COPENHAGEN, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark officially opened the Panda House in Copenhagen Zoo to the public on Thursday.
"It's hard to express my feelings. We are so happy that the Chinese government gave us these two giant pandas, to Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark and to the Danish people, we are so proud and happy to have the two pandas here," Jorgen Horwitz, chairman of the Board of Copenhagen Zoo, told Xinhua.
"Mao Sun and Xing Er seemed to have fitted in very well, actually, so we are very lucky," he said, adding that "I promise that we will take very good care of them here. I think, culturally, it's very good to have them here in Denmark. Huge thanks to China for giving us the honor."
Visitors queued outside the Panda House Thursday morning, wanting to be the first to see the giant pandas. A group of first-grade elementary school children, some of whom wore panda hats and others with panda dolls in hand, was eager to learn how much bamboo does a panda eat and how long do they sleep daily.
Mikkel Stelvig, a zoologist at Copenhagen Zoo, told Xinhua the two pandas "seem to be adapting pretty well, relaxed and curious, which is a good sign. They do explore their surroundings and the outside as well."
"The male is a bit more sort of bold in his way of doing things, and the female is a bit more shy in the way she approaches, she requires a bit more time to familiarize herself with the environment," he said.
Jorgen Nielsen, CEO of Copenhagen Zoo, said much has been done to welcome what he called "one of the biggest moments in the zoo's 160-year history". They built a state-of-the-art panda facility; sent animal keepers, zoologists and veterinarians on study trips to China; collaborated closely with Chinese specialists; and planted bamboo in Denmark especially for the pandas.
Between Tuesday and Sunday, visitors can also attend panda-themed shows, such as the "Giant Panda and the World —-- Achievement Exhibition of Protection, Culture and Art of Chinese Giant Pandas", the children's musical "Panda Fairy Tale," and the "China-Denmark Giant Panda Concert."
The two Chinese giant pandas arrived at Copenhagen Airport last Thursday, and were transported to Copenhagen Zoo later that day. Danish Queen Margrethe II officially opened the Panda House at Copenhagen Zoo on Wednesday, and she also kicked off the Sino-Denmark Giant Panda joint research project.
