Editorial | Excitement on home run for Hong Kong’s VIP pandas
Bears will be given state-leader treatment and police motorcade on arrival in city, where they are sure to lift spirits
Panda fever is set to sweep Hong Kong with the arrival on Thursday of the latest furry couple gifted by Beijing. The giant pandas hailing from Sichuan province will be greeted like state leaders, complete with motorcyclists from the Force Escort Group to shadow the black-and-white VIPs on their journey from the airport to their new home at Ocean Park.
For those who have not kept up, there has been much preparatory work going on. Ocean Park has splashed out on refurbishment of the Sichuan Treasures facility that the pandas will call home, funded by a HK$121 million (US$15.5 million) donation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Charities Trust.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu carried out an inspection of the facility and said initial preparations were complete, with climbing frames and plants already installed. However, supervision systems and snow machines are still pending.
The latest wave of panda mania begins in earnest around midday on Thursday when their Cathay Pacific flight touches down at Hong Kong International Airport, just ahead of next week’s National Day holiday. After a welcoming ceremony officiated by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the police motorcade will ensure safe passage during the 40km (25 mile) ride to the park on the south side of Hong Kong Island.
The bears will then head into seclusion – they need 30 days of quarantine and another month to get acclimatised to their new environment. They will be ready to meet the public in the middle of December.
