HONG KONG (AP) – A pair of five-year-old pandas, named An An and Ke Ke, celebrated their first Christmas early in a Hong Kong park on Monday, munching on special treats and looking cute for the cameras.
An An, the male panda, was presented with an ice slab with sweet potato and carrots while Ke Ke, his female companion, got a snowman garnished with slices of carrot and apple in a special press event before visitors streamed to the park.
China sent the pair to Hong Kong in late September in a bid to boost tourism in the city.
They were quarantined for a couple of months before they made their debut to enthusiastic visitors at the city’s Ocean Park theme park, joining four other pandas.
An An is described as intelligent and active while Ke Ke is known to have a gentle temperament and is a good climber.
Pandas are widely seen as China’s unofficial national mascot, as they are only found in China’s southwest and their population is under threat from development. The Chinese government actively breeds pandas and raises them as part of a national programme. It also loans the animals out in an international programme with overseas zoos.
