China to send giant pandas to France on ten-year loan
A high-level deal between China and France will see the loan of two giant pandas to a French zoo for 10 years starting from early 2012. The pair will be the first pandas sent to France since the death of Yen Yen in 2000 who was given to former president Georges Pompidou in 1970s along with another panda, who died shortly after arriving.
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The pandas will be sent from a breeding centre in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengud by early 2012 to the Beauval zoo for a conservation and research programme.
The director of Beauval zoo in central France, Rodolphe Delord, said an official agreement on the programme would be signed in the next few days between French and Chinese zoo officials in Beijing after five years of negotiations.
China is known for what is called its ‘panda diplomacy’ – using endangered giant pandas as diplomatic gifts to other countries. In recent years it has sent pandas to the US, Thailand, Singapore, Spain, Austria and Japan.
Meanwhile, two giant pandas are set to arrive at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland on Sunday on a ten-year loan from China, agreed after years of high-level political and diplomatic negotiations.
Yang Guang (Sunshine) and Tian Tian (Sweetie) are a breeding pair and the zoo is hoping Tian Tian will give birth to cubs during her stay.
The loan is said to have cost the zoo 770,000 euros for each panda.
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