Giant pandas adapt to new home in France

Two giant pandas from China have met the press for the first time at their new home in central France. Zoo keepers there have been doing all they can to ensure that the pandas can quickly adapt to the new environment in perfect health.

Settling down in their new French home - Three days after their arrival, the panda pair took their first ramble out of the comfort of their dorm. Showing no unease in their little domain, the two 3-year-olds were in a frolicking mood and found the plentiful supply of fresh bamboo quite necessary.

The staff at the zoo were surprised at their quick adaptation.

Rodolphe Delord, director of Zooparc de Beauval, said, "We are all happy that they have been doing very well here. I think we will be able to have them meet the public on February 11th as planned. This is big news for France. I think children all over Europe will come to see the pandas."

The pandas are apparently the biggest stars in town. The zoo is expecting to receive 100,000 panda-only-watchers on an annual basis.

Delphine Delord, co-owner of Zooparc de Beauval, said, Well, yes, you can imagine - we have been waiting for this moment for five years. I am so excited now because the pandas are so cute; they are so well-adapted to their environment. Everything is just great. It happened in the best way it could."

The panda pair, named "Yuanzai" and "Huanhuan", were bred in the Chengdu Research Base of the Giant Panda Breeding Center in China’s south-western Sichuan province.

They are expected to stay in France for about a decade, under a joint conservation and research programme.