Two giant pandas touched down at Toronto's Pearson International Airport this morning and received VIP treatment and a warm welcome from the prime minister, kicking off a five-year stay in Canada's most populous city.
Er Shun, a five-year-old female, and Da Mao, a four-year-old male, will spend 10 years in Canada in total, an arrangement that Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced in China last year. But there are high hopes that the two will produce offspring while they are in Toronto.
The two pandas will spend the first half of that time at the Toronto Zoo and the second half in Calgary.
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.
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 expected to participate in a photo-op after the pandas' arrival in Toronto.
This photo from the plane shows Da Mao, one of two pandas en route to Toronto, enjoying the in-flight catering. (FedEx Canada) The pandas were scheduled to arrive in Toronto at 10:30 a.m. ET, but were delayed by about 20 minutes, FedEx said. Harper is expected to make a few remarks shortly after their arrival.
FedEx handled the transport of the giant pandas to Canada aboard an MD-11 plane dubbed the Panda Express. This is the sixth time the company has handled a panda move.
FedEx Canada president Lisa Lisson was interviewed live on CBC News Network on Monday morning and said the pandas had adjusted well to their journey.
"They look quite happy," Lisson said, referring to photos send via Twitter that show Da Mao chomping on bamboo inside the plane.
Plenty of legroom
Er Shun and Da Mao also had veterinarians travelling with them.
The FedEx plane carrying two giant pandas destined for the Toronto Zoo touched down in Toronto on Monday morning. (Marivel Taruc/CBC) The bears had a "full entourage and lots of legroom," Lisson told News Network host Heather Hiscox. They had "the whole plane to themselves."
Officials are hopeful the pair of pandas will become more than friends during their time together in Canada.
"We're hoping that when they're at the Toronto zoo they are going to breed, so we can protect this endangered species," said Lisson. "This is their first big date. They've never met before." said Lisson.
For the trip to Toronto, FedEx brought plenty of food — mostly bamboo and bamboo shoots, but also apples — for the pandas to munch on during their long journey.
Da Mao, a four-year-old male giant panda, was transported by FedEx from Chengdu, China to Toronto. (FedEx Canada) FedEx will continue to be involved with the panda exhibit during Er Shun and Da Mao's time in Toronto. The company will be flying fresh bamboo for them to eat several times a week.
Canada has not hosted panda bears for more than two decades.
A pair of giant pandas came to the Toronto Zoo for a few months in 1985, and the Calgary Zoo hosted pandas in 1988. Their short stay in Toronto drew hundreds of thousands of visitors that year.
Another couple of pandas spent a brief period at the Winnipeg Zoo in 1989.
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