Giant pandas around the world

As of 2019, there are 27 zoos in 21 countries outside of mainland China (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom (Scotland), and United States) that have giant pandas. These zoos have contracts with China to house these pandas for a few years. Giant pandas are on the IUCN Red List so part of the reason these contracts exist between China and international zoos is to try to help the species reproduce before they are brought back to their native land. For this reason, pandas are treated very well.

Europe

Belgium

Belgian zoo Pairi Daiza hosts five giant pandas; Hao Hao and Xing Hui since April 2014. Tian Bao was born in Pairi Daiza in 2016; he is the baby of Hao Hao and Xing Hui. In 2019, Hao Hao gave birth to a male and a female.

Scotland

Tian Tian and Yang Huang are the pandas that are housed in the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. They live in 275,000 pounds suites and have organic food flown in from the Continent. They are on loan from China and will return in 2021. “Tian Tian and Yang Guang have been put in enclosures designed by animal psychologists, which come complete with dens, private pools, a viewing platform and a room where the pandas will be given health check-ups.” In their new habitats, each panda has a climbing frame that will enable them to see each other over the tops of their enclosures. The design of the habitat is to resemble their natural habitat in the wild. They have caves to sleep in and rocks where they can lay and do their favorite pastime, munch on bamboo.

Austria

The former elephant enclosure became the Panda House at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo with a well-structured grounds (1015 m²) adapted. These pandas are also fed a nutritious diet, and provided with proactive medical care and a dedicated nurse team - one of the most important aspects of the panda attitude. Air-conditioning and a fog machine were installed in their habitat to keep the pandas safe and happy on hot summer days.

Finland

Finnish Ähtäri Zoo also hosts two giant pandas named Lumi and Pyry. They arrived in Finland 18 January 2018 and opened for public 17 February, after one month of quarantine. They were named after the snowstorm that prevailed at the time they arrived in Finland. Lumi means snow in Finnish, while Pyry is the equivalent of snowfall.

Spain

The Zoo Aquarium, in Madrid (Spain) is the home of Bing Xing (M) and Hua Zuiba (F) since 2007. They gave birth to twin cubs on 7 September 2010. Another cub, Xing Bao (F), was born in 2013 and in September 2016 Chulina (F). The zoo was also the site of the first giant panda birth in Europe, Chulin (M) in 1982 whose parents, Shao Shao (F) and Chang Chang (M), arrived in 1978. Chulin (M, 1982) was the first panda to be born in captivity in the western hemisphere by artificial insemination

Denmark

On 4 April 2019 Copenhagen Zoo received two pandas, Xing Er, and Mao Sun. The pandas live in a brand new enclosure designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and civil engineer company MOE.

Netherlands

The Dutch Zoo Ouwehands Dierenpark houses two giant pandas named Xing Ya and Wu Wen. They live in a 3,400 meter² Chinese-style enclosure. Wu Wen gave birth to a cub on 1 May, 2020.

Australia

Adelaide Zoo in Australia houses two pandas, Wang Wang and Funi, who were earlier rescued from China. They were donated to Australia in 2009. They live together as male and female but also live with six red pandas. Space was created to provide comfort for the pandas but do not have the exhibit so big that the panda species would not be able to interact. In each inside room, there is “deep litter” which is a type of mulch to provide a clean inside for the pandas to live in.

The landscape of the exhibit was designed to mirror the native home of the two pandas, China. The giant panda exhibit is over 3,000 square meters and gives the pandas the options such as moving outside to lay on cool rocks or to bath in waterfalls. The two pandas that the Adelaide Zoo in Australia holds also have the option of staying inside in either air-conditioned rooms or in more natural caves to provide comfort for the pandas. The exhibit also has new 24-hour closed circuit television to observe the pandas and how they interact with one another as well as other species in the exhibit. There is also a public viewing terrace under a bamboo canopy to accommodate the crowds but also to manage the privacy of the pandas. The zoo has specialist keepers just for the pandas as well as vets on hand at the zoo to make sure the pandas are well taken care of and protected.

