Giant pandas Yi Lan (pronounced ee-lun) and Xing Qiu (pronounced shing chee-y-ull) have arrived at their new home at Adelaide Zoo after making the journey from Dujiangyan in China.
Xing Qiu, the four-year-old male, is a handsome fellow with a calm yet playful personality. His name means ‘Star Autumn’, inspired by the twinkling stars above the night he was born. Yi Lan, the three-year-old female, is described as a joyful and beautiful panda. Her name means ‘Idly Blissful’, which seems to perfectly match her easy-going nature.
New director of Adelaide Zoo, Dr Phil Ainsley, said: “Both pandas were super comfy and chilled throughout the flight. They were looked after by a Zoos SA vet as well as a panda keeper from our conservation partner, the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP). The team made sure Yi Lan and Xing Qiu had plenty of bamboo snacks along the way!”
When Wang Wang and Fu Ni, the zoo’s previous pandas, were at Adelaide Zoo, they helped improve the conservation status of their species and contributed to a rise in wild panda numbers. Now, Yi Lan and Xing Qiu are ready to continue this important work, while inspiring the next generation of South Australians to care about pandas and conservation.
Yi Lan and Xing Qiu are settling into their new home, getting to know their keepers and adjusting to their new surroundings. During this time, the Bamboo Forest will be closed to the public while the pandas undergo a mandatory quarantine period. But don’t worry – Zoos SA expects you’ll be able to see them by mid-January once they’re all settled in.
Giant Pandas used to roam throughout southern and eastern China, Myanmar, and northern Vietnam, but today they are found in just six mountain ranges in China’s Sichuan and Gansu Provinces. There are about 1,864 Giant Pandas living across a 23,000 square kilometre area.
Pandas are picky when it comes to breeding – they don’t reach breeding maturity until they’re around four to seven years old, and females only ovulate once a year in spring. But with any luck, Yi Lan and Xing Qiu will help to raise awareness and inspire future conservation efforts!
To keep up with the latest panda updates or to learn how to pronounce Yi Lan and Xing Qiu, visit adelaidezoo.com.au
