Lovable duo win hearts, raise conservation awareness as they settle in at new Adelaide home

For Australian photographer Leighton Cassebohm, visiting the zoo in Adelaide is a monthly affair.

Taking shots of the giant pandas is a "picture perfect" opportunity, he said.

"They're so interactive, checking out everything," Cassebohm said. "You can see them up close, and that's the best part. It's a good little habitat… a great spot to be in."

Visitors are forming lines to see Xing Qiu and his female companion Yi Lan — just as crowds gathered for 15 years at the zoo to watch the duo's predecessors, Wang Wang and Fu Ni.

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"It's a whole new thing for us again," Cassebohm said.

Xing Qiu, 4, and Yi Lan, 3, arrived in Adelaide late last year from Southwest China's Sichuan province. The pair will call the capital of South Australia state their home for a decade, continuing a joint research program that saw the city's zoo hosting Wang Wang and Fu Ni, the only giant panda pair in the Southern Hemisphere from 2009 to 2024.

Delighting visitors and zookeepers alike, Xing Qiu and Yi Lan are now settling comfortably into their separate, adjacent enclosures as their stay Down Under hits the half-year mark, with tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and conservation cooperation poised to expand during the bears' stay.

"We've learned a lot about giant pandas, and we now use that knowledge and experience to work with Yi Lan and Xing Qiu," said zookeeper Arliah Hayward, who has been at Adelaide Zoo for nearly 16 years.

"We're still learning so much about them, no day is the same with Yi Lan and Xing Qiu, or, I think, any giant panda," Hayward said adding they are always "very cute".

The zoo describes Xing Qiu as "a very handsome panda with a calm yet lively temperament. His name, meaning 'autumn star', reflects the season of his birth and the starry night sky that illuminated his arrival into the world".

Yi Lan is "known for her beauty and playful nature. Her name, translating to 'idly blissful', perfectly captures her charming personality".

The two pandas were chosen as "the ideal pair for Adelaide Zoo, not only because of their ability to thrive in Adelaide's environment but also due to their potential as a future breeding pair", it said.

"We've been pleased to see Xing Qiu and Yi Lan settle in and adapt so well to their new environment here at Adelaide Zoo," the zoo's acting director Ian Smith said.

"Our focus remains on ensuring their welfare through carefully tailored care and habitat management, guided closely by our Chinese partners to meet their specific needs.

"As a team deeply committed to animal welfare, we prioritize their health and well-being every step of the way, working collaboratively to provide an environment that supports both their physical and behavioral needs."

The wild population of giant pandas in China has significantly increased over the past four decades, growing from about 1,100 in the 1980s to an estimated 1,900, with the global captive population of giant pandas reaching 757 late last year, according to China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Getting to know you

During the 15 years that Wang Wang and Fu Ni were in Adelaide, there were repeated attempts to produce a cub by mating the pair, but they were unsuccessful.

Hayward said that for Xing Qiu and Yi Lan, it is still early days.

"We're just watching their personalities grow, especially as both are not sexually mature yet. They will become more mature pandas in the coming years, so we will definitely see some developments in their behaviors," she said.

"Giant pandas are solitary animals …they only come together to breed and then they separate, so they live a solitary life outside of a very small breeding window, which can be anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days."

Hayward also noted that Australia has an opposite breeding season to China "because they're in the Northern Hemisphere and we're in the Southern Hemisphere".

"With these two bears we won't be looking for any breeding introductions right away, we have to wait and see what they tell us with their biological clocks," Hayward added.

Fellow zookeeper Jemma Cleere said the young age of the pandas shows.

"They're a lot more playful. Yi Lan loves climbing trees. She's climbing every single tree in that habitat. Xing Qiu loves his water, he loves getting hosed down by keepers," Cleere said.

"He also really loves his food, he loves his bamboo, he will eat anything and everything he can of his bamboo that we offer him, which is really good," she said.

