Da Mao ate his Memphis fresh bamboo, relieved himself near an artificial rock, pushed a ball in a pond and decided that was enough exertion. For the next hour, he napped in a comfortable "bum lower than body" position favoured by his kind.

The people - an assortment of VIP guests and media - were enraptured. Yip's Children's Choir from Markham sang uplifting songs of Chinese-Canadian friendship in Da Mao's direction. He kept napping.

On Thursday, after a 30-day quarantine, last-minute stocking of panda plush, and an hour of speeches, the Toronto Zoo unveiled its loaner pandas from China.

Da Mao, the more social of the two bears, was on display in a roomy outdoor enclosure, while the more reserved Er Shun was spotted indoors, one arm resting on a branch, staring at a zoo staffer who was staring at her, clipboard in hand, monitoring her behaviour.

The bears are on a 10-year breeding loan from China. They will spend five years in Toronto before ending their time in Calgary. The panda exhibit will be open to the public on Saturday.

China's ambassador to Canada, Zhang Junsai, called the bears a token of friendship from the Chinese people.

"Many Chinese are deeply moved by the exceptional attention and thoughtful care towards the two pandas from across Canada," he said, citing the school choirs, careful FedEx shipments and the 0.8 hectares of Toronto Zoo digs.

"All these make me a little bit worried that Er Shun and Da Mao may one day feel like seeking Canadian citizenship rather than coming back to China upon the completion of their tour," he said, as the crowd chuckled.

Mayor Rob Ford, whose wife and children were in the audience, called it an "historical event."

"It is rare and it is a unique opportunity to see and learn about these incredible animals. Very few cities and zoos have this opportunity," he said, inviting the world to visit the Toronto Zoo.

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, a member of the zoo board, called it an "emotional moment" because it has been "almost a lifetime" of negotiations on the municipal level. He credited Prime Minister Stephen Harper for making it happen.

The zoo has been busy preparing for the onslaught of panda enthusiasts. A panda shop was stocked in the past two days with thousands of plush bears, personalized panda mugs and panda mood rings.

Stephanie Smith, 21, has worked at the zoo for five summers, through white lions, stingrays, and penguins, and has never seen the zoo make this big of a deal.

"We haven't been allowed to take pictures until they get revealed to the public," the store clerk said amid the sea of plastic panda eyeballs. "Security has been there 24/7."

A Mandarin Express restaurant is located next to the exhibit. Company president James Chiu told the crowd that the pandas were meaningful to his company because "most of our employees and partners immigrated to this wonderful country from China."

The pandas are living in the old Amur tiger exhibit, near the front of the park. Artificial rocks and climbing trees have been brought in, so there are lots of places for the bears to perch and lounge. They will be kept in separate enclosures because pandas are solitary creatures, save for the couple of days each year when Er Shun will be receptive to Da Mao's advances.

Zoo staff hope for a baby panda during the pair's five-year stay.