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Countdown for pandas' trip

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Mainland panda workers and veterinarians took measures to ensure a safe and comfortable journey for the two giant pandas facing a long road trip and flight to Hong Kong today.

A five-man crew of two panda feeders, two veterinarians and a nurse - drawn from the panda conservation centre in Wolong and Ocean Park in Hong Kong - will accompany the animals on their journey.

They are due to leave Wolong at 8am in a motorcade of 18 vehicles including four police cars, and are expected to arrive at Chengdu airport, 130km away, at midday. They will be loaded on to a chartered flight to leave at 2pm, to arrive in Hong Kong two hours later.

Wang Chengdong, a veterinarian at the panda centre in Wolong, was confident that the transfer via Chengdu in Sichuan , would proceed smoothly.

'The vehicles will drive slowly on the part of the road under construction, and we will also have a break every couple of hours during the journey,' he said.

The two pandas have been trained to sit in the two cages in which they will travel.

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