Pandas sent by China arrive in Qatar ahead of World Cup
A pair of giant pandas sent as a gift from China have arrived in Qatar ahead of next month’s World Cup
By AP News
Published - Oct 20, 2022, 01:56 AM ET
Last Updated - Jun 24, 2023, 02:08 AM EDT
AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — A pair of giant pandas sent as a gift from China arrived in Qatar on Wednesday ahead of next month's World Cup.
They will take up residence in an indoor enclosure in the desert nation designed to duplicate conditions in the dense forests of China's mountainous Sichuan province. Eight hundred kilograms (nearly 1,800 pounds) of fresh bamboo will be flown in each week to feed them.
Jing Jing, a 4-year-old male weighing 120 kilograms (265 pounds), has been given the Arabic name Suhail, and 3-year-old female Si Hai, at 70 kilograms (154 pounds), has been given the Arabic name Thuraya.
The pandas will quarantine for at least 21 days before visitors will be allowed to see them.
