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Pandas to breed in Adelaide

By Kim Wheatley
September 06, 2007 12:00am
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ADELAIDE Zoo will become home to some of the world\'s rarest animals - giant pandas.

Two-year-old Wangwang and his one-year-old mate Funi are being brought to Adelaide to breed in a global survival program.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer is believed to have helped secure the pandas for a 10-year stay, following an Adelaide Zoo request.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors will be drawn to see the pandas in a major tourism and economic boost.

Prime Minister John Howard and Chinese President Hu Jintao are expected to sign an agreement at the APEC meeting in Sydney today formalising the agreement.

Wangwang and Funi were bred in captivity at the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, where 17 cubs were born last year. Only 12 zoos around the world have giant pandas, with most of the 185 in captivity in research and breeding centres in China.

Giant pandas are renowned worldwide as a symbol of peace and friendship.

They are loaned out by China to countries to promote goodwill.

Mr Downer said: I was asked by Adelaide Zoo chief executive officer Dr Chris West to help the zoo fulfil its ambition to secure a pair of pandas to assist with global conservation.

I am very pleased to have brought today\'s agreement to fruition. I thank the Chinese Government for its co-operation.

Australia last had two giant pandas in 1988, as China\'s gift for the Bicentennial celebrations.

Around 660,000 people visited Fei Fei and Xiao Xiao in their three-month stay in Melbourne and Sydney.

A $1-million enclosure was built at Melbourne Zoo and people were asked to check their gardens for the pandas\' favoured food, arrow bamboo.

The presence of Funi and Wangwang will be a reminder of President Hu\'s visit to Australia and a symbol of the warm and close relationship between our countries, Mr Downer said.

Live panda cams now are common in zoos where commemorative T-shirts, mugs, fridge magnets, soft toys and socks have become a multi-million dollar business.

The breeding program, however, is of most importance to ensure the survival of the species.

The San Diego Zoo, which attracts about 3.2 million visitors a year, has bred four cubs.