Chengdu pandas arrive in May

Combo photo taken on March 31, 2015 shows two giant at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

After three months of deliberation, on Tuesday two giant pandas were selected as gifts from the central government to Macau.
According to Xinhua, a female panda, numbered 667, and a male, numbered 726, were chosen from the 55 candidates which met the age requirement at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in Sichuan Province, according to its director Zhang Zhihe. They have no blood relations, get on well with each other and are in their prime years for breeding, he claimed.
The pandas, both 110 kilograms in weight, will be flown into Macau at the beginning of May, taking the place of the two pandas previously sent as gifts. Male panda Kai Kai and his partner Sam Sam, who died of illness last year, arrived in Macau in 2010. It has not yet been decided whether Kai Kai will be returned.
According to Lan Jingchao, head of the Base’s veterinary hospital, panda 726 was born in 2008 and has large black patches around his eyes. He is strong, energetic, active and good at climbing. He likes interacting with the keepers and other pandas and has shown good leadership qualities.
Panda 667, born in 2007, has a very round mouth, head, ear and body shape, which makes her seem like a rolling ball when playing. She is gentle and has a good appetite. She has displayed typical rutting behaviors for three years but has yet to mate, Lan said.
The pandas have gone through three rounds of selection. After the first two rounds, which were conducted by experts from across the country, two pairs stood out based on criteria such as age, health and fertility. The final selection was conducted by Macau representatives. A 30-day quarantine will be carried out before the two pandas set off on their journey to the region.  Xinhua