China, US start new round of panda ties

On the same day when Yun Chuan and Xin Bao set out for the US, the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, signed an agreement on a new round of international cooperation on giant panda conservation. It means another pair of panda bears will move to the European country, initiating a 10-year international cooperation on giant panda conservation.

Giant pandas Yuan Yuan and Yang Yang, who are currently in Austria, will return to China once the previous cooperation agreement expires this year. Austria will renovate the Vienna zoo's panda enclosure and make other necessary arrangements to welcome the new pair to a more comfortable and safer living environment.

To ensure the well-being of the giant pandas, Chinese experts visited Austria at the start of this year and provided technical guidance on venue preparations, specifying standards for panda enclosure facilities, feeding management, food supply, healthcare and other requirements.

The China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Schoenbrunn Zoo, which is renowned as one of the most beautiful zoos in Europe, started their first phase of cooperation in 2003, with the arrival of giant pandas Yang Yang and Long Hui at the zoo. The pair set a European record by mating naturally and breeding four times to become the parents of five cubs.

Over the past two decades, both sides have achieved fruitful results in giant panda conservation, breeding, scientific research, technical exchanges, personnel training and public education, according to the Sichuan center.