KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is fully prepared to receive a pair of giant pandas from Chengdu, China in the middle of April.
Human Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G.Palanivel said several measures had and would be implemented to ensure the two pandas could be properly brought into the country.
He said a deputy Minister and several officers from the ministry would travel to Chengdu to find out developments on the pandas and bring them back in April.
"All measures have been taken to bring the pandas, which will be flown in byMASKargo for free," he told reporters before visiting the Giant Panda Complex at the National Zoo, here, Monday.
According to Palanivel, the complex, on a 1.6ha site, was completed in the second week of this month and was prepared to receive the pandas, Fu Wa (male panda) and Feng Yi (female).
The panda programme symbolises the 40th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic ties which will be celebrated this year. It is a follow-up to the cooperation agreement signed between Malaysia and China on June 15, 2012.
According to Palanivel, the cost of constructing the complex, at RM25 million, was borne by 1Malaysia Development Berhad (RM15 million) and the government (RM10 million).
Palanivel said the arrival of the pair in April also coincided with Visit Malaysia Year 2014, and would spur the national tourism industry.
"The pandas will be loaned to Malaysia for 10 years and will be housed in the special enclosure ecompassing three main areas with the temperature under 24 degrees Celsius - which is the same as its original habitat - exercise area, holding den, food preparation area and food storage area.
"It also has a laboratory, veterinary clinic, incubator room, nursery and monitoring room," he said.
Palanivel said Malaysia had made preparations to plant bamboo in 2012 to ensure adequate supply for the pandas for the 10-year period they would be in the country.
He said a six-hectare site had been identified in the Wetland Park, Putrajaya while another 10 hectares already had healthy bamboo clumps, for immediate needs, at the Wetland Park, Paya Indah, Dengkil.
He said the pandas would need 20 to 25kg of bamboo a day as their staple food and bamboo cakes which were processed from bamboo powder, bamboo shoots, apples and carrots.
"Malaysia has also sent its representatives to China to learn further about looking after the animals while they have also sent a representative here to look at the project site and exhibit area," he said.
Through the project, Palanivel said Malaysia also had the opportunity to conduct research on giant panda conservation and developing local experts.
On the tickets to see the two pandas, Palanivel said it would be decided by the Malaysian Zoological Association, a non-governmental organisation.
Meanwhile, National Zoo president Datuk Seri Zaharin Md Arif said more than one million local and international tourists were expected to visit the pandas at the National Zoo when the Giant Panda Complex is opened to the public at the end of May.
-- BERNAMA