Society
Japanese-born giant panda to arrive in SW China
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-13 02:19
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CHENGDU -?Xing Bang, a giant panda born in Japan, will arrive on March 16 at a breeding base in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The 4.5-year-old male would be flown to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan on March 16 from Tokyo, said Yang Feifei, a publicity official with the base.
Xing Bang would be kept in quarantine for about one month. He also needed time to adapt to the new climate, environment and diet before he could meet the public, Yang said.
He was scheduled to depart from the Narita International Airport in Tokyo at 5:25 p.m. on March 15 and arrive at the Beijing Capital International Airport at 9:30 p.m.. He will head for Chengdu, the provincial capital, the next day, Yang said.
Xing Bang, weighing about 110 kilograms, was born in August 2005 and raised at the Adventure World in Shirahama. He was the base's fifth giant panda coming from overseas, she said.
Giant pandas, known for being sexually inactive, are among the world's most endangered animals.
About 1,600 giant pandas live in China's wild, mostly in Sichuan and the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu. Another 290 are in captive-breeding programs mainly in China, but also worldwide.
