THE WWF-UK’s iconic marble masterpiece has painstakingly been relocated to a new home in Woking.

A team of expert handymen from JA Mackenzie Lifting and Haulage Specialists donned hardhats and high-vis vests to carefully move the precious sculpture of a panda to the new WWF headquarters at the Living Planet Centre in once piece.

The panda made the intrepid 10-mile trip successfully from Godalming, where it has resided for 25 years to its new habitat, joining the town’s rich collection of public sculptures.

WWF’s head of human resources, Karen Gravestock, said: “The panda will be joining a host of famous statues in the town that are, well, out of this world.

“However, unlike HG Wells’ aliens, our panda aims to save the planet, not destroy it. We are looking forward to contributing to Woking’s appeal.

“The Living Planet Centre will be open to the public and we’re excited to share our desire to protect the environment with the people of Woking. Our panda is iconic as the face of our conservation work and we hope it will be happy in its new home. ”

After a quarter of a century guarding the doors of WWF in Godalming, the charity’s latest animal relocation project took place last week, and the panda is now safely settling in at Woking.

Designed, created and donated by Edwin Russell, the panda was unveiled by HRH Princess Alexandra in 1988 and over the years it has witnessed many campaigns all with conservation in mind.

WWF is looking forward to the panda witnessing many more conservation successes from Woking.