ADELAIDE, Australia — Two giant pandas from China were welcomed to Australia on Saturday with gifts of bamboo and a city party before settling into their new home, a 25-acre natural enclosure at the Adelaide Zoo.
Four-year-old male Wang Wang and 3-year-old female Fu Ni are on loan to the zoo for 10 years as part of a joint research program. “It’s a dream come true,” said zoo chief executive Chris West. “It’s a journey ended and a journey started.”
Twelve life-size panda figures lined the runway at the Adelaide airport, where the animals’ flight was met by state and zoo officials holding a “Welcome” sign and branches of bamboo.
An 18-vehicle convoy of floats then left the airport for downtown Adelaide, where a parade through the streets was followed by a public party lasting all afternoon.
The zoo has built a $7.25 million enclosure that includes bamboo plants and refrigerated rocks to keep them comfortable in Adelaide’s hot summers.
