The Giants Pandas are coming to Toronto!!
EC students and everyone: Have you heard the news? Two giant pandas arrived in Toronto this week to begin a 10-year stay in Canada. The names of the pandas are Er Shun (female) and Da Mao (male); they come from China. The pandas made the journey from Chengdu, China, to the FedEx Express Canadian Hub at Toronto Pearson International Airport, aboard a specially branded MD-11 aircraft donated by FedEx.
The project is part of a long-term conservation partnership agreement between China and Canada, signed by Hu Jintao, President of China and Mr. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada.
Pandas are one of the most beloved animals in the world and perhaps the most powerful symbol in the world for wildlife conservation. They are also one of the most endangered species in the world, with only around 1,600 left in the wild. In China, the giant panda is a national treasure.
The Toronto Zoo Giant Panda Exhibition:
The exhibition at the zoo starts in May and for that the zoo has made a new space in the Eurasia section.
Panda facts:
- 99% of a giant panda’s diet consists of bamboo
- A giant panda may eat 12-38 kg of bamboo a day
- In the wild, a giant panda spends 10 to 16 hours a day foraging and eating. The rest of its time is spent mostly sleeping and resting.
- A giant panda is born pink, hairless, blind and is 1/900th the size of its mother (about the size of a stick of butter).
- Giant pandas do not hibernate like other bears do
- China has 63 panda reserves, which preserve their habitats and support breeding programs.
- Five North American zoos currently have pandas; Toronto Zoo will be the sixth.
At EC Toronto we are very happy and excited about the newcomers! Be ready to visit the zoo in May; EC Toronto is planning a visit for our students, so check our facebook page, EC Toronto, for more information!