An An and Jia Jia, giant pandas from the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, were gifts from the Central Government to the SAR.
Giant pandas are among the rarest mammals in the world. The black-and-white animals have black patches on their eyes, ears, limbs, shoulders and backs. Today, there are fewer than 1,200 giant pandas left in the wild.
The babies of giant pandas are called cubs, and new-born cubs only weigh 90 to 120 grams and are pink in colour. Cubs will turn black-and-white after about a month. Since giant pandas are singletons, cubs will leave their parents and live on their own when they are a year old.
Adult giant pandas can reach 1.6 to 1.8 metres in height and 60 to 160 kilograms in weight.
Giant pandas spend up to 14 hours eating 12 to 16 kilograms of bamboo a day.
An An and Jia Jia arrived in Hong Kong in March and are housed at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat in Ocean Park. The 2,000- square metre habitat has grassy slopes, a pool and a rooftop glass window to provide the giant pandas with an environment which resembles their natural habitat in Sichuan.
The giant pandas have been designated the park's Conservation Ambassadors.
