Two Chinese pandas begin journey to UK
Two Chinese pandas are on the way to their new home in Scotland. Both China and the UK are busy preparing these special passengers for their flight.
An 8,000 kilometre trip.
Two giant pandas from the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan has started their travel to their new home in Scotland on Saturday.
The pandas will arrive at Edinburgh Zoo on Sunday after a flight on their specially charteredplane, nicknamed the "FedEx Panda Express."
Panda trainer, Xie Hao, will travel and stay with the pandas to help them adjust.
Xie said, "Of course, the most important part is their adjustment to this new environment and the new handlers. Everything around them is new. So we need to work together with ourpeers in Britain to teach them about each panda’s personalityand needs."
It will be the first time in almost 20 years that pandas have lived in Britain.
But this does not come cheap.
The loan will cost the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland more than 900 thousand US dollars a year.