Australia welcomes two giant pandas

Reuters

NEW DIGS: Funi, a three-year-old female giant panda, inspects her new enclosure at Adelaide Zoo.

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Australia welcomed two giant pandas from China on Saturday.

Zookeepers hope the two will become the first breeding pair in the southern hemisphere.

Wang Wang, a 4-year-old male, and Funi, a 3-year-old female, were flown into their new home in the southern city of Adelaide accompanied by their Chinese keepers.

The pair have been given to Adelaide Zoo under an agreement with China, initially as a 10-year loan.

The zoo has a record of successfully breeding endangered animals, including red pandas, and there is optimism the pair will eventually produce offspring.

"There is no reason why they should not," Adelaide Zoo spokeswoman Emily Rice said.

The pandas will go on display in their new home in mid-December.

- Reuters