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Recently arrived Giant Pandas, Yi Lan and Xing Qiu, have made their public debut at Adelaide Zoo. They are both young pandas and were chosen with not only their ability to adapt to the Adelaide environment in mind but also their suitability as a breeding pair when they are older.

Described as a very handsome panda, Xing Qiu (pronounced shing chee-y-ull), is four years old with a docile but lively personality.

Meaning ‘star Autumn’, Xing Qiu’s name describes his birth season and the starry sky that was twinkling above on the night he was born.

Three-year-old Yi Lan (ee-lun) is described as a playful and very beautiful panda. Her name means ‘idly blissful’.

Adelaide Zoo welcomed delegates and dignitaries including Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas, Don Farrell Minister for Trade and Tourism and representatives from the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda (CCRCGP) for an Official Welcome Ceremony in Bamboo Forest.

After the ceremony, the Premier welcomed in the first lucky guests among the eager crowd to catch a glimpse of Yi Lan and Xing Qiu.

Much to the delight of visitors, the black-and-white duo enthusiastically explored their outdoor habitat as crowds delighted in watching their playful panda antics.

The bears were also treated to colourfully-decoration enrichment boxes, thanks to the zoo’s volunteer BEEZA (Behavioural and Environmental Enrichment for Zoo Animals) team, filled with panda cake, apple and carrot.

Zoos SA Chief Executive Elaine Bensted advised “today was a very special moment for everyone here at Zoos SA.

“It marks the next chapter of our Giant Panda journey and honours the amazing cooperation between our organisation, state and federal government, and our counterparts in China to continue the vital conservation work for this vulnerable species.

“It was incredible to see eager panda-fans lining up to access Bamboo Forest and witness the joy on their faces as they met Yi Lan and Xing Qiu for the first time.

“It is an honour to be entrusted with the care of Giant Pandas and I can’t wait for a new generation of visitors to learn more about their species, fall in love with Yi Lan and Xing Qiu and invest in their conservation into the future.”

Director of Adelaide Zoo, Dr Phil Ainsley, said both Yi Lan and Xing Qiu have adapted amazingly to their new home and shared “thanks to the hard work by our dedicated keepers, both pandas have settled in incredibly well to Bamboo Forest.

“It’s been lovely to hear the stories of their different personalities; Yi Lan is very playful and loves to explore. She has already bonded to her keepers and thoroughly enjoys her new enrichment items.

“Meanwhile, Xing Qiu is quite relaxed and is very happy munching on bamboo shoots. He has an amazing appetite and a taste for our Adelaide-grown bamboo varieties, eating around 30kg a day.

“I am really looking forward to the public getting to know this new panda pair – we hope to see everyone soon at the zoo!”

Zoos SA has worked closely with the South Australian Government, the Commonwealth Government and their Chinese counterparts to bring the new panda pair to Australia and mark this special occasion.

The continuation of Giant Pandas at Adelaide Zoo is with thanks to the South Australian Government’s Memorandum of Understanding with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of the People’s Republic of China to further cooperation between the governments on promoting Giant Panda conservation.

Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas added “we warmly welcome Xing Qui and Yi Lan, who we know will be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of South Australians and visitors alike.

"We fully expect this new panda pair will be a highly popular addition to Adelaide Zoo not just in these school holidays, but for many years to come."

Giant Pandas reach breeding maturity between four and seven years of age and can breed into their 20s. Female pandas ovulate only once a year in spring.

Giant Pandas used to range throughout southern and eastern China, Myanmar and north Vietnam. Today, they live in six major mountains ranges in the Sichuan and Gansu Provinces with an estimated 1,864 Giant Pandas living across a 23,000 square kilometre range.

Excitingly, since the arrival of the species at Adelaide Zoo, numbers of Giant Pandas have increased in the wild and their conservation status has improved from endangered to vulnerable thanks to the work of conservationists across the globe.

For more information on Giant Pandas and Adelaide Zoo, please visit adelaidezoo.com.au. 

Images. Credit: Adelaide Zoo

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