pair of giant pandas left their southwest China home on Friday afternoon to start the first leg of their journey to Madrid, where they will stay for ten years as a goodwill gesture promised during a visit by Spanish King Juan Carlos to Beijing earlier this year.
The pair, seven-year-old Bing Xing and four-year old Hua Zui Ba, was flown from their home at a giant panda breeding and research base in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, to Shanghai at 3:50 PM, sources with the base said.
Bing Xing, meaning "Ice Star", weighs 140 kg and is the heaviest at the Chengdu base. His bride Hua Zui Ba, which translates into "Flowery Mouth", weighs 93 kg and is also among the strongest.
Zoologists say both pandas are potentially productive, as Bing Xing has fathered twins and Hua Zui Ba entered estrus at three and a half years old, nearly a year earlier than normal. Her mother Cheng Cheng is among the most productive female pandas at the Chengdu base, having given birth to eight cubs, seven of whom survived.
The two bears will spend Friday night at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and will take a chartered plane to Madrid early on Saturday.
