New giant panda pair, Yi Lan and Xing Qiu set to call Adelaide Zoo home by mid December
New pandas on the block Yi Lan and Xing Qiu will need to have their Christmas stockings ready, as they’re expected to call Adelaide Zoo home just before the holiday.
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Christmas will come early for Adelaide Zoo as its newest residents — giant pandas Yi Lan and Xing Qiu — will touch down in Adelaide this December.
The black and white duo will make their 15-hour journey from China, with a quick stopover in Malaysia, before arriving in Adelaide on December 15.
Accompanying the furry pair are staff from Zoos SA, as well as a vet and panda keeper from China.
Once landed, they will spend several weeks in quarantine at their new abode in Adelaide Zoo.
This comes after beloved pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni bid goodbye to their time at Adelaide Zoo and returned home in November.
The panda pair were unable to successfully breed in SA, however scientific research on their behaviour had improved the species’ chances of survival, according to Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted.
South Australians will need to be patient and wait a few more years before the new panda duo could potentially introduce a youngling to the mix.
Xing Qiu and Yi will remain in quarantine until mid-January before being released into their enclosure.
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