Hongkongers wish to see baby pandas born in city, tourism chief tells Beijing

“Most Hong Kong people would like to see a giant panda born in the city. We have conveyed that wish to Beijing,” Yeung told a radio show.

“I believe Beijing will consider that. As for the final decision, it is up to the central authorities and relevant departments to make.”

The new bears will be added to the collection of Ocean Park in the Southern district, where giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le live.

Hong Kong has yet to succeed in reproducing giant pandas.

Ying Ying and Le Le, the second pair of pandas Beijing gave to the city in 2007, had failed to conceive any babies despite making several rounds of natural mating since 2011 and underwent an artificial insemination procedure in March 2023.

A team of reproduction experts from Sichuan was sent to Hong Kong in August 2023 to assist Ocean Park in its efforts to help the pandas reproduce but to no avail.

The duo will celebrate their 19th birthday in August. Their age will be equivalent to around 57 human years.

The first pair – male An An and female Jia Jia, arrived in the city in 1999 with the latter passing away in October 2016. An An died six years later, aged 35.

Lee and his wife will go to the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Centre on Sunday to meet provincial leaders and visit local facilities for the arrangements of the two giant pandas.

The new pandas are expected to arrive in Hong Kong within three months because they need to first pass a month-long quarantine in Sichuan, according to Yeung.

He did not give further details on the exact date of arrival but it is widely anticipated to be on October 1, the National Day.

When asked if a contest would be held to invite the public to choose names for the new pandas, Yeung said it depended on many factors, including the pandas’ age and whether they already have names.

The tourism chief also expressed his confidence that the new pair would give a big boost to local tourism since they would be a new attraction.

“I believe most travellers will not just come for the pandas, they will also join other events held in the city and taste local foods,” he said.