1,600 paper mache pandas invade Hong Kong airport   

1600只纸熊猫空降香港 掀“快闪”巡回展

(ECNS) -- A total of 1,600 paper mache pandas swarmed the arrivals hall at Hong Kong airport on Monday as part of a charity campaign to promote conservation.

The display is the first of a series of events planned across the city, part of a month-long "1,600 Pandas World Tour." The city will see "flash mobs of pandas" descend on various Hong Kong landmarks including the Avenue of Stars, the Shatin racecourse and Ocean Park.

The paper mache statues were made from recycled paper by French artist Paulo Grangeon in 2008 for the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to raise public awareness about the dwindling panda population. They have already been displayed in other cities including Berlin and Paris.

There are 1,600 because that's the number of pandas believed to be left in the wild, Paulo said.