and experienced staff have been identified to care for the pandas. In addition, four staff from China’s panda team will be in Singapore - two staff at a time for six months over the one year duration for the training and to see to the establishment of the ideal habitat for the pandas in their new home in Singapore. The pandas will be well cared for by an excellent team of veterinarians, zookeepers, and researchers in line with World Association of Zoos and Aquariums standards and recommendations.

Source: Wildlife Reserves Singapore