[Stephen Frazier, Cnn Anchor:] It's pandemonium in Russia, where two adorable pandas are on loan now from China, just for the summer. This is a visit aimed at improving relations between the two countries. But already, there's a problem, satisfying the panda's need for bamboo. Here's Tim Rogers.
[Tim Rogers, Itn Reporter:] They have come as ambassadors on a mission, to win the hearts of Russians. And so far, they've been doing a good job thanks mainly to the antics of Ben-Ben, the more playful and the younger of the two pandas, who is the star of their first unofficial viewing at Moscow Zoo. Inside and out of the public gaze, his female partner, Wen-Wen has thought only for a panda's main desire, her next meal. [on camera]: The pandas' arrival is meant to illustrate the thawing in relations between Moscow and Beijing. And while the Russians are clearly delighted to have them here, they nevertheless present something of a problem: and that's how to satisfy their voracious appetite. [voice-over]: The problem is getting hold of the pandas' staple diet, bamboo. They eat 50 pounds a day, and the only region in Russia where bamboo is grown is more than 1,000 miles away. So the zoo is having it flown in especially. But the pandas appearance has taken months of careful negotiations between Russia and China. And whatever the cost, diplomacy and a panda's needs come first. Ben-Ben and Wen-Wen are only loan, and they'll be returning to China in August. By then, the diplomats hope it'll be mission accomplished. Tim Rogers, ITN, Moscow.