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. The freight aircraft carrying the two cubs is expected to arrive at Hong Kong International Airport at 4pm today, where officials will announce the names for the pair chosen from more than 12,000 entries submitted by the public earlier this month. Each of the two 200kg cages is equipped with a water container and a special window for feeding. It is expected that the staff will feed the pandas less than usual during the journey but they will be given something to chew on, to help them adjust to the sensation in their ears as the aircraft gains altitude. The pandas will be kept in quarantine for the first few weeks at Ocean Park. More than 20 primary school pupils in Wolong will bid farewell to the pandas this morning, and wish them a healthy and happy life in Hong Kong.
