How panda 'ambassadors' gently built trust overseas

Coming home

Xiang Xiang, born in June 2017 at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, returned to China last year.

Distance has not diminished Japanese people's affection for the celebrity panda, and many have traveled to China to see the female panda in her shelter in Ya'an, Sichuan.

Nearly 200 giant panda lovers in Tokyo celebrated Xiang Xiang's seventh birthday in June.

At the gathering, Toshimitsu Doi, president of the Panda Protection Institute of Japan, said he hoped more Japanese people would come to love giant pandas and travel to China, the home of the animals, to enhance their understanding of the country.

More than 10 giant pandas, including Fu Bao, are due to return to China this year, according to the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

Fu Bao was born at the Everland Park in Republic of Korea in July 2020 to two giant pandas moved to the country in 2016. The panda returned to Chengdu, Sichuan province, on April 3.

Fu Bao's videos enjoyed massive popularity on Everland Park's You-Tube channel, attracting around 500 million views. Everland said approximately 5.5 million people had visited the park just to see Fu Bao.

Speaking at Fu Bao's farewell event, Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Xing Haiming, thanked Fu Bao's keeper Kang Cheol-won, saying Kang's love and care for the panda family were a reflection of the fraternity between the two countries.

China has launched a multimedia platform iPanda, which highlights the breeding and conservation projects of giant pandas and other rare wildlife species.

Panda lovers around the world are able to watch live panda broadcasts on the YouTube channels of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Powerful symbol

A flagship species of wildlife conservation, the giant panda has also played an important role in advancing protection of biodiversity.

As the rarest member of the bear family and one of the world's most vulnerable animals, the giant panda has long drawn global attention to at-risk and endangered species.

Since its founding in 1961, the World Wide Fund for Nature has used the giant panda on its logo, with the iconic image serving as a rallying symbol for the global conservation movement.

In 2021, China officially designated its first group of national parks, including the Giant Panda National Park with a total area covering more than 22,000 square kilometers.

The move marks an important step forward in China's efforts to promote ecological protection and facilitate harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China is carrying out panda conservation research with 18 overseas institutions from 17 countries, and there are over 50 giant pandas living abroad.

Both Chinese and foreign parties have jointly tackled a series of technical challenges in the areas of giant panda conservation, breeding, disease prevention and control, and reintroduction to the wild, significantly enhancing the scientific research of giant panda conservation.

Excitement builds

Phil Ainsley, the director of Adelaide Zoo, has shared his excitement about the two new pandas coming to his zoo in a video interview with reporters, saying the move allows him and his colleagues to continue to conserve and learn about the "amazing species".

"The conservation messages is really important," he said, adding collaborative programs between the two countries not only help the giant panda, but also other species that will benefit from the restoration and protection of environments.

Ainsley said ongoing learning about giant pandas is equally important, as it will help secure their future.

Chinese and foreign experts are collaborating to promote the breeding of more giant pandas. China and the US have jointly bred 17 panda cubs in the US who survived to adulthood.

China and Spain have bred six giant panda cubs, making Spain the most successful country in Europe for breeding cooperation.

In 2021, China announced pandas had been downgraded from endangered to vulnerable, saying the classification upgrade reflected the animals' improved living conditions and the country's efforts to integrate their habitats.

Thanks to the ongoing giant panda conservation efforts, the number of wild pandas in China has grown to nearly 1,900.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn