Pandas' 5-year stint with Toronto Zoo coming to a close

A family of pandas that has been part of the Toronto's landscape for the last several years is about to depart the city,and residents here are being encouraged to see them before they leave.

The Toronto Zoo welcomed two adult pandas on loan from China in 2013 under a five-year-loan agreement. The female gave birth to twins in 2015.

The twin cubs are the first-ever giant pandas born in Canada.

Mayor John Tory was among scores of people who visited the zoo on Sunday to say their goodbyes.

• Twin pandas' names revealed as Jia Panpan, Jia Yueyue at their first public appearance

• Toronto's pandas have officially entered their terrible 2s

"The main reason I'm here is to tell people that the pandas are leaving and to make sure that as many people from the city and from the GTA come out to say goodbye," Tory said.

"It's a wonderful opportunity we've had for five years but they're going tobe gone now and who knows when we'll have pandas again. I just hope people will come out and see also the wonderful work that's being done here at the zoo."

The pandas arespending their couple of weeks in Toronto before moving to the Calgary Zoo, where they will spend the next five years. The exhibit runs until March 18.

"I hope people will come out and see the pandas and say goodbye, give them a send-off as they go to Calgary," Tory said.