Pandas to Provide Huge Economic Boost to SA

Australian zoo officials say giant pandas Wang Wang and Funi will provide a $600 million boost to the South Australian economy during their 10-year stay in Adelaide. CRI's Australia correspondent Chen Feng has more.

Zoos South Australia chief executive Christ West says based on the formula used by the tourism industry, the pandas are expected to generate $632 million over the next decade.

That means the pandas will be worth more in tourism and other economic benefits than both cycling legend Lance Armstrong and golfing great Tiger Woods.

Dr West adds they are expecting huge numbers of Australian visitors, the vast majority of whom will have never seen a live panda.

It's said Wang Wang and Funi will leave their home at the Panda Protection and Research Centre at Ya'an in China's Sichuan Province on Friday. And they will arrive in Adelaide on Saturday.

The bears will spend the next month in quarantine, inside a new $8 million panda enclosure, which includes some innovative features such as refrigerated rocks to ensure they can handle the heat of an Australian summer.

Their first appearance comes on December 13, when Governor-General Quentin Bryce officially opens their new home.

So far, there are 32 pandas in 12 zoos in eight countries in the world today, but none anywhere else in the southern hemisphere.

Chen Feng, CRI news, Sydney.