Panda Diplomacy Plays Part as Zoo Berlin Launches New €10m Enclosure

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping were on-hand to mark a momentous occasion for Zoo Berlin, with the debut of its new €10m (US$11.4m, £8.8m) giant panda enclosure.

A pair of giant pandas, which prove very lucrative for zoos with visitors travelling from far and wide to get a glimpse of the rare animals, arrived in Berlin on 24 June, making their debut to the public today (6 July) for the first time following a quarantine period.

Covering 5,480sq m (59,000sq ft), the Dan Pearlman-designed Panda Garden is themed as a Chinese-style pavilion, centred around a new building with a visitor plaza and educational experience for both adults and children on the life of a panda.

Two outdoor habitats are designed after the giant panda's natural surroundings in China's Sichuan Province, with rock formations, small watercourses and 815 bamboo plants shaping the enclosure.

Dan Pearlman worked with Berlin-based emproc Bauprojektmanagement on the project, who handled construction work for the ninth-month development.

"Panda Garden invites visitors to experience a bit of China and get up-close to the rare pandas," said Dan Pearlman CEO, Kieran Stanley. "At the same time, it allows the sensitive animals to be cared for in a highly modern way and also provides space for research."

The arrival of the two pandas was preceded by a lengthy negotiation period between the German and Chinese governments, with a 15-year loan deal agreed between the two nations. Under the agreement, any panda offspring produced during that time would be returned to China.

"We have two very likable diplomats here – the two pandas," said Merkel. "I think Jiao Qing and Meng Meng will be special ambassadors for our two countries."

This is not Berlin's first panda acquisition following the arrival of Bao Bao in 1980. Sent as a state gift from China, the panda died in 2012.

"We need to deepen cooperation in education, culture, science and technology, tourism, health, think tanks, media, football and other fields, implement visa-related and other facilitation measures and bring our two peoples closer to each other," said Xi.

"I hope this pair of giant pandas will serve as envoys of China-Germany friendship."