KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is looking into extending the stay of giant pandas Xing Xing and Liang Liang at Zoo Negara, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said.

Datuk Seri Anwar said he will reach out to Chinese President Xi Jinping as soon as both pandas are due to be returned.

“I will take it up with the Chinese government, particularly President Xi Jinping, to see if there is a mechanism to extend the period of the panda staying in Malaysia,” he said.

“Knowing (the) excellent relations between (our) two countries, I am rather optimistic that they will give due consideration to support our proposal,” said Mr Anwar.

He was speaking at Zoo Negara’s 60th anniversary celebration on Jan 27.

Also present were Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Huang Tiong Sii, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, Zoo Negara deputy president Rosly Lana and Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing.

When asked about the high maintenance of the two pandas, Mr Anwar said Xing Xing and Liang Liang had become an attraction that many Malaysians look forward to.

“We don’t pay for the pandas, just the maintenance. If we notice, many people come to the zoo to see the pandas because not all Malaysians can afford to go to China to see giant pandas,” he said.

“For some Malaysians, seeing them (the pandas) here is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he added.

He said that while the pandas require high upkeep, “we are looking at the benefits for zoo visitors”. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK