First Encounter with the Furry Kind

Three-year-old Evette Tan knows a thing or two about pandas. After all, she has read about them and she has seen the animated movie, Kungfu Panda. What she really wanted, though, was to see the black and white bears up close.

“She kept asking me to take her,” said her mother, Janet Yeo, Senior Secretary with CapitaLand Limited.

So when CapitaLand arranged for its staff and their family to get a special preview of the giant pandas, Kai Kai (凯凯) and Jia Jia (嘉嘉), at the River Safari even before the enclosure was opened to the public, Yeo jumped at the chance.

She and her family were among the 870 staff and their families who got to see the giant pandas in their S$8.6-million home, the largest in Southeast Asia for giant pandas. The pandas are on loan from China for the next 10 years and are part of a joint research programme between China and Singapore to enhance awareness of conservation of these gentle giants and develop a breeding programme for these endangered animals. CapitaLand is the Presenting Sponsor and Conservation Donor of the Giant Panda Collaborative Programme.

First Experience

Evette was thrilled to get her first look at the pandas she had read so much about and seen so often on television.

“She was very amazed to see them in real life. She didn’t expect that she would get so close to them and she was quite tickled when Kai Kai lounged lazily in its enclosure!” said Yeo.

The little girl also enjoyed the interactive way information about the giant pandas were presented and had a lot of fun looking into the boxes that contained the facts.

“It is great that the company gave us the chance to see the pandas first,” said Yeo.

First Visitors

Regional Investment & Asset Management Manager, CapitaMalls Asia, Zheng Han also welcomed the gesture from the company.

“It was very good that we got to see the bears before the enclosure was opened to the public because we didn’t have to fight with the crowd,” said Zheng.

He brought his parents who had read and heard so much about the panda pair from China.

First-of-its-kind Greetings

Carrying the panda theme into the new year, CapitaLand has also issued a series of Kai Kai and Jia Jia eco-friendly electronic greeting cards specially for the Lunar New Year. As the Presenting Sponsor and Conservation Donor of the10-year Singapore-China Giant Panda Collaborative Programme, CapitaLand aims to enhance awareness about wildlife conservation and develop educational programmes to engage underprivileged children in contributing towards biodiversity.

The e-cards are designed by CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF), the Group’s philanthropic arm. CHF supports programmes for the shelter, education and healthcare needs of underprivileged children in countries where CapitaLand operates, furthering the company’s corporate social responsibility commitment to build a better future for children in need. For every e-card sent to a unique recipient between now and 28 February 2013, the Foundation will donate S$2 to the Canossaville Children’s Home Upgrading Fund to improve the living conditions of underprivileged children in residential care. The home provides residential care to girls between six and 12 who come from at-risk family situations, giving them the emotional and psychological support they need to develop and contribute meaningfully to society in the future. CapitaLand hopes to donate up to S$25,000 to this charity drive.

To support S.E.N.D. (Send E-cards and Donate) for Hope, log on to www.capitaland.com/cards to send the cards. The cards come in three designs and are available in English and Chinese, with space for personalised messages and well-wishes.

Send an e-card today and help spread the festive cheer while helping those in need. Have a joyous and prosperous year ahead!