Asia

China

In Asian zoos, a diet of mostly gruel and bread is fed to pandas. In an experiment on how nutritious the pandas' diet in Chinese zoos is, two 5 day feeding trials were conducted. The pandas were both different age. The younger panda ate more bamboo than the older panda did. Gruel, however, can cause problems for the panda’s digestive system. The diets of pandas in captivity do not consist of enough bamboo, which can be harmful to their wellbeing.

In a study done on pandas in China to test for brominated flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochloride pesticides in the giant panda’s tissues, results stated that chemicals such as PCB and PBDE were found in the panda’s tissues. Factors that contribute to the chemicals found in the tissues of pandas are diet and inhalation of polluted air. In February 2014, at China’s Zhengzhou Zoo, a 7-year-old female panda named Jin Yi died. Torture allegations were denied by Zoo officials.

Singapore

The largest panda exhibit built in Southeast Asia, this exhibit spans 1,500m2. Simulating the bears’ natural habitat with lush plantings, boulders and water features, the state-of-the-art biodome is also temperature- and humidity-controlled to ensure the pandas’ comfort. River Safari has two pandas named Kai Kai and Jia Jia on a 10 year loan

North America

United States

Zoo Atlanta has several giant pandas being loaned from China. The loan fee that the zoo pays goes towards the conservation of giant pandas. The zoo itself has given over ten million dollars for giant panda conservation. Their projects include infrastructure, research, and management.

In April 2003, the Memphis Zoo became one of only four U.S. zoos to exhibit the giant panda. One male and one female giant panda ("Ya Ya" and "Le Le") share their 3-acre (1.2 ha) home with several other species native to China, in the first Memphis Zoo exhibit to be built as a zoogeographical exhibit. The buildings, plant life and even the sounds of China are represented in this $16 million exhibit.

At the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, zoo keepers play with giant pandas and switch up their routine. They provide honey, apples, and leaf-eater biscuits inside the panda toys. The toys are usually made of plastic, rubber, and bamboo to ensure that the pandas don’t break the toys too easily. Giant Pandas are allowed to play with water bottles, burlap bags, blankets, boxes, and fruitsicles- frozen fruit juice and water with cut up fruit inside. The exhibit itself includes a room with a waterfall and rocky outcrop, a den, and several sustainable design features. There are green roofs, a solar hot water system, and natural material for the visitor paths. Not only is the exhibit sustainable, but it also creates an environment that allows for the pandas to stay at a cool temperature when it is hot outside while providing areas for privacy. Short trees, shrubs, pools, and streams, allow them to stay comfortable at all times. The National Zoo will return one of the pandas, a four year-old giant panda named "Bei Bei," to China on November 19, 2019.

The San Diego Zoo had Giant Pandas on-loan from China from 1996-2019 as part of the breeding program that successfully boosted the Giant Panda from "endangered" to "vulnerable." The agreement for the San Diego Zoo to house the breeding pair of Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu ended in 2019, and the pandas have been set to be returned on April 27th. The San Diego Zoo has stated that it will try to negotiate with the Chinese government to renew the partnership.

Mexico

The Chapultepec Zoo (Zoológico de Chapultepec) is one of the four zoos of Mexico City, and it is especially famous for its success in giant panda breeding; in 1980 Chapultepec Zoo became the first institution outside of China to successfully breed the previously endangered species in captivity. The first bear born, Xeng-Li, lived only eight days after its August 10 birth but was accidentally smothered by its mother, Yin-Yin.

In total there have been eight live births at the zoo. The most famous panda to have lived at the zoo is Tohui (1981-1993). As of November 2019, the two female giant pandas who live at the zoo, Shuan Shuan (b. 1988) and Xin Xin (b. 1990), are the oldest Giant Pandas in captivity.

The pandas at Chapultepec are special in that China does not have ownership. The original pair was given to Mexico and subsequent pandas have all been born prior to the change in policy from gifting to loaning. Zoo officials have also come to an agreement with China that any new offspring born at Chapultepec will belong to China. However, these pandas will be allowed to stay at the zoo (in contrast to other institutions, where offspring have to be returned to China after reaching five years of age).

Canada

Giant pandas Jia Yueyue and Jia Panpan were the first pandas to be born in Canada.