Hong Kong is to receive another pair of giant pandas from China, as a gift from the central government.
The announcement coincided with Monday’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day, marking 27 years since the Handover to China.
In a statement, Chief Executive John Lee thanked the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration for their assistance: “This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which makes this gift even more special.”
“The two pairs of giant pandas given by the Central Government in the past have accompanied generations of Hong Kong people, which is [a] collective memory of all,” Lee added. “The new pair of giant pandas will become close ‘family members’ of Hong Kong people, bringing us laughter and joy.”
He said that details will be announced in due course, and preparatory work has already begun.
‘Panda diplomacy’
Last March, animal welfare NGO has urged China not to use animals such as pandas as political gifts. It came after a 24-year-old male giant panda named Le Le died at Memphis Zoo in the US.
Jason Baker, the Asia vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said pandas were not objects to be gifted for diplomatic purposes. “They are intelligent and social animals that form close bonds with their families and friends.”
The are only around 1,800 giant pandas remain in their natural habitat, according to Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, which is already home to two pandas: Ying Ying and Le Le.
The pair were gifted to Hong Kong in 2007 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Handover.
An An and a female called Jia Jia were donated by the Chinese government in 1999 to mark the second anniversary of the Handover. Jia Jia died in 2016, and An An in 2022.
In the wild, giant pandas can live between 14 to 20 years, whilst those in captivity can reach 30, according to the Word Wide Fund for Nature.
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