Giant pandas back to China from Austria

VIENNA - Giant pandas Yang Yang and Yuan Yuan left Austria on Friday and arrived in Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Saturday, according to Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo.

A cargo plane carrying the two pandas, who were among the most popular animal stars at the Schoenbrunn Zoo, departed the Vienna Airport on Friday night. The pandas' favorite snacks, including bamboo, sweet potatoes and carrots, were also on board.

When visiting the pandas at the Schoenbrunn Zoo on Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to Austria Qi Mei thanked the zoo and the Austrian side for taking care of the pandas. She said that the Austrian people will have more opportunities to see the beloved pandas with a new panda conservation agreement between the two countries.

In June, Schoenbrunn Zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) signed an agreement to strengthen their cooperation on giant panda protection and related research. Under the agreement, a new pair of pandas will be sent to the zoo under a 10-year project after Yang Yang and Yuan Yuan's return to China.

Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck, director of Schoenbrunn Zoo, said in a statement that visitors to the zoo will not wait too long for the giant pandas as "a young pair of pandas will be moving in the near future."

He added that the zoo will renovate its facilities to welcome the new panda pair.