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Sneak preview of pandas for Clinton
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PRESIDENT Clinton took his daughter, Chelsea, and young nephews to the National Zoo on Saturday for a sneak peek at giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian who arrived from China last month.
Clinton and a small group of family members, including his young nephews, Zach and Tyler, laughed and pointed as they watched the pandas scamper down rocks and feast on bamboo.
Four days before the pandas are officially presented to the public, the president was given a special tour of the panda exhibit and a detailed explanation of the lifestyles of the animals that have captured the fascination of many people.
The pandas were lent to the zoo from the Sichuan Province's China Research and Conservation Centre for the Giant Panda at a cost of US$10 million for 10 years.
Like anyone who goes to see the pandas who are still in quarantine, Clinton donned blue paper slippers over his tennis shoes to walk around the pandas' indoor quarters.
He seemed as excited as his nephews as he soaked up the information given by zoo officials and offered carrots through a mesh fence to the pandas.
Wearing jeans and a millennium leather jacket with a huge American flag on the back, Clinton said he could understand the fascination with the pandas, who came to the United States as replacements for the late Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling -- the zoo's top attraction while they were alive.
“They're beautiful and they're different,” he said. “I think they are fascinating.”
He was also amazed by the huge amounts the pandas could eat, up to 18 kg of carrots, bamboo and sweet potatoes a day.
(SD-Agencies)
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