Big Reception for Panda Pair: New Zoo Stars Officially Welcomed in Vienna

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP), and the Vice President of the National People's Congress of China, Li Hongzhong, were among those present at the ceremony in the Emperor's Pavilion on Wednesday. Visitors can now also see the giant pandas in the newly designed enclosure.

Pandas as "Bridge Builders" for Van der Bellen

The arrival of the animals in Vienna is "not a matter of course," said Van der Bellen. It is owed, among other things, to the "successful research cooperation" between Tiergarten Schönbrunn and its Chinese partner, the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA). Collaborations like these build trust and bring nations closer together. "The giant pandas are a symbol of the Chinese-Austrian partnership and friendship," said Van der Bellen, describing the new bear arrivals as "bridge builders."

New Panda Enclosure Opened in Vienna Zoo

In the renovation of the enclosure, the zoo also relied on Chinese-Austrian cooperation: Together with a Chinese company, the facility for the new panda duo was modernized, said Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck. The male "He Feng" now has a third more space in the indoor area than before, and the outdoor area received new water features and climbing facilities. Since the red pandas were relocated, the giant pandas now also have more space to roam outside.

The redesign was a major challenge because the building is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, explained Hering-Hagenbeck. Visitors can now also observe "Lan Yun" and "He Feng" from the Emperor's Pavilion.

Chinese Panda Diplomacy Has Existed for Decades

The new arrivals from China already arrived in Vienna on April 23. They have since been in quarantine and acclimatizing in the indoor facility. The two were born in 2020 at stations of the Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Pandas (CCRCGP). The adult animals are solitary, so the two inhabit separate facilities. Last fall, the crowd favorites "Yang Yang" and "Yuan Yuan" bid farewell to Schönbrunn Zoo to spend their twilight years as planned in their homeland of China.

The arrival of the bears is part of the "panda diplomacy" that has existed for several decades: China sends the animals as loans to selected zoos around the world for high fees. They are considered a symbol of friendship between China and the countries to which they are sent. Since 2003, there has been a cooperation between Schönbrunn Zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association for species conservation. In June of the previous year, the collaboration was extended for another ten years. According to Hering-Hagenbeck, the focus is on the protection of habitats as well as the improvement of care and breeding in human care. Giant pandas are "important ambassadors for species conservation," he said at the ceremony in the Emperor's Pavilion.

In the wild, the animals today live only in a few regions of China. In the 1980s, there were temporarily only about 1,100 giant pandas in their natural habitats. Due to strict protection measures by the Chinese government, the population has since grown to about 1,900 specimens.

(APA/Red)

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