Japan-born giant pandas return to China

A pair of Japan-born giant pandas returned to their permanent residence in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, early Saturday morning.

The twin giant pandas include a male Mei Hin who is known as Ming Bang in Chinese, and a female Ai Hin, or Ai Bang in Chinese. The duo was born on Dec. 23, 2012 at Japan's Adventure World in the country's Wakayama Prefecture.

The cubs are the last children of Mei Mei, a giant panda who was previously shipped to Japan under an international agreement between China and Japan for breeding the species.

The six-year-old twins arrived at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwest China early on Saturday morning after transferring from the Beijing airport.

The pair flew to Beijing from the Osaka airport in Japan on Friday, and went through customs procedures in Beijing later in the afternoon.According to regulations, Mei Hin and Ai Hin will spend a month in quarantine in an isolated enclosure before meeting any tourists or visitors.

Their temporary enclosure has two master bedrooms for each twin, and is also equipped with a space for outdoor activities.While in quarantine, the pandas will also be served various types of bamboo by experienced caretakers.

The research base will take full use of the month-long quarantine period to acclimate the twins to their new diet, climate and environment in Chengdu.The twins are expected to make their China debut in one month.


AP