The first pair in the Middle East! Two Chinese giant pandas arrive in Doha, the capital of Qatar
In the early morning of the 19th local time, two Chinese giant pandas, "Sihai" and "Beijing" arrived in Doha, the capital of Qatar, by special plane. They are the first pair of giant pandas welcoming in the Middle East. Qatar Ambassador to China Mohamed Abdullah Duhimi recently revealed in an exclusive interview with a Global Times reporter that the giant panda hall will be officially opened to the public before the opening of the Qatar World Cup in November. On the afternoon of the 18th, a convoy carrying the "Sihai" and "Beijing" drove out of the Ya'an base of the Chinese Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Sichuan, and then the two giant pandas took a special plane to Qatar. This cooperation in China-Karabad protection research is the first giant panda cooperation between China and the Middle East. It is reported that in order to welcome the arrival of the "Four Seas" and "Beijing", the Qatar government has carefully built a giant panda hall, which is also the first giant panda hall in the Middle East. Located in Hall Park, 50 kilometers north of Doha, the capital of Qatar. The park was built in 1983 and is one of the oldest parks in Qatar. The two giant pandas will be quarantined for three weeks after they arrive at the hall. According to the cooperation agreement on giant panda protection research reached by China and Qatar, the "Sihai" and "Beijing" will "stay" in Qatar in the next 15 years. Qatar's Peninsula newspaper reported on the 19th that the country's Haul Park held a welcome ceremony for two giant pandas on the same day. Zhou Jian, Chinese Ambassador to Qatar, said: "Today is the happiest day in my more than three years of working in Qatar. We gathered at the newly completed beautiful Haul Panda Pavilion to welcome the two giant pandas, "Beijing, Beijing, and "Four Seas". Let us wish the two cute giant pandas a happy and healthy life in their new home, Qatar, and bring more love, surprises and happiness to the Qatar people and the Middle East."
Duhimi praised the pair of giant pandas as "a gift from the Chinese people to the Qatar people", and said that the pandas will appear in Qatar during the World Cup, proving the deep friendship between Qatar and China. Ambassador Duhimi believes that the event is a milestone in civil and cultural diplomacy, aiming to raise the relationship between the two friendly countries to a higher level and a wider area, and he expresses his gratitude to all those who have contributed to the event from beginning to end.
It is reported that "Sihai" is a female giant panda, born on July 26, 2019 at the Wolong Shenshuping Base of the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center; "Beijing" is a male giant panda, born on September 19, 2018 at the Wolong Shenshuping Base of the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, and later lives in the Ya'an base.
Public reports stated that in order to ensure that the two giant pandas successfully start a new life, both China and Qatar have made sufficient preparations. China has sent expert teams to Qatar many times to provide on-site guidance and on-site assessment of the venues, assisting the Qatar in forming a professional giant panda breeding and management team, and completing the supply of giant panda staple food bamboo. In order to accompany and help giant pandas adapt to the new environment, the China Giant Panda Conservation Research Center also sent experienced breeders and veterinary experts to randomly go there.
Qatari media is very happy about the arrival of the two giant pandas. Qatar's "Opinion" reported that this year, the world's cutest animal has arrived in the Middle East for the first time, and it is in Qatar! The World Cup isn't the only exciting thing this year. Qatar's Al Jazeera said that the arrival of this giant panda expresses China's friendship with Qatar and is also a vivid reflection of the friendly relations between the two countries. This pair of giant pandas has added another Chinese element with rich meaning, and has also added festive colors to the upcoming World Cup and is widely welcomed by people.
reported that "Beijing" and "Sihai" were named "Suheel" and "Suleia", which are the Arabic names of the Tianji Star in the constellation of the Sail and the Pleiades Star Cluster. "Suheer" is also the brightest and brightest sky star body that the Gulf region can see through the naked eye, with meanings such as "good luck" and "foresight".
According to the official Weibo of the Qatar Embassy in China, the heads of state of China and Qatar unanimously decided to launch the first giant panda cooperation project in the Middle East during the Beijing Winter Olympics meeting this year. This is the latest sign of the high-level friendly relations between the two countries and is also the "China gift" presented by China to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
