| Videos | ? Latest |
|
? Feature | ? Sports | ? Your Videos |
'Bi Li' and 'Xian Nu' acclimatize to life in Japan
0 
A pair of panda's have arrived safely in Tokyo and are getting used to their new home after being loaned by China to Japan. Japanese officials say the pandas' popularity will boost Tokyo's economy and enhance the friendship between the two countries.
"Bi Li" and "Xian Nü",ended their epic 30 hour journey from Sichuan province to Tokyo around 11 pm on Monday night. The panda had a health check upon arrival at their new home, the Curator of Neno Zoo is delighted to receive the animals and hoped there will soon be the patter of smaller panda feet at the enclosure.
Teruyuki Komiya, curator of Neno Zoo, said, "I'm relieved that they finally arrived safely. We aim to bread pandas here, and that way we hope we can fight against pandas going close to extinction. "
Experts say although the temperature in Tokyo is much lower than in Sichuan, the pandas' hometown, it's still OK, as pandas like living in a low-temperature environment. They've also started eating bamboo grown in Japan, and the "Japanese cuisine" didn't hurt their appetite at all.
The new arrivals have sparked a frenzy of interest all over Japan.
A visitor said, I've seen a panda three times. I like them very much.
Another visitor said, I really want to see the pandas. I always think pandas are very cute since I was little. I'm eager to see them.
But they have to be patient as the pandas' public debut is expected to be in late March following one-month in quarantine. Japanese officials hope the pandas can boost the local economy by 240 million US dollars or 10 percent a year. Numbers visiting the zoo fell by about 500 thousand since Ling Ling died in 2008.
