SINGAPORE: Huddled in small cages, two giant pandas from China arrived in Singapore on Thursday to much fanfare, with the government showing off their new climate-controlled facility that will house the animals during their 10-year stay in the city. The two pandas, five-year-old male Kai Kai and four-year-old Jia Jia – are expected to be the new stars in a brand new area of the Singapore Zoo. They will make their public debut in December after a quarantine period. Singapore's government has also begun selling souvenirs, such as panda-inspired bags and toys. 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.
