香港于周四热情迎接了自北京赠送的一对新大熊猫——安安与keeKe，并为此举办盛大仪式，旨在提振当地的旅游业。这是继1997年香港作为前英国殖民地回归中国后，第三批由内地派遣至香港的大熊猫。在上月一只邻近的母熊猫英英生下双胞胎并成为全球高龄初产大熊猫母亲记录后不久，这对新到港的安安与keeKe到来。
此次行动使得现有动物数量增加，并在原有大熊、乐乐的带领下，香港动物园内共驻留六只大熊猫。根据特首李家超所言，安安是一只年轻且灵巧活跃的5岁雄性大熊猫；而同样五岁的keeKe，则以善于攀爬和可爱温柔著称。
新到的大熊猫将接受为期两个月的检疫期，并逐步适应香港海洋公园的新环境——这座曾深受当地居民及游客喜爱的动物园与水族馆。李家超希望公众能够在十二月中旬前与这两只新来的熊见面。
对此，旅游业相关人士对六只大熊猫入住的前景持乐观态度，期待能因此吸引更多的访客前往香港，并为本地商业提供新的发展机会。政府已鼓励企业借由这些受欢迎的大熊猫及新生幼崽，抓住被称为“熊猫经济”的商机。
作为中国象征性的非官方国宝，大熊猫在海外动物园长期租借项目中被视作北京软实力外交的重要工具。目前，仅在中国西南地区能找到的野生大熊猫群体正受到开发活动的威胁，而圈养熊猫维护费用高昂。
例如，芬兰动物园与中方达成协议，在8年后提前将两只租赁的大熊猫送还中国，以降低成本支出和应对客流量下降的问题。
香港海洋公园自1999年起即接待大熊猫。第一对安安与贾嘉在此后不久随着香港的回归而抵达金融中心，后者则于2016年逝世时，成为全球在人工环境中活最久的大熊猫，享寿38岁。野生大熊猫的平均寿命约为18至20年，在圈养条件下则达到30年的记录（根据吉尼斯世界纪录）。
新闻来源：www.foxnews.com
原文地址：Hong Kong debuts 2 giant pandas from Beijing, raising hopes for tourism boost
新闻日期：2024-09-26
原文摘要：
Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing on Thursday with a lavish ceremony, raising hopes for a boost to the city's tourism. An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival came after their new neighbor, Ying Ying, gave birth to twins last month and became the world’s oldest first-time panda mother on record. With the addition of the new bears, the twins, and their father, Le Le, Hong Kong now houses six pandas. GIANT PANDA CELEBRATES HER 20TH BIRTHDAY IN TAIWAN: 'FUNNY AND CUTE' Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said An An is a 5-year-old male panda who is agile, intelligent and active, while Ke Ke, a 5-year-old female, is good at climbing, cute and has a gentle temperament. The new arrivals will undergo two months of quarantine and adapt to their new home at Ocean Park, a zoo and aquarium that has long been a favorite of residents and tourists. Lee expressed hope that the public could meet the new bears in mid-December. In October, the government will invite residents to propose new names that showcase the pandas’ characteristics. Tourism industry representatives are optimistic about the potential impact of housing six pandas, hoping it will boost visitor numbers in Hong Kong. Officials have encouraged businesses to capitalize on the popularity of the new bears and newborn cubs to seize opportunities in what some lawmakers have dubbed the "panda economy." Pandas are widely considered China’s unofficial national mascot. The country's giant panda loan program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy. Giant pandas are only found in China's southwest and their population is under threat from development. But caring for pandas in captivity is expensive. A zoo in Finland agreed with Chinese authorities to return two loaned giant pandas to China more than eight years ahead of schedule because they were too costly for the facility to maintain amid declining visitors. Hong Kong's Ocean Park has been hosting pandas since 1999, when the first pair, An An and Jia Jia, arrived in the financial hub shortly after it was handed back to China. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jia Jia, who died at 38 in 2016, is the world’s oldest-ever panda to have lived in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years, according to the Guinness World Records.
