President Joko Jokowi Widodo and China's President Xi Jinping are expected to inaugurate the arrival of pandas Cai Tao and Hun Chun at the Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) in Cisarua, West Java, according to the park's official.
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China are expected to inaugurate the arrival of pandas Cai Tao and Hun Chun at the Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) in Cisarua, West Java, according to the park's official.
Triyoba Nataria, TSI's marketing head, told Kompas.com of the scheduled plan without specifying an exact date.
The seven-year-old pandas are on a breeding loan to Indonesia for the next 10 years, following a conservation agreement between China and Indonesia signed in August last year involving PT Taman Safari Indonesia and the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) in Guiyang, China.
"It is hoped that the panda couple could give birth in the second year," Triyoba said.
The cooperation process was initiated five years ago, Triyoba added, saying that Chinese officials had examined Taman Safari and deemed it feasible around three years ago.
Strict requirements are upheld in the case of China agreeing to lend pandas to any country, including for the beneficiary country to fulfil certain criterias, such as proper temperature, adequate supply of bamboo and standardized quaratine procedures.
Read also: Indonesia ready for arrival of pandas from China
Cai Tao and Hun Chun are currently living in the Wolong Panda Base at the Wolong Nature Reserve in China.
Both are scheduled to arrive at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, at 8:50 a.m. on Sept. 28, after leaving on a Garuda Indonesia Airbus 330-200 from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan, China.
"This is a symbol of bilateral relations and peace between the two countries," Triyoba said.
The pandas would enter quarantine for one week, Triyoba said, adding that the public would be able to meet Cai Tao and Hun Chun sometime in November. (liz/asw)
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