Panda power arrives in time for Asian Games
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![Photo taken on Oct. 18 shows the 6 pandas in Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The six pandas left the Bifengxia Panda Base on Oct. 27 for Guangzhou to meet with the visitors during the 16th Asian Games on Wednesday. [Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20101028/0014222d98500e336e085b.jpg "Photo taken on Oct. 18 shows the 6 pandas in Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The six pandas left the Bifengxia Panda Base on Oct. 27 for Guangzhou to meet with the visitors during the 16th Asian Games on Wednesday. [Xinhua]") |
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Photo taken on Oct. 18 shows the 6 pandas in Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The six pandas left the Bifengxia Panda Base on Oct. 27 for Guangzhou to meet with the visitors during the 16th Asian Games on Wednesday. [Xinhua] |
Six giant pandas were scheduled to arrive in this Guangdong provincial capital late Wednesday night to provide a cheer for the upcoming 16th Asian Games.
The pandas, four male and two female, will settle down in Guangzhou Xiangjiang Safari Park and join the six pandas already in the park to form an "Asian Games Panda Group".
The park is located in the city's Panyu district where the Asian Games Town is located. The Town will be home to about 30,000 athletes, coaches, reporters, technical officials and staff from 45 Asian nations and regions during the games from Nov 12 to 27.
The pandas, which were all born last year, were handpicked from 70 at the Bifeng Gorge Breeding Base in Ya'an city, about a two-hour ride from Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, according to Zhou Jiqiu, a senior animal keeper at the base.
"The oldest panda is 15 months old and the youngest is only 13 months old, which is equivalent to about a four-year-old child," Zhou said.
The six pandas are named Hao Hao, Yun Yun, Jin Ke, Yin Ke, Bo Si and Shen Wei, according to Zhou.
The pandas were trucked to Chengdu airport on Wednesday morning in preparation to be flown to Guangzhou.
They are expected to meet the public on Nov 2 after getting accustomed to their new environment.
In addition to special veterinarians, three experienced keepers from the base were expected to accompany the pandas to Guangzhou.
