CHENGDU, China (AP) — Two American-born pandas have arrived in China, their new home.
Special crates carrying Mei Lan (may lahn) and Tai Shan (ty shawn) have been taken off a cargo jet in southwestern China.
The pandas immediately faced the same scene they left behind in the United States: live TV coverage and a passionate crowd. Hundreds of people gathered for a welcome ceremony outside the airport.
Mei Lan, a 3-year-old female born at Zoo Atlanta, and Tai Shan, a 4 1/2-year-old male born in Washington, will now go to separate research and breeding bases.
Tai Shan's tearful keeper says the pandas were OK during their long flight, though Mei Lan was "a little nervous."
The pandas were destined to return to China, under an agreement that says the country retains ownership of adult pandas and any offspring.
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<<APPHOTO XAW802 (02/05/10)>>
: One of the two American-born giant pandas, Tai Shan, inside a cage arrives at Chengdu airport in southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, Feb. 5, 2010. Two giant pandas arrived at their new China home Friday to find just what they'd left in the United States, live TV coverage and a passionate crowd.
