Tribune News Network
Doha
The Panda House Park in Al Khor City, around 35 kilometres from Doha, will start receiving visitors between 10 am and 6 pm from Thursday, the Ministry of Municipality announced on Tuesday.
The validity of the ticket is for one day and will be determined on the date of reservation. The ticket is non-refundable.
No separate timing has been mentioned for weekends, which implies that public can visit the park on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm too.
Two giant pandas from Beijing arrived last month in Qatar, the first Middle Eastern country since the 20th century, to play host to the cuddly bears from China.
The pair, "Soraya” and "Suhail”, are a gift from China and arrived in Qatar just weeks before the start of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The Panda House is built as per the highest international standards and emulates the environmental and climatic conditions of their native habitat — the Minshan Mountains in the Chinese province of Sichuan.
The enclosure sprawls over 120,000 square metres and includes shelter, in addition to green areas and service buildings. A medical facility is attached to the enclosure to meet the needs of the animals at all times.
The pandas will be taken care of by an international team comprising doctors and specialists in giant panda medicine.
Bamboo shoots, which form the main staple of the pandas’ diet, are being cultivated in the part. Trees from Chinese forests were also brought and planted inside the shelter.