Er Shun & Da Mao arrived @ Toronto Zoo
The FedEx Panda Express Chengdu – Toronto arrived in Canada with Er Shun & Da Mao on March 25, 2013.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper greeted Canada’s panda pair at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, marking the start of their much-anticipated 10-year stay in Canada.
For the next five years, the pandas will be at the Toronto Zoo, where it is hoped that Er Shun and Da Mao will be able to reproduce. They will spend the final half of their Canadian visit in Calgary.
Police helped control traffic as the furry visitors made their way to the zoo. And when the small convoy of four vehicles rolled into the zoo with Er Shun and Da Mao, staff and volunteers cheered their arrival.
Toronto Zoo is now the 17th zoo outside of China with giant pandas.
Stephen Harper Harper and his wife, Laureen, waited on the tarmac at Pearson Airport Monday morning to greet the pandas as they emerged from the FedEx Panda Express plane after a 15-hour, 12,875-kilometre trip.
As the crates carrying Da Mao and Er Shun were offloaded, the prime minister walked up to the crates — which have transparent panels — to see the pandas.
“It has been more than 20 years since Canadians have had the opportunity to see giant pandas in our zoos,” Harper told reporters on the tarmac.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was also among the dignitaries on hand to welcome the animals. “Welcome to Toronto!” Ford said on Twitter shortly after the pandas touched down.
Zhang Junsai, the Chinese ambassador to Canada, was also at the airport for the animals’ arrival in Toronto. He thanked the prime minister for welcoming “the VIPs — that is, Very Important Pandas — from China.”
He said China is committed for many more years to “further promote the mutual understanding and friendship” with Canada.
Click here for more videos of Er Shun & Da Mao’s arrival in Canada.
Toronto Zoo’s Panda Exhibit will be opened to the public on May 18, 2013. Visist www.torontozoo.com for more info.
