On the morning of September 26, the highly anticipated third pair of giant pandas, gifted to Hong Kong by the central government, arrived at 11:06 AM after a two-hour journey. The Hong Kong SAR government held a welcome ceremony at the international airport, and the pandas will be residing at Ocean Park.

Both pandas, born in June 2019, are in good health. The male, named ‘An An,’ weighs over 130 kilograms and has an outgoing personality, while the female, ‘Ke Ke,’ weighs about 100 kilograms, is more docile, and enjoys climbing. They are accompanied by a keeper and a veterinarian to help them adjust to their new environment.

The pandas will undergo a 30-day quarantine at Ocean Park, followed by an additional 30 days to acclimate. This means they are not expected to meet the public until mid-December at the earliest.

With the arrival of An An and Ke Ke, along with existing pandas ‘Ying Ying,’ ‘Le Le,’ and the newborn twins, Hong Kong now has a total of six giant pandas. The names of the new pandas are tentative, and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau plans to host a naming competition in October, inviting residents to suggest meaningful names.

Welcome to Hong Kong, An An and Ke Ke!