Austrian-born panda arrives a 'happy tiger'

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A star attraction since his birth in the Vienna Zoo, a 2-year-old giant panda Fuhu returned to China on Thursday.

He returned to the Bifengxia Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at about 5:30 pm. After a brief welcoming ceremony, he started a month-long quarantine in his new den in the base.

Fuhu, which literally means "Happy Tiger" in Chinese, bid farewell to his birthplace in Vienna on Tuesday. He traveled to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by road, before getting on a plane at 20:45 pm on Wednesday and landing at Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, Sichuan province, at 1:30 pm on Thursday.

Born in August 2010, Fuhu is the second cub of the Chinese panda pair Yangyang and Longhui, who were transferred from China to the Vienna Zoo in 2003, and are on loan to Austria from China for 10 years with the understanding that their offspring would be returned to their homeland at the age of 2.

Like his 5-year-old brother, Fulong (meaning "Happy Dragon" in Chinese), who returned to the center three years ago, Fuhu was conceived and born naturally, although artificial insemination is a common practice when breeding captive pandas.

To facilitate Fuhu's safe return, the Vienna Zoo started training him last month in a small cage that the keeper shook from time to time to simulate in-flight turbulence.

Fuhu, who weighed 100 grams at birth, now weighs over 50 kg, about half the normal weight of an adult panda. His primary caretaker, Renate Haider, accompanied the panda to the Bifengxia Base together with Dagmar Schratter, director of the Vienna Zoo.

Although the taste of bamboo leaves and carrot is slightly different in China, Schratter, who accompanied Fulong back to China three years ago, is sure that Fuhu can adapt to the new environment.

Questions:

1. Where was the panda born?

2. What does Fuhu mean in Chinese?

3. How much does he now weigh?

Answers:

1. Vienna.

2. Happy Tiger.

3. 50 kg.

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.