Germany had its first taste of panda mania on Saturday as two furry ambassadors arrived from China to begin a new life as stars of Berlin's premier zoo.

Two musk oxen for a pair of giant pandas. Who would make that trade? The Chinese did, when President Richard M. Nixon was on his world-changing trip to China in 1972. [...] Panda diplomacy has had a long history, but before Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing arrived in the United States (not long after Nixon returned from his trip), there hadn’t been a giant panda here for more than 20 years.

Diplomats with these koalafications don't come cheap. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop could barely contain her glee when she was filmed with the furry foursome of Paddle, Chan, Pelita and Idalia at the launch of Singapore Zoo's new koala exhibit last week. But Australian taxpayers might not be so happy to learn that the diplomatic donation – made to mark 50 years of Australia-Singapore relations – cost them $133,100.

Four female koalas have just made their debut in front of an adoring public at Singapore Zoo – the latest in a long line of animals used for diplomatic purposes. [...] As Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s media release says, the koalas' visit will “further build on our long-standing constructive relationship”.

Israel is sending a ship to Turkey on Monday with a large and noisy cargo on board. This shipment is part of a decades-long struggle, but one against nature: it aims to calm ties between the two countries while simultaneously saving Asian pachyderms from extinction.

A pair of Cambodian elephants arrived in Seoul on Thursday, possibly preventing the extinction of the species in Korea...After efforts by Seoul City and the Foreign Ministry, donors came from the Cambodian government as Prime Minister Hun Sen promised last month to send over a couple of fertile Asian elephants. “The Cambodian government accepted our request, in consideration of the ties between the two countries,” said a Foreign Ministry official.