Star attraction

Zoo visitor Tony Tyson, 69, said his grandson River, 3, expressed curiosity about animals that were native to China, so they headed straight to the panda enclosure to learn more.

"As soon as he (River) saw the panda, he said, 'Let's go have a look'," Tyson said, adding that he hoped the new pair of pandas would mate.

The giant pandas look set to attract more visitors like Tyson. Wang Wang and Fu Ni were a major draw for 15 years, boosting zoo visits by 150,000 people in their first year of arrival, according to the South Australian Tourism Commission.

The previous pandas drew more than 5 million people during their time in Adelaide — their presence also helped the South Australian economy reap between A$16.1 million ($10.4 million) and A$57.5 million in total gross output in 2010 alone, supporting 240 to 1,085 jobs during the same period, according to zoo authorities.

The new panda pair are expected to become a "highly popular addition to Adelaide Zoo … for many years to come", the commission cited South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas as saying. "This is yet another sign of our strengthening relationship with China," he said.

Li Dong, Chinese consul-general in Adelaide, said China values strengthening China-Australia relations and hopes to promote enduring friendship and people-to-people bonds with Australia's southern state.

"The new giant panda cooperation embodies the goodwill of the Chinese government and people, as well as their expectations for even more fruitful China-Australia relations," he said, adding that the pandas can be considered the "star attraction" of Adelaide Zoo, with many South Australians going there specifically to see the bears.

"The giant pandas are not only beloved by the people of South Australia but also attract visitors from other parts of Australia and overseas who travel to Adelaide to see them. This has contributed to the growth of South Australia's tourism and related service industries," Li said.

He highlighted a touching moment when Wang Wang and Fu Ni were departing for China. Back then, Adelaide Zoo set up a special "panda mailbox" that received over 1,000 letters and postcards from local children, containing their heartfelt wishes and reluctant farewells to the pandas.

The Chinese Consulate-General in Adelaide has also organized activities such as an International Chinese Language Day at the venue, inviting local youth to participate, with other institutions similarly holding public cultural events, Li said. "These activities have sown seeds of China-Australia friendship among local residents, particularly the youth," Li said.

Research cooperation

The presence of Xing Qiu and Yi Lan also reflects the significant strides in China-Australia conservation efforts.

"Adelaide Zoo and other Australian institutions have made extensive efforts in China-Australia giant panda conservation and research cooperation," Li said.

The zoo's Bamboo Forest panda enclosure is equipped with temperature control systems, with bamboo groves specifically cultivated to provide a regular supply of fresh varieties for the bears, he said.

"China's giant pandas enjoy star treatment here," Li said.

"The settlement of giant pandas in Adelaide has significantly advanced China-Australia biodiversity conservation efforts," he said, adding that Chinese experts head to Adelaide Zoo to provide support during each panda breeding season.

Hayward, the zookeeper, said: "We've had a keeper and a vet come and stay with us for a few months, and they were great, they were very helpful, they were here every day watching Xing Qiu and Yi Lan develop here in Australia, watching them get weighed, watching what bamboos they liked."

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"We'd exchange different bamboo species, between what they eat in China and what they eat here in Australia, so it was really fascinating for both of us, learning from each other," she said, adding that zoo personnel from both sides exchange regular panda updates in line with the arrangement for the bears.

Smith, the zoo's acting director, said Xing Qiu and Yi Lan, "play a vital role in reinvigorating Australia's love of giant pandas and raising awareness of the global conservation efforts that protect this iconic species and their natural habitats".

"Through education and community engagement, we aim to inspire ongoing support for wildlife conservation both here and abroad," he said.

Zookeeper Cleere said public education is an integral part of the conservation effort.

"We love to educate everyone that comes through our gates about conservation, about giant panda conservation specifically," she said.

The zoo hopes to share with younger generations "how important giant pandas are to their environment… and hopefully help them enjoy the pandas as well," she added.

Contact the writers at xinxin@chinadaily.com.cn