Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin says his city wants closer tie with Shanghai in improving rare animal welfare. The mayor says Taipei is looking forward to the arrival of two giant pandas from the mainland.
Hau talked with staff from Sichuan's Wolong Panda Preserve during a visit to Shanghai Wild Animal Park. He observed that the arrival of pandas in Taipei needs to be coordinated with local authorities, saying the sooner they arrive the better. Officials there say the panda hall at the city's zoo will be completed by September.
In the future, Taipei and Shanghai authorities plan to increase the exchange of interesting animals. Shanghai also plans to send snub-nosed monkeys, Yangtze alligators, and lesser pandas to the city. In return, Taipei will send orangutans, Malay bears and white-handed gibbons to Shanghai.
