Pair of giant pandas touch down in Adelaide after 15-hour flight from China

Australia’s two new giant pandas have touched down in a stifling Adelaide, and will spend four weeks in quarantine before going on show to the public next month.

But while the pandas are staying out of the spotlight for now, politicians were today out in force to welcome the new arrivals, Xing Qiu and Yi Lan.

After an 11-hour flight from China, the four-year-old male and three-year-old female landed in Adelaide on Sunday morning, where the temperature was forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius.

“They have air conditioning, just like we do, in the airplane,” China’s Consul-General to Adelaide, Li Dong, said this morning.

“The high temperature is also a significant gesture, I think, from heaven to welcome them, to show them the warmth.”

SA Deputy Premier Susan Close said it would cost the Australian government $1.5 million a year over 10 years to keep the pandas at Adelaide Zoo.

“That of course is more than recouped in terms of the tourism benefit that we see, as well as the real stabilisation of the relationship that we see between China and Australia,” Ms Close said.

“China is Australia’s biggest trading partner, most significant trading partner, and we saw when the relationship wasn’t strong, when we lost our ability to sell wine to China, how much that hurt South Australia in particular.

“Now that that’s been re-established, we’re starting to see those sales into China zooming up again, and we want to make sure that that relationship remains strong.”

Mr Dong similarly emphasised the diplomatic significance of the pandas’ arrival.

“It is very symbolic, because it brings with them the friendship of the Chinese people and the Chinese government to Australia,” he said.

“It is the 10th anniversary of the state visit of [president] Xi Jinping and also the establishment of the 10th year of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries.

“This is the starting point of a new 10 years.”

The new pair of pandas replaces Wang Wang and Fu Ni, who returned to China last month.

A constant theme of their 15-year stay was the possibility of them breeding — something they failed to do, despite annual optimism.

Mr Dong said while Xing Qiu and Yi Lan were not of breeding age, he was keeping his “fingers crossed”.

“They are not ready to have babies yet, but let’s see, let’s see,” he said.

Wang Wang and Fu Ni were credited with boosting Adelaide Zoo’s visitors by 150,000 during their first year.

SA Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison was hopeful the new pandas would prove even more popular. 

“I’d like more than that. The only place in the southern hemisphere to see the giant pandas is in Adelaide. This is exceptional,” she said.

“These new young giant pandas are going to be such an attraction so I am very confident we’re going to see higher numbers than that.”

In a statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the federal government was proud to partner with the SA government and Zoos SA to make the pandas’ arrival possible.

“I am looking forward to welcoming Xing Qiu and Yi Lan to Adelaide, and visiting the Adelaide Zoo with my daughters early next year, once the pandas are out of quarantine,” Senator Wong said.

“I know they will bring joy to tourists from across the country and overseas, and pay dividends to the state’s tourism sector over the next decade.”

Xing Qiu, which means “star autumn”, and Yi Lan, meaning “idly blissful”, were respectively housed at China’s Chengdu and Ya’an panda bases before their journey to Adelaide.

The SA government said the pair would undergo their quarantine at Adelaide Zoo’s bamboo forest ahead of its reopening for an official welcome next month.

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