Pandas' birthdays spark a rush at Australian zoo

Australia's Adelaide Zoo, home to the only giant pandas in the Southern Hemisphere, is drawing record crowds to one of its top attractions, with the pair of iconic bears from China continuing to grow ties and fueling anticipation of their future offspring as they mark their latest birthdays and approach suitable reproductive ages.

Female panda Yi Lan turned 5 on Aug 10 and male counterpart Xing Qiu will be 6 on Sept 29, with the zoo celebrating their birthdays throughout August, including free entry for children ages 14 and under.

The zoo's annual "Teddy Bears' Picnic" was held on Sunday for the two pandas, and this year's event was one of the busiest it has seen, attracting just under 5,000 visitors, said Arliah Hayward, assistant curator for pandas.

"The event included panda-themed activities and enrichment, and demonstrated very strong public interest that continues to surround the pair," Hayward said.

"Interest in Yi Lan and Xing Qiu has been very strong from the South Australian public. Visitors to Adelaide Zoo enjoy getting to know the pandas' different personalities," she said, adding that "panda content continues to be among some of our most popular posts" across the zoo's social media channels.

The two pandas arrived in Adelaide in 2024 from Southwest China's Sichuan province, with the capital of South Australia state becoming their home for a decade under a joint research program that saw the city's zoo hosting predecessors Wang Wang and Fu Ni from 2009 to 2024.

Wang Wang and Fu Ni drew more than 5 million visitors during their stay, according to the zoo, with repeated unsuccessful attempts to produce a cub by mating the pair.

In line with breeding and biological research cooperation, China lends its pandas to zoos worldwide. All cubs born abroad belong to China.

David Smith, an associate professor at the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney, said pandas are "natural media stars".

"They rose from total obscurity to fame in the 20th century, when photography and film and mass-produced toys all proved to be perfect media for the striking, cuddly animals. And they are even better suited to the internet. Millions of people worldwide watch zoo panda cams every year," Smith said.

"Pandas are both universally appealing and uniquely, unmistakably Chinese. We can't see pandas without thinking of China. So for China, pandas are perhaps the country's most important source of 'soft power' — they reliably generate warm feelings," he said.

Just as importantly, they have long been a symbol of global environmental cooperation. Conservation research is a critical part of panda exchanges, Smith said.

"For China, sending pandas to other countries to promote shared conservation research is an important way of asserting environmental leadership," he said.

Amid heightened anticipation of current pandas Yi Lan and Xing Qiu mating, Hayward from the zoo said the pair is "still maturing and their bodies are continuing to adapt to the seasonal cycle of the Southern Hemisphere".

The zoo continues to closely monitor their health, behavior and development as they mature, she said.

"Yi Lan and Xing Qiu are both doing well at Adelaide Zoo. As they have settled in, their different personalities have become increasingly clear to both their keepers and zoo visitors," she said.

Smith said one of the best-known public facts about pandas is that it is hard to persuade them to mate in captivity. "So panda cubs born in captivity are very rare and beautiful things, even cuter than adult pandas," he said. "Any zoo in the world would crave panda cubs and the publicity and crowds they would bring."

For Adelaide retiree Dan Taylor, 66, visiting the zoo's pandas with his 12-year-old grandson Troy is a regular family outing. "We've been to China and know that the pandas are from there," he said. "They're also very popular here and we all hope to see cubs from this pair."

alexishooi@chinadaily.com.cn