SINGAPORE: Singapore's animal rights community continues to lash out at the government over accepting two Giant Pandas from China. Their anger was heightened as the government began showing the animals online this week ahead of their arrival to the city-state. They officially arrive on Thursday, but the online images of the animals in their cages have been garnering a large number of visitors to the government site. Singapore's government has also begun selling souvenirs, such as panda-inspired bags and toys, as part of preparations for the arrival of the Giant Panda couple Kai Kai and Jia Jia. The pandas will not be viewable in person until December and a planned safari is to open next year where onlookers will get a chance to glimpse the animals in captivity. The panda pair, which are on a 10-year loan from the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) to Singapore, were initially meant to arrive in March, but their arrival was delayed because more changes had to be made to their $8.5 million enclosure. Director of CWCA Zhong Yi told members of the media in mid-August that representatives made a visit of the 1,225 square meter panda enclosure in June and found everything in order. Like their fellow animal rights activists in Malaysia, Singapore's growing animal advocate community has condemned the government's decision to accept a pair of pandas from China. The activists told Bikyamasr.com that the conditions in Singapore “are not appropriate for pandas and the move would cause unnecessary stress for the animals." Brihana Chow said that the government should not accept the animals, “as it is a symbol of cruelty and they won't have access to their natural, dryer and colder climate that they get in China." The anger comes after Malaysia also accepted two pandas in June as part of boosting diplomatic relations between the two countries, but animal rights activists said the government was unprepared to host the animals.
