China giant pandas safely arrive at new Australian digs

Giant pandas Wangwang and Funi have arrived in Australian's southern city of Adelaide. They received a warm welcome with gifts of bamboo from state and zoo officials.

Twelve life-size panda figures lined the runway at the Adelaide airport. Local residents waiting for their arrival hold a "Welcome" sign and branches of bamboo.

The pandas get a police escort to their new home at the zoo.

Zoo CEO Chris West says the pandas will be in quarantine at the zoo for 30 days, but will be visible to the public when their exhibit opens December 14th.

The Adelaide Zoo built a 10-hectare natural enclosure for the two pandas. It includes bamboo plants and refrigerated rocks to keep them comfortable during Adelaide's hot summers.

The zoo is promoting their newest attractions, with posters and signs with Wangwang and Funi on them. The souvenir shop has all kinds of panda toys.

Giant panda Fu Ni eats fruits at Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide city of Australia,  Nov. 28, 2009. A giant panda couple, Wang Wang and Fu Ni, arrived in  Australia Saturday for a 10-year stay, the first of the endangered species to  live in the southern hemisphere.(Xinhua/Zoos South Australia/Bryan Charlton)

West says the enclosure cost 8 million Australian dollars, but the pandas are expected to generate more than 600 million Australian dollars for the South Australia state.

Chris West, Zoo CEO, said, "It's a gift from people of China"

Wang Wang and Fu Ni are on loan to the zoo for 10 years as part of a joint research program. Chinese President Hu Jintao offered the pandas as a goodwill gesture during a visit to Australia.