Pair of giant pandas touch down in Adelaide after 15-hour flight from China

After a 15-hour flight, two adorable panda cubs have arrived in Australia. The male panda, "Xing Qiu," and the female panda, "Yi Lan," both three years old, landed in Adelaide at 6 a.m. today, marking the official start of China's ten-year panda loan program to Australia, with hopes that the pair will breed during their stay.

The pandas will undergo a 30-day quarantine at the Adelaide Zoo, after which they are expected to officially meet visitors in mid-January. Many fans of "Xing Qiu" and "Yi Lan" even waited near the airport to welcome the two new members to their home for the next ten years.

A man from China, interviewed by 9News outside the Adelaide airport, said he was very much looking forward to seeing the two pandas at the zoo. "I really like pandas, and I came here from China," he said. People are hoping that the pandas will successfully mate and produce offspring during their time at the Adelaide Zoo.

Giant pandas are classified as a vulnerable species, and the Adelaide Zoo has reached a cooperation agreement with relevant Chinese institutions to create a breeding environment for panda offspring in Australia. After the quarantine period ends early next year, a formal welcome ceremony will be held for "Xing Qiu" and "Yi Lan."

The arrival of these new pandas replaces the much-loved pandas "Wang Wang" and "Funi," who lived at the Adelaide Zoo from 2008 until they returned to China this year. After 15 years in Australia, they have returned to China, and this new pair of pandas will become the latest attraction for visitors to the Adelaide Zoo.