Adelaide to bid farewell to beloved pandas with new arrivals on the horizon

After 15 years, the time has come for South Australians to bid farewell to Adelaide Zoo's favourite pandas to make room for two more.

Wang Wang and Fu Ni have just three weeks left before they head into quarantine and then embark on their journey back to China.

But their two replacements won't be too far away.

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"We will be chartering a special cargo plane so we will absolutely treat these like special cargo," Dr Phil Ainsley from Adelaide Zoo said.

"They will have first-class transport all the way from China to Adelaide and also for Fu Ni and Wang Wang to return."

The pandas' presence has had a profound impact on tourism, attracting over 5.5 million visitors from around South Australia, interstate, and overseas.

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While Adelaide says goodbye to Wang Wang and Fu Ni, hopes are high that the new pandas, Xing Qiu and Yi Lan, will be able to conceive a cub. 

"We have selected giant pandas which are very important for the genetics of giant pandas moving forward and we'll be doing everything we can to encourage their breeding," Ainsley said.

The new pandas are anticipated to arrive by the end of the year but won't be on display until early 2025.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.