Apair of giant pandas from southwest Chinaarrived in Brussels on Sunday. Panda fans swamped to the airport to get the first glimpse of the four-year-old panda cubs before they settled down into their new home in Pairi Daiza Zoo.
Touching down in their new home...
If it wasn’t for the banners, you would have expected a famous celebrity to be hitting the tarmac. Even Belgium’s Prime Minister came out to the airport to greet his new guests.
"It’s a symbol of national treasure. There are only 1,600 pandas in the world and we will have two of them here for the next 15 years. We are very appreciative and also know that a lot of trust is being placed in our country. It is of great significance for the future relations between China and Belgium," Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said.
When the curtains were unveiled, the Prime Minister was among the first to witness this...
The two pandas were not shy at all in front of their new hosts.
They will be spending the next 15 years in Brussels as part of a research program on one of the word’s most endangered species. The zoo has spent over 10 million dollars to create a ’Chinese Garden’ home for its guests.
The two panda cubs won’t be meeting the public until they have adapted to their new surroundings which should come by early April. Until that time, pandamania is likely to grow even further.
