Female giant panda Mao Er's passport (Photo courtesy of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding)

A pair of giant pandas from a panda research base in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province will shortly leave for Copenhagen, Denmark for a collaborative research project.

Xing Er, a six-year-old male, and five-year-old female Mao Er will depart from Chengdu at 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning and head to Copenhagen Zoo, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding said.

The move is part of a 15-year joint research project on the protection and breeding of giant pandas between the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens and the Danish zoo, said Xie Zhong, vice president of the association.

The Chengdu Research Base has rolled out giant panda research programs with 16 countries and regions so far, according to Zhang Zhihe, head of the research base.

A farewell party for the panda pair was held at the base on Wednesday.