For years, only 15 countries all over the world has been allowed to raise these cuddly babies called Pandas. Now, Indonesia’s one of them.
According to a report from the Jakarta Post, the Indonesian Environment and Forestry Ministry (EFM) has been issued an importation permit for these adorably clumsy bears, specifically at the Taman Safari Indonesia conservation park.
“We issued the import permit last month and the pandas will be brought to Indonesia as soon as possible. We are waiting for approval from [national flag carrier] Garuda, which will transport the pandas from China. We have specially requested Garuda to carry the species because it is part of an international conservation program,” said EFM’s biodiversity conservation director Bambang Dahono Adji to the Post.
The approval didn’t come easy, though.
China enforces strict prerequisites before issuing a permit to a country, which must have a “panda facility” with appropriate temperature for the panda’s comfort, fresh and ample supply of bamboo — pandas’ favorite meal — and “standardized quarantine procedures.”
The ultimate goal? Not Instagram likes, but to breed more pandas.
Bambang explains, “China has asked us to take care of the pandas and raise them properly until they can breed if possible. This is because pandas are very rare and not all countries have the opportunity to raise this species.”
