Travelling with VIPs: very important pandas

Last month, Hong Kong welcomed two VIPs – very important pandas. The adorable duo, a male and female temporarily named An An and Ke Ke, have been gifted to the city by the Central Government to mark the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Cathay Cargo had the honour of escorting the VIPs to their new home at Ocean Park Hong Kong.

Cathay Cargo is renowned for its expertise in transporting animals. A special division, Cathay Live Animal, is dedicated to ensuring animal passengers, from fabled racehorses to rare and endangered creatures, enjoy journeys elevated to the highest welfare standards. Past passengers have included other giant pandas heading to and from the Chinese Mainland.

Preparations for transporting the pandas

Plans for transporting An An and Ke Ke were underway long before the duo left the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) near Chengdu, Sichuan province. A meticulously detailed itinerary ensured that they would arrive at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures zone of Ocean Park pampered and unflustered.

Among the preparations, animal caretakers and vets from Ocean Park flew to Chengdu to get to know their charges ahead of the move. This socialisation is crucial to helping the animals settle into their new home. Equally important was helping An An and Ke Ke to adapt to their new home in Hong Kong, so bamboo grown in Guangdong was sent to Dujiangyan Base to be gradually introduced to their diet.

Meanwhile, the Cathay Cargo teams on the Chinese Mainland and in Hong Kong ensured that all relevant paperwork – from customs declarations to animal exportation and importation documentation – was in order, so that check-in and arrival would be a breeze. 

The journey to Hong Kong

On 26 September, An An and Ke Ke began their journey accompanied by a small party of “travelling grooms”: an animal caretaker and a vet from Ocean Park, and those from the Dujiangyan Base, who already knew the pair well.

The pandas were transferred to their travel accommodation, which was specially designed to make it easy for the team to monitor their behaviour and condition, while being sheltered enough to prevent them from being unnerved by the unfamiliar environments around them.

The honoured guests were treated to something akin to a plane-side limo experience, being brought by air-conditioned trucks to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. They were then gently loaded on to one of our Boeing 747 freighters. This type of aircraft is well designed for such purpose, with a spacious main deck for precious cargo, and a flight deck above with several accompanying passengers and aircraft crew.

The plane was kept at a temperature between 20 and 25°C, optimal for travelling giant pandas. Other than periods when the seatbelt sign was on, the travelling grooms were free to go down to check on the inflight experience of our special passengers.

Like some human VIPs, pandas can be fussy eaters, so the Ocean Park and CCRCGP teams prepared a special vegetarian menu, which included their much-loved bamboo, along with carrots, bamboo shoots and wowotou as travelling treats. And, like all good flyers, they kept hydrated with water.

After approximately two hours in the air, it was time to touch down in Hong Kong, where a red-carpet welcome awaited. As part of Cathay Cargo’s protocols, pilots attempt to make the landing as smooth as possible for animal passengers. Fortunately, the plane landed under clear blue skies, parking close to the Cathay Cargo Terminal to minimise the transfer time to “immigration”. 

While veterinarians from the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department joined Ocean Park’s animal experts on board the aircraft to check on the VIPs prior to unloading, a ceremony in their honour took place outside. 

Welcoming our honoured guests to Hong Kong

In attendance were dignitaries from the Hong Kong SAR Government, including Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong Eric Chan; Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Mickey Lai; as well as then-Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hong Kong Kevin Yeung. They were joined by Ocean Park Corporation Chairman Paulo Pong, Hong Kong Jockey Club Chairman Michael Lee, and from Cathay, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau and Director Cargo Tom Owen, among others.

During the ceremony, the Chief Secretary thanked Cathay Cargo for successfully transporting An An and Ke Ke, the Central Government for their generosity and assistance, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for a new investment in the VIPs’ home in Ocean Park. 

Director Cargo Tom Owen said, “We were honoured to have played our part in this historic moment for Hong Kong and delighted that the whole process went so smoothly. This is thanks to the cooperation and generosity of the Central Government, as well as the experience and expertise of the Cargo teams here and in Chengdu, who really live up to our brand slogan ‘We Know How’.”

“The main priority, of course, was to ensure the two VIP guests arrived in Hong Kong safe, relaxed and healthy,” Owen told the South China Morning Post. “We made sure there was minimal stress on the pandas during their journey.”

As the stage was cleared, our VIPs were lowered peacefully from the aircraft and towed gently to the Cathay Cargo Terminal. From there, they were loaded for the final air-conditioned truck transfer to their new home, concluding our part in our adorable guests’ journey. From ensuring An An and Ke Ke’s seamless transport and beyond, Cathay Cargo is proud to support these special moments and deliver experiences that matter to the world. 

For now, the pandas will undergo mandatory quarantine for at least 30 days at Ocean Park, during which time they can acclimatise to their new surroundings. An An and Ke Ke are not expected to meet the adoring public until at least December.

Until then, and to mark this wonderful gift to the city, you can join the panda-mania and buy your own plush VIP panda from the Cathay Shop as a lasting souvenir.