HANGZHOU, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Six captive-bred king penguins from Wakayama in Japan finished their 30-day quarantine at Hangzhou Customs in east China's Zhejiang Province on Thursday.
The king penguins arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport one month ago.
As the second largest species of penguin after the emperor penguin, king penguins are easily identified by their striking ear patches of golden-orange feathers.
During the quarantine, customs officers conducted major epidemic disease examinations and sampling inspections on the penguins. After a month's observation, the six penguins were found to meet all health requirements. They will soon be cleared to meet tourists in Hangzhou Changqiao Polar Ocean Park.
Hangzhou brought in two female king penguins in 2009. Now, only one of them is still alive and is 13 years old.
Customs officers said the six penguins will be her companions, and the female penguin is likely to find her mate from the three male penguins among the six newcomers.
