Everyone's talking about it: Xing Hui and Hao Hao have arrived in Pairi Daiza. It's the culmination of an incredible project for the most visited wildlife park in Belgium, which celebrates its 20th birthday this year.
After a long journey from China, the two pandas joined the park in Hainaut where an area of 5,300 m² was created especially for them. This panda enclosure also includes a 1,750 m² construction right in the middle Pairi Daiza's Chinese garden. You reach it by entering a bamboo forest, their favourite food.
These two giant pandas have been lent to Belgium by China for a period of fifteen years within the framework of an ambitious international programme for the safeguarding and reproduction of giant pandas, of which there are no more than 1,600 left in the wild and 300 in captivity.
Real symbols of endangered species, they are considered national treasures in China. Until now, only four European zoos and sixteen throughout the world have been able to accommodate giant pandas from China. This gift really does have strong symbolic value and demonstrates how much confidence China has in our country.
"It's an historic moment in the relations between Belgium and China. Hao Hao and Xing Hui flew across thousands of mountains and rivers to get to Belgium, which shows the great sincerity and feeling of friendship the Chinese government has towards the Belgian people. I hope that the arrival of the two pandas brings joy and happiness to the European people", said the Chinese ambassador to Brussels, who welcomed the two bears upon their arrival by plane.
The two pandas are 4 years old: the male is called Xing Hui, what means "shining star" and the female, Hao Hao which means "kind". Apparently the name suits her well as she was named "favourite Panda in China" at the Giant Pandas Zoo Award 2013 that took place in Atlanta last January. The young female panda already has a number of fans in China and it won't be long before she seduces the Belgian public.
Why not join us in April to admire them? Until then, Hao Hao and Xing Hui will be acclimatising to their new environment. At the end of March, they will already be receiving a particularly prestigious visit as King Philippe comes to see them, accompanied by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, in person.
