The Panda Passage exhibit will launch a five-year stay in Calgary for two of the four animals and highlight $100 million in renovations at the zoo.
It’s a culmination of a 2012 agreement signed by China and Canada to bring the pandas first to the Toronto Zoo then to Calgary Zoo.
“The last piece of a big puzzle is the arrival of the pandas” said zoo CEO Dr. Clement Lanthier.
The adult bears, Er Shun and Da Mao, will be making the cross-country flight from Ontario to Alberta in late March along with the made-in-Canada cubs, Jia Panpan (Canadian Hope) and Jia Yueyue (Canadian Joy).
They’ll be quarantined for just over a month with help from zookeepers from Toronto, said Lanthier. “ We want to make sure the transition is seamless ”
After two years in Calgary, the two cubs will return to China, with Calgary Zoo officials hoping they receive clearance from their home country to breed new ones, said Lanthier.
“ We’re very confident we’ll have that recommendation ” he said, adding if they do, it’d be done through artificial insemination.
The bears’ new Calgary home, the $14-million Panda Passage located in the former Eurasian Gateway building that once housed elephants, is ready for their arrival, said Lanthier.
“ It’s a great space with a lot of room and a lot of bamboo there’s a little touch of Chinese artifacts that will be loved by both visitors and the pandas ” he said.
Cissy Kou, experienced panda caregiver and Calgary native, is returning to the city from Hong Kong to help tend to the celebrity animals.
They are expected to increase attendance at the zoo by 25 per cent in the first year, boosting it to 1.5 million with an economic impact of $18 million.
Beyond that, the arrival of the pandas symbolizes an emotional watershed after the devastation of the 2013 flood that swamped the Bow River island, said Lanthier.
“ It has been a long road. We are very grateful for the support of our community, our members, our sponsors, donors and government ” he said.
“ We’re ready to reintroduce our community to a transformed world-class zoo that we are all extremely proud of ”
The zoo is also hoping Panda Passage will elevate its message of conservation beyond iconic species like the bears, said Lanthier.
“ For us, it’s a unique opportunity to talk about the status of the panda, which has gone from endangered to threatened and the question is why can’t we do this for other, less charismatic species ? ” he said.
The launch coincides with other zoo improvements, such as new food concessions, the $8-million Land of Lemurs exhibit launched last year, a new suspension bridge and better habitats for a host of species.
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