The two pandas, An An and Ke Ke, were shipped to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with a farewell ceremony in Sichuan. Raised at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in Dujiangyan in 2019, the pair are an unusual gift to Hong Kong – the animals are normally only loaned. Observers see this as a diplomatic gesture to mark the People’s Republic’s 75th anniversary in October. The rationale: pandas strengthen patriotism. Before they arrive in Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, however, the animals must first go into quarantine for 30 days.