Visitors take photos of the panda at the Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan, central France, Feb. 18, 2012. [Xinhua]

Huan Huan and Yuan Zi came from Chengdu Research Base for Giant Pandas and the staff at the zoo in France have been working closely with their colleagues in China to ensure the pandas adapt well to their new life.

Li Liu, Chinese vet, said, "I think they are happy to be here. The enclosure for them is very good, the inside enclosure and the outside enclosure are very good and they like it very much."

The pair is on a 10-year loan from China in a traditional diplomatic gesture aimed at strengthening ties with other countries.

Zhu Jing, Chinese Embassy official, said, "We can see the joy on people's faces - the visitors, the children and the parents. It gives us great pleasure that the pandas are bringing so much joy to our friends in France."

Huan Huan and Yuan Zi are already a big hit in France. But the staff at Beauval Zoo Parc hope the panda will be more than just a tourist attraction and actually educate people and raise awareness about the endangered species.