After the Taipei Zoo received two giant pandas from China, another Taiwan zoo said Friday it is seeking to receive a pair of pandas from China.

The Leofoo Village Theme Park in Hsinchu, western Taiwan, which applied for two Chinese pandas but lost to the Taipei Zoo, said it hopes that China can give Taiwan another pair of pandas.

"We have built the Panda enclosure and three animals caretakers have received training in China. We have made all the preparations," Yuan Hsiang-chieh, director of the theme park, told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa by phone.

Taiwan press reports said China has hinted it could give Taiwan more pandas. Yuan said the Leofoo park will make inquiries after the Chinese New Year.

"The year-end is coming up and then there is the Chinese New Year holidays. So it is not the right time to ask about that, but we will make inquiries after the Chinese Near Year," he said.

The Chinese New Year, a week-long holiday, starts on January 26.

After Chinese President Hu Jintao offered two pandas to Taiwan in 2005, both the Taipei Zoo and the Leofoo park applied to receive the pandas.

The Council of Agriculture rejected the application from Leofoo Park, saying Leofoo's medical facilities for pandas and tourist education programmes were not as good as those of the Taipei Zoo.

The two Chinese pandas - Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan - arrived at the Taipei Zoo on December 23.