Giant pandas Fu Wa and Feng Yi will be repatriated to China next month as Malaysia prepares to welcome a new pair under a fresh 10-year conservation agreement.
The new agreement was signed on April 16 in conjunction with the three-day state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Malaysia last week.
It allowed Malaysia to host another pair of giant pandas from 2025 to 2035, continuing the long-standing International Cooperation Project on Giant Panda Conservation with China, the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry said on Saturday.
To prepare for their return, Fu Wa and Feng Yi have begun a quarantine process at the Giant Panda Conservation Centre in the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur.
“This is to ensure their health remains optimal, fulfil international permit requirements, and allow them to acclimatise before their flight back to China,” the ministry said.
During the quarantine period, visitors will not be able to see the pandas up close, but they may still catch glimpses of the pair at designated times.
