Ocean Park on Thursday said the two pandas the central government gifted Hong Kong were adapting well to their new living environment, as they undergo quarantine at the park. The two pandas, named “An An” and “Ke Ke” for now, will be quarantined for a month after their arrival in Hong Kong last week. During a media briefing, Ocean Park said a team of 30 keepers and veterinarians was taking good care of the two pandas. The park said the pandas were being fed four meals a day, much like other pandas, and were eating more Guangdong bamboo. One of the keepers explained how the two animals differed in personality. “An An is more energetic, he likes to explore around his habitat and Ke Ke prefers more privacy like whenever we feed her she likes to grab the food to the corner and she prefers ‘me time’. She’s also more laid back,” said Matt Leung, assistant curator of zoological operations. Leung has been caring for the pandas since July, when he travelled to Sichuan to become acquainted with them. He said the pandas' favourite foods include carrots, bamboo shoots, and steamed corn. Leung also said he was not concerned the pandas would become unfamiliar with their new names, as the government was gathering ideas to rename them based on their characteristics. “How we work with our pandas is through our voice and our scent so when they are used to our voice we can establish advanced training. They [know] us and they trust us. After that if they got their names changed, we will use a positive reinforcement training method to let them know this is your new name,” he said. Fellow keeper Mandy Tang, meanwhile, gave some hints on how to tell the two pandas apart, saying not only do they weigh differently, An An also has longer limbs and has sharper signature black markings around his eyes. The park said following quarantine the pandas would be allowed to explore their habitat at the renovated Sichuan Treasures exhibit, adding it was confident they would be ready to meet the public in mid-December.
