At a ceremony at the Wolong Nature Reserve near the provincial capital Chengdu, the records of the giant pandas were presented to representatives of the National Zoological Park (NZP) based in Washington, where the duo will live for ten years.

Three-year-old Tian Tian, male, weighs 80 km, while two-year-old Mei Xiang, female, weighs 50 km. Both pandas are in excellent health.

The two giant pandas are on loan to NZP for scientific research purposes, according to an agreement reached between the China Wildlife Conservation Association and NZP.

There are only about 1,000 giant pandas in China, mostly living in the wild in the northwestern and southwestern areas. The Wolong reserve is a major habitat of the endangered species.

China has sent two giant pandas to the U.S. as friendly envoys in the 1970s. Last year, Hsing-Hsing, the male giant panda died of kidney failure in the Washington Zoo.

(People's Daily 12/06/2000)