Giant panda Yang Yang Photo: WeChat account of China Wildlife Conservation Association

A pair of giant pandas will be sent to Austria for a 10-year conservation partnership, as agreed by the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) and Schönbrunn Zoo on Wednesday.

To ensure the healthy living conditions of giant pandas in Austria, Chinese experts visited Austria earlier this year to provide technical guidance on venue renovations and to establish standards for panda enclosures, feeding management, food security, and healthcare, according to a CWCA release.

Austria will renovate and upgrade the venue and make other preparations after the current pandas' stay in Austria expires, to welcome the new pair of pandas with a more comfortable and safer living environment.

Giant pandas Yang Yang and Long Hui arrived in Austria in 2003, and set a European record of four litters and five cubs bred by natural mating. Long Hui died of tumor in December 2016.

The pandas Yuan Yuan and Yang Yang in Austria will return to China after the expiry of the agreement this year, according to the release.

Known as the most beautiful zoo in Europe, Schönbrunn Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the world. CWCA and the zoo launched the first cooperation in 2003, and the two sides have achieved fruitful results in the conservation and breeding of giant pandas, scientific research, technical exchanges, personnel training and public education, according to the release.

Global Times