State Council's Wu Yi to visit giant pandas
Giant pandas An An and Jia Jia will make their debut on Monday for an entourage of mainland VIPs led by State Councillor Wu Yi, but the rest of the public will have to wait until the next day.
The cabinet-level official, previously responsible for most talks over China's entry to the World Trade Organisation, will pay a one-day visit to open the 2,000-square-metre $80-million panda habitat.
The debut has been delayed for more than two weeks after Ocean Park veterinarians extended the pandas' quarantine to allow for a longer adjustment time, despite having kept them isolated since their arrival in March.
'The pandas are in good health and we do not think the visitors will unduly disturb them,' a spokesman said.
He added there had been visits by small groups during the past week to help the pandas adjust to seeing visitors.
The panda habitat would follow the park's normal opening hours, the spokesman said, so members of the public did not have to rush to see the pair.
Hopes that 14-year-old An An, a male, and 21-year-old Jia Jia would mate were dashed when their quarantine was extended to this month, which marks the end of the animals' mating season.
