An official from the State Forestry Administration, who remained anonymous, said the giant pandas were about one year old. They are cute and healthy, and can give birth to baby pandas, he said.

 

The central government's decision has aroused widespread concern in Hong Kong and the mainland. According to this official, the State Forestry Administration has formed an expert team to select the appropriate giant pandas based on the requirement of the Hong Kong SAR government. After repeated discussions and careful analysis, the expert team finally set concrete criteria for the selection work. In light of these criteria, the experts tried to choose an appropriate pair based on the giant pandas' age, physical conditions, behaviors, psychological conditions, physical features and heredity conditions. The selection work was done on an extensive scale. In the end, the central government decided to pick a pair of giant pandas from Sichuan Wolong.

 

Giant panda is a rare species in China and is cherished by people all over the world. In China, the central government attaches great importance to the protection of giant pandas. Thanks to central and local government's efforts, China has now built 59 nature reserves for giant pandas, where about 70% of the giant pandas in China live. These natural protection zones cover 60% of all the natural habitats for giant pandas in China. So far, China has 1,590 wild giant pandas. By the end of 2006, the number of giant pandas bred in captivity reached 